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Most (99 percent) of Illinois' 17-year-olds plead guilty in adult court for felony charges September 10, 2010 12:13 pm Photo by Paul Hart Imagine you're 17 years old, sitting in a prison cell. You were arrested on a felony charge, but your family can't afford to post bond, so you're waiting here, waiting to see what will happen to... > More
Chicago Reporter hires new blogger September 9, 2010 6:30 pm I can honestly say that when it comes to investigative reporting, our staff has done some of the best work in Chicago. We're one of the oldest investigative mags in the nation, and we've got the awards and policy changes... > More
Children doing adult time because of a law made over a century ago September 9, 2010 1:11 pm Photo credit: banspy It was a time that women couldn't vote. Scientists of the day used brain size and the first intelligence tests to determine that white people were biologically superior to all other races. People with mental illnesses were... > More
More federal foreclosure aid coming to Illinois September 9, 2010 11:52 am Illinois will receive another $30 million in foreclosure relief under the federally funded Neighborhood Stabilization Act. Of that, $7.8 million will go to Cook County. Local governments can use the funds to buy up and fix up vacant properties that... > More
The media mulls over Mayor Daley's legacy, and his replacement September 8, 2010 12:32 pm The media is tracking the hits and misses of Mayor Daley as he announces his retirement. Big misses include corruption, and privatization. The tearing down of public housing is considered both a hit and a miss. Now politicians and advocates... > More

The Teen Reporter September 10, 2010

Back to school safety for CPS students September 10, 2010 4:01 pm About two weeks ago I did a series of posts about surviving high school, but I didn’t really say anything about safety. So I just want to you know tell you a couple of rules that I think every teen should try and practice, even if my suggestions sound stupid.... > More
Are double standards fair when teens are put behind bars? No way. September 3, 2010 1:44 pm Double standards in general are unfair, but particularly to minors that have been convicted as an adult and they can’t even have adult rights. I mean I know I’m only 15, but it just doesn’t seem right that a 17-year-old has the same rights as me but can’t get the... > More
The only thing more frightening than a bad manicure or a horror movie is … report cards! August 27, 2010 9:01 pm Okay, sure, if you don’t do well on your report card, your mom is going to go off like a bomb during The Blitz (that's a reference to Nazi Germany's bombing of downtown London and other parts of Great Britain during World War II for the few that are failing... > More
Sometimes high school makes you want to scream August 26, 2010 1:56 pm Okay students, it’s time for auditions in the role of “shrill girl screamer.” High school can sometimes make you want to scream like Esther in this video from the movie “Orphan.” (It’s probably one of the scariest movies EVER!) Even though screaming feels like the best idea when you get... > More
High school is like one big social heirarchy August 25, 2010 4:35 pm Just like many TV shows, you'll notice that the brainless head cheerleader and the half-Neanderthal quarterback are treated like heroes in high school. They're more like undercover dictators of the student body. I mean they really control the entire social aspect of high school. Usually, they think that since they... > More

Past Weekly Features

Seventeen By: Angela CaputoSeventeen-year-olds are minors in the eyes of the law if they’re the victim of a crime, but not if they commit a felony. A Chicago Reporter analysis found that hundreds of minors are being prosecuted in adult court and serving hard time in Illinois’ adult prisons with other adult felons. All this before these teens are allowed to vote, buy cigarettes or join the military. > Read Article
Weighing opportunity cost By: Kimbriell KellyI have student loan debt that’s been looming for years. Every time I think about it, my heart races and my brain calculates how much overtime I’d have to pull to pay off the debt in a year. > Read Article
Date with a cell By: Angela CaputoMartha Jean sat in the backseat of a squad car as the sun rose the morning of March 27, 2005. A detective told the 15-year-old that all she had to do was recount the events of the night before. If she did, police would go easy with the charges and she’d be back on her way home. > Read Article
Bittersweet 16 By: Angela CaputoBy the time Isaac Mobley turned 16, he was running scared. He hated riding the bus and wanted to transfer out of his high school, his mother, Patricia Wilson, recalls. Mobley’s biggest fear was the local gangs, which seemed inescapable. > Read Article
Teen turns from dealing to college By: Angela CaputoThe fact that Parnell Perry Jr. is known as a “great kid” in some circles would probably make the local police chuckle. They’ve known Perry as a drug dealer since he was in grade school. At 18, he had at least eight arrests. > Read Article
Help Is Out There By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinWest Side Center deals with obstacles, serves relatively few people. > Read Article
Hard Times In Lawndale By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinWest Side neighborhood has had better days, could rise again. > Read Article
Discs And Dreams By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinWest Side entrepreneur gets by while making rap videos. > Read Article
Baltimore Gets Empowerment Right By: Ashley Mouldon and Jeff Kelly LowensteinBaltimore’s Empowerment Zone was rated among the most successful among the six cities. > Read Article
Is Anything Working? By: Jeff Kelly LowensteinDespite millions of dollars spent and thousands of people served, young people on the South and West Sides of Chicago have some of the highest rates of chronic unemployment in the country. > Read Article
Ex-Offenders’ Interests By: Angela CaputoAn analysis of voting records of the voting records of lawmakers representing Illinois’ 21 most inmate-heavy House districts. > Read Article

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Weekly Feature

The brain's impact on youth justice

Understanding how the brain develops could help determine whether Illinois raises the age at which teenagers are tried in adult court. State Rep. Monique Davis is among a group of Illinois legislators fighting to increase that age from 17 to 18, citing studies that show full brain development doesn’t occur until individuals are in their early 20s, years after some youth have been sentenced to long and harsh adult prison stints. > Read Article

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