Illinois began overhauling its youth prisons four years ago when it broke them off from adult corrections. Now Governor Pat Quinn is proposing to take things a step further by merging juvenile justice with the child welfare system. The idea is to finally shed the old model where kids are warehoused and punished. The new way? Treat and rehabilitate them. Changing bureaucracy is one thing. But changing the mentality of those who enforce rules, preside over meals and break up fights is another.

There’s a new push to transform how front-line workers understand the minds and mental health of children. WBEZ’s Gabriel Spitzer brings us that story in this installment of our series Inside and Out.

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