The Illinois governor has named his juvenile justice director to take over the troubled Department of Children and Family Services. Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday named Heidi Mueller to replace Marc D. Smith, who's stepping down after nearly five years in the position. DCFS has historically been rife with problems and has faced tremendous difficulty during Smith's time. It's been repeatedly cited by courts and internal investigations for improper placement of youth in its care because it cannot find proper private social-service agency beds. The agency's inspector general has found that more than 300 children with some level of DCFS involvement have died since 2021 alone.
