B. Purpose and Policy (705 ILCS 405/5-101)
It is the intent of the General Assembly to promote a juvenile justice system capable of dealing with the problem of juvenile delinquency, a system that will protect the community, impose accountability for violations of law, and equip juvenile offenders with competencies needed to live responsibly and productively. In order to meet these goals, the following priorities of the Act were codified:
- To protect citizens from juvenile crime;
- To hold each juvenile offender accountable for his/her acts;
- To provide an individualized assessment of each alleged offender in order to prevent further delinquent behavior through the development of competencies in the juvenile; and,
- To provide due process, as required by the Constitutions of the United States and the State of Illinois, through which each juvenile offender and all other interested parties are assured fair hearings at which legal rights are recognized and enforced.
