“I spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, and my 16th birthday in the hospital,” said Skylar, who’s now 19 years old. “I only got to go outside one time. I felt like a prisoner; I felt very depressed.”
As reported on Chicago’s WGN9 News, the delay between clearance for discharge and actual freedom is a month or more in many of the cases. Acting Cook County Public Guardian Charles Golbert said the practice is “cruel, unusual, and illegal. It’s a violation of the children’s civil and most basic human rights.”
Many of the youth had been incarcerated for setting fires and self-harm and had been rejected by foster parents and other providers, in some cases their own families, who were concerned with the possible behavior of the youth after their release.
“Blame the children is the wrong response from DCFS,” said attorney Russell Ainsworth. “DCFS should be apologizing for not addressing this issue and for violating the Constitution.”