Chicago Tribune Steele also accepts resignation offered by Stroger's top aide The beleaguered superintendent of the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center was forced to resign Monday, following reports of continuing problems and resistance to court-ordered reforms at the facility. On the eve of her swearing in, incoming County Board President Bobbie Steele said she called Supt. Jerry Robinson and sought his resignation. She also accepted the resignation of James Whigham, chief of staff to retiring Board President John Stroger, County Board sources said. Whigham had been running the county on a day-to-day basis since Stroger suffered a serious stroke a week before the March primary. Whigham could not be reached for comment. Robinson, who worked for the Chicago Police Department for 36 years, became superintendent of the juvenile facility in June 2005, but he had no corrections experience. As the center came under fire from critics, Stroger staunchly defended Robinson. Robinson "has resigned," Steele said Monday afternoon. "I called him. He was prepared for it. "It's something I have to do to move ahead," she added. Steele said she would comment further after she is sworn into office Tuesday. Steele's swift action marked the latest upheaval at the center. County officials and lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union have been in and out of court for seven years, bringing in multiple experts to point out problems--such as physical abuse of residents--and urge change at the facility. The latest revelations came last week, when the Tribune reported that court-appointed compliance officer Brenda Welch found unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the center, which can house up to 400 youths. Welch found that staffers accused of physical abuse continued to work in living units despite the county's earlier agreement to train them before they resume contact with children. She reported that in moments of crisis, mental health experts were paged but responded late or not at all. Welch said at night she found staffers asleep in living units. After the initial report, Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool (D-Chicago) called on Steele to replace the senior leadership at the center--the same day the Tribune reported on another highly critical report from Welch. Steele toured the facility Thursday and indicated her willingness to do "anything necessary to protect the health and welfare of those children." Robinson could not be reached for comment Monday. Chinta Strausberg, Stroger's director of communications, said Robinson resigned because of "recent revelations at the center," referring to the Tribune articles. "President Steele will address this issue tomorrow at her inauguration." Steele's term will expire Dec. 4 and she is not a candidate for president in the November election. `Step in right direction' When told of Robinson's resignation, Claypool was elated. "That's fantastic. How about that! That's great,"
he said. "It's a step in the right direction. But it will
be meaningless if President Steele does not appoint a strong
professional committed to reforming the juvenile center--and
that means somebody who is willing to fire the patronage workers
and the people who have abused the children and replace them
with committed professionals." "Again and again, now is the time for President Steele
to make a bold decision and put in a professional team, independent
of politics," Quigley said. "And we'll see. I'm hopeful." Philosophy `needs to change' "The philosophy there needs to change," Peraica said. Commissioner Larry Suffredin (D-Evanston), a close ally of Steele's, said he expects her to lay out a vision Tuesday for making improvements at the center. "My evaluation of Jerry Robinson is: a nice guy. Clearly he does the honorable thing there, but clearly the wrong guy for this job," Suffredin said. The ACLU originally filed a federal suit on behalf of detention center residents in 1999 but settled nearly four years ago when the county agreed to improve conditions. The ACLU and other experts have contended that problems continued. Benjamin Wolf, an ACLU attorney, welcomed the news of Robinson's resignation. "I applaud Bobbie Steele for deciding to replace the management team at the facility. I look forward to working with the new team," Wolf said. "The main thing is to move things forward, to improve conditions for the children. And we hope this is a step in that direction." Welch's reports were the latest in a string of investigations into the facility. Late last year, Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan subpoenaed documents from the county related to a whistle-blower's allegations of payroll and contract fraud at the center. A U.S. District judge said in February that Robinson "flunked his test" and chastised county officials for failing to address ongoing reports of violence. That month, a report compiled by the Annie E. Casey Foundation cited "multiple instances of battery or assault by staff on residents." And in April, the FBI confirmed that it was investigating allegations
of abuse by staff members. |
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