Probation reports community-service workload and a three-year grant to target 18–25 population

KANKAKEE COUNTY, Ill. — Tom Latham of Kankakee County Probation told the Criminal Justice Committee on Oct. 15 that the department is managing a large inventory of community-service hours and has been actively recruiting and maintaining work sites.

Latham said the office assigns and monitors public-service work hours, with roughly hundreds of open cases and tens of thousands of hours completed overall; he noted a seasonal dip in available outdoor worksites and said the office is exploring alternatives such as GED classes that could count toward community-service requirements.

Latham told the committee probation has focused more on the “emerging adult population” (ages 18–25) and said the office received a three-year grant of about $100,000 per year to provide services targeted to that age group. He said the grant is intended to fund services and programming to reduce recidivism in that cohort.

Committee action: the committee accepted the probation monthly report by voice vote.

Why it matters: community-service programs provide courts with alternatives to incarceration and help defendants meet restitution or court-ordered obligations; targeted services for 18–25 year-olds aim to prevent repeat offending as counties shift resources to emerging adult interventions.