Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Partnership with Lurie Children’s in Juvenile Court Receives National Hospital Association Recognition

Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Partnership with Lurie Children’s in Juvenile Court Receives National Hospital Association Recognition

CHICAGO - The Juvenile Justice Collaborative (JJC), a deferred prosecution program led by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in partnership with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (CCSAO) and other county and community stakeholders, is receiving national recognition for helping youth charged with nonviolent crime avoid deeper involvement in the justice system.  

The JJC was selected to receive the 2026 American Hospital Association (AHA) Dick Davidson NOVA Award, which recognizes hospitals for their collaborative efforts toward improving community health status. This year’s recipients will be recognized at the AHA Healthier Together Conference this week in Dallas. 

CCSAO prosecutors in the Juvenile Justice Bureau refer eligible first-time offenders to the program, which emphasizes providing community-based support and services in lieu of traditional prosecution. The program is available for youth between the ages of 12 and 18 who have been charged with a non-violent felony or serious misdemeanor offense and who accept a deferred prosecution agreement with the JJC. Youth are then connected to counseling, mentoring, mental health care, education, employment support, and other resources. If youth successfully complete the program, prosecutors dismiss the case. 

“This program shows what’s possible when we intervene early, provide young people support, and give them structure to succeed,” said Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke.  “Keeping youth with nonviolent offenses out of the criminal justice system makes our communities safer and can change lives for good.” 

A recent Chapin Hall study, of the JCC, funded by the Office of the Chief Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County through a subaward with Lurie Children’s found:

• 89% of participants had charges dropped 
• More than 85% completed the program 
• Participants were less likely to reoffend than youth in traditional system responses 

The Chicago Tribune highlighted the success of the program in a September article, writing that writing that it “seeks to treat the root causes of crime for a population that the system is meant to reform rather than punish.” 

Read more about the national recognition of the JJC in Lurie Children’s Hospital's full press release HERE. 

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