Not only is the cost of incarcerating individuals in Wisconsin high (about $1.5 billion annually), but according to a new KIDS COUNT® policy report released today, approximately 88,000 children living in Wisconsin have experienced the separation of a parent who served time in jail or prison, of more than 5 million nationally. The...
Implementing a universal high-quality prekindergarten program has the potential to substantially narrow racial/ethnic disparities in academic readiness at kindergarten entry, according to a recent blog, How much can high-quality Universal Pre-K reduce achievement gaps? by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER). The...
A group of juvenile justice advocates met this week in Washington DC for the launch of the Stop Solitary for Kids campaign, a national effort to end solitary confinement and other forms of prolonged isolation for youth in the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
There have been a couple of items of good news this month for Medicaid and BadgerCare: enrollment is up, and projected spending is down. That’s an unusual but very welcome combination of trend lines.
Watch this video illustrating the toll guns are having on our children, communities, and state.
This week, the Wisconsin legislature launched the Children’s Caucus Steering Committee, a bipartisan and bicameral caucus co-chaired by Senator Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point) and Representative Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan). The goal of the caucus will be to research and advocate for promising, evidence-based public policy that will improve...
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published a final rule that seeks to strengthen access to mental health and substance abuse benefits for Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries. The rule provides states with detailed guidance on how the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) should be...
Each year, the Office of Justice Programs designates National Crime Victims’ Rights Week in April. This year’s theme is “Serving Victims. Building Trust. Restoring Hope” is being celebrated April 10-16. Crime Victims’ Rights Awareness Week stresses the importance of addressing the needs and concerns of victims of crime. However, victims...
About every two weeks in Wisconsin, a child is killed with a gun, adding up to more than 20 children a year. A new report by Wisconsin Council on Children and Families takes a look at the characteristics of those children who were killed and identifies common-sense solutions to help keep children safe. Over the last 15 years, more than...
Every year, children in Wisconsin are killed by guns. They die from their own hands, when they use a gun to commit suicide, or by the hands of other adults and children, who intentionally shoot them.
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