DG to Re-Instate Peer Jury

Downers Grove Village Working to Re-Instate Peer Jury.  Other Towns Also Invited to Participate.

By Sue Sitton

TAKE ACTION:

Good News!  The Peer Jury Program has a second chance.  Thanks to Greg Hose’s advocacy for the program, the Village of Downers Grove has approved moving forward to bring Peer Jury back to our community.  Now is the time for communities within DG Township to sign on if they are interested.  If you want your municipality to participate in the program, contact your boaard members and police administration to show your support.  A list of contact information for each town is at the end of this article. 

BACKGROUND – DG Township Abandoned Peer Jury:

The DG Township Peer Jury program was a valuable program in our community, with a success rate of over 94%.  It helped approximately 100 teens each year for 17 years.  The program offered teens a way to learn from their mistake, make restitution (e.g., financial, community service), and avoid having a legal charge on their record that could affect college acceptance, scholarship and employment. 

In August 2017, the DG Township Peer Jury Program was abandoned by the DG Township at the hands of Mark Thoman, Township Supervisor.  He unilaterally decided to suspend the program; no Trustee was involved or voted on Thoman’s decision.  The township never took responsibility for eliminating this important program.  At one point a committee was formed but the outcome was to dump it on the DG Village.  For more information about how DG Township handled this read our February article “Peer Jury Program Unilaterally Suspended by GOP Township Supervisor” (article) and March article “Fate of Peer Jury: Board Update“ (article).

MUNICIPALITY CONTACT INFORMATION:

List of contacts, meeting dates, phone numbers:

●       Village of Downers Grove  www.downers.us/

○   Board members (630) 434-5500

○   Board meetings – 1st, 2nd & 3rd Tuesday each month at 7:00 p.m.
801 Burlington Ave, Downers Grove

○   Police Department: (630) 434-5600

●       Village of Burr Ridge https://westmont.illinois.gov/

○   Board members (630)-654-8181

○   Board meetings on 2nd and 4th Mondays each month at 7:00 p.m.
Village Hall Boardroom, 7660 County Line Rd, Burr Ridge

○    Police Department: (630)-323-8181

●       Village of Clarendon Hills  http://www.clarendonhills.us/

○    Board members 630-286-5400

○    Board meetings on the 1st and 3rd Mondays each month (and Tuesday, September 2, 2018) at 7:00 p.m.
Boardroom, 1 North Prospect Ave, Clarendon Hills

○    Police Department: (630) 286-5460

●       City of Darien  www.darien.il.us/

○    Council members 630-353-8114

○    Council meetings on the 1st & 3rd Monday Each Month @ 7:30 p.m.
1702 Plainfield Road, Darien

○    Police Department: (630) 971-3999

●       Village of Hinsdale  http://www.villageofhinsdale.org/

○    Board members (630) 789-7000
Board meetings on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month @ 7:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall of the Memorial Building, 19 East Chicago Avenue, Hinsdale

○   Police Department: (630) 789-7070

●       Village of Westmont https://westmont.illinois.gov/

○   Board members (630) 981-6210;
Board meetings every other Thursday @ 6:00 p.m. at Westmont Village Hall 31 W. Quincy St. (2nd floor), Westmont

○    Police Department: (630) 981-6300

●       Village of Willowbrook willowbrookil.org/

○   Board members (630) 323-8215
Board meetings on the 2nd and 4th Monday each month at 6:30 pm
Willowbrook Police Department (Temporarily), 7760 Quincy Street, Willowbrook.  

○    Police Department: (630) 325-2808

●       Village of Woodridge https://www.vil.woodridge.il.us/

○    Board members (630) 852-7000
Board meetings on 1st and 3rd Thursdays each month at 7:30 p.m.
Werch Board Room - Village Hall, Five Plaza Drive, Woodridge.

○   Police Department: (630) 719-4740