Public defender warns against cuts as court services raise juvenile per‑diem to $225

Public Defender Miss Conant told the Judicial and Public Safety Committee on May 14 that her office is fully staffed with 52 employees but warned that further cuts would risk excessive caseloads, burnout and threats to constitutional representation standards.

"If we lose attorneys, the work does not go away," she said, noting her office handled roughly 76% of felony appointments in recent years and pointing to continued increases in abuse and neglect appointments. She urged the board to track caseloads against American Bar Association and Supreme Court standards and to prepare realistic, prioritized funding requests when seeking additional resources.

Court Services Director Crystal Fox presented two resolutions to amend intergovernmental agreements for juvenile detention services — with DuPage County and McHenry County — raising the per‑diem to $225 per day per minor. The committee approved both addenda by roll call. Fox said the rate adjustment aligns outside contracts with current costs and noted the county’s JJC (juvenile detention) bed capacity and revenue strategies, including state reimbursements and pending grant applications.

Committee members discussed strategic planning to guide future allocation of limited funds and urged departments to prepare project‑level funding packages for state and federal outreach. Fox said she expects some revenue increases from state reimbursements and pending grants that could offset county costs.