PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Barber school opens at Juvenile Temporary Detention Center
Released On 06/14/2017
Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans and Superintendent Leonard Dixon today opened a barber school at the Juvenile Temporary Detention Center to help residents obtain a state barber license.
The class will help interested residents seek educational and employment opportunities upon their release into the community. If a resident does not complete the 1,500 hours of class time required to receive an Illinois barber license during JTDC residency, completed hours can be applied to a barber school in the community.
“When residents arrive at the detention center, we focus on putting them in a position to succeed,” Chief Judge Evans said. “We must return these youngsters to the community with the tools they need. And this barbershop provides a social and educational atmosphere for the students to develop life and job skills. Programs like this also offer hope – hope that the resident’s current stay at the center will be the last.”
In addition to the new barber school, the JTDC offers about 50 programs to residents. These include: forums on gang and gun violence; GED preparation; a union-sponsored painter’s apprentice program; reading and writing workshops; a cooking class via the University of Illinois; gardening and horticulture classes; lessons on becoming responsible parents; self-esteem building sessions; and a Resident Advisory Council in which juveniles have a voice in JTDC operations.
The first barber school class will convene Sunday. It will have eight students and meet Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. During the week, the students will attend barber school after their regular school classes at Nancy B. Jefferson Alternative School, a public school located inside the JTDC.
“Every day, we strive to provide a sense of normalcy within these walls because even though we’re running a detention center, we must instill new skills and new ways of thinking so that the juveniles have a sense of direction when they return home,” JTDC Superintendent Dixon said.
The school is officially called Standing Tall Against Recidivism Barber College, or S.T.A.R. Barber College.
“A barbershop is the heartbeat of a community. This is where a lot of information is learned. We will be teaching them not only how to cut hair but to learn how to listen to their clients’ needs and be a leader for their younger clients,” said JTDC Barber College Supervisor Bobby Mattison.
The JTDC, 1100 S. Hamilton Ave., provides secure housing for males and females who are awaiting adjudication of their cases in the Juvenile Justice Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The JTDC also monitors minors who have been transferred from Juvenile Court jurisdiction to the adult Criminal Division.
The JTDC offers the highest quality of integrated services to challenge residents to make positive changes in their lives. The JTDC promotes accountability and helps residents to improve their decision-making and critical-thinking processes.
The center’s population as of Wednesday was 241 residents, with 225 males and 16 females.
###
Follow the court on Twitter@CookCntyCourt
