Juvenile Justice Reform in Illinois

I recently found this article, which describes a reform to the juvenile justice system in the state of Illinois.  As of January 1, 2014, youth under the age of 18 who are arrested in Illinois are turned over to the juvenile courts (instead of the adult courts, which had been the case up until three weeks ago).  This is a positive move for several reasons.  Offenders who are minors and who are involved with the juvenile courts can, oftentimes, remain in the community until their court date.  This is a change from the adult system, in which they would remain in holding, often for several weeks and missing as much school.  This also provides the justice system the opportunity to address nonviolent crimes and smaller felonies as such, by assigning appropriate discipline and linking youth to needed services and supports.  Offenders under the age of 18 who commit serious and heinous crimes (such as rape and murder) can still be tried as adults, but the article explains that this affects approximately 1% of all juvenile offenders.  This move also will provide more opportunities to address mental health concerns, something that does not seem to be occurring as much in the adult system.  The article mentions a 17-year old who hung himself while waiting in adult jail.  I would be curious to know if anyone had conducted a mental health evaluation on this young man, if he had any previous history of mental illness, and if his death could have been prevented (I like to think it could have).  This is a positive step in the right direction for the juvenile justice system.  My concern is that if the community supports and juvenile justice facilities are insufficient and/or do not provide proper support, that recidivism rates for juvenile offenders might increase.