McLean County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

The Stevenson Center analyzes data for the McLean County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC). We primarily provide information related to changes in the jail population over time by severity of charge, race/ethnicity, mental disability, and sex; we also analyze case processing time and recidivism. The monthly reports and presentations help the CJCC better understand ebbs and flows in the jail population and better direct the movement of cases through the criminal justice system. We train graduate students to examine this complex information and clearly convey findings; this approach furthers their education while simultaneously serving community partners at below-market rates.

Workforce Data Integration and Analysis

The Stevenson Center partners with economics professor Dr. Dan Rich on data management for the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). Secure servers and data pipelines allow Illinois State to receive the weekly files of approximately 250,000 unemployment claimants. We couple those unemployment records with workforce training information, reemployment/occupation information, and wage records, resulting in quarterly updates to IDES offices and state legislators. Part of the project uses geographic information systems to spatially analyze trends among the unemployed. We also have the capability to match IDES records with those of outside agencies (e.g. Illinois Community College Board and Chicago Department of Family and Support Services) to further their own assessment and planning.

For more information on how the Stevenson Center can enhance your use of data, contact director Dr. Frank Beck (fdbeck@ilstu.edu or 309-438-7090).

For information on how a student intern can aid a redevelopment project in your community: Host a Fellow.