The link between childhood maltreatment and risk of delinquency and criminal behavior is well-established. This policy brief provides an introduction to the system changes we need to make to better serve youth who experience maltreatment and end up in the juvenile justice system.
I was intrigued by a recent interview with James Heckman, Nobel Laureate economist from the University of Chicago, who has focused his work on how early childhood interventions affect society at large and the life skills and development of young children.
The high price of detaining youth goes far beyond the monetary costs to state and local jurisdictions. Detention disrupts normal adolescent development by disconnecting youth from their families, positive social supports, and interfering with their education. The disconnect between the youth and the community often leads to an increased...
Incarceration is a painful experience and a difficult adjustment, particularly for juvenile offenders. Research on incarcerated adults has shown they have a much less tumultuous transition when they have a strong relationship with their families. Adults with “pro-social supports” from family like letter writing, phone calls, and...
Last month the early childhood world got a healthy dose of good news. Analysis of data from North Carolina's famous Abecedarian Project, directed by Nobel laureate James Heckman, showed a surprising result. Children who participated in the program from birth to age 5 were in significantly better physical health 30 years later than their...
Research on juvenile crime continues to reveal the immense capacity of juveniles to rebuild their lives and move forward as productive members of society. The results of a comprehensive study of youth who have committed sex offenses in Illinois showed that these youth are highly responsive to treatment and unlikely to recidivate. The...
Imagine being locked in a small, minimally furnished room with little or no natural light. There is limited human interaction, sometimes not even a book or school work to pass the time. In some places, this can last for hours, days, or weeks, even in Wisconsin. Local detention centers often use isolation as some version of a “time...
In the last four years Wisconsin has made great strides to build and expand an evidence-based home visiting system. Recent action in Washington bodes well for continuing sustainable funding as Congress extended the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program into 2015. Breakthrough in 2011 Support in Washington is good...
Last week the House voted 219-205 to approve the budget resolution for fiscal year 2015 drafted by Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan, who chairs the House Budget Committee. The bad news is that the House has once again gone on record in support of a budget plan that would make dramatic cuts in programs that promote and protect the...
Last month President Obama announced his Early Care and Education proposals for the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget. It is exciting to see ECE as a priority and the increases in funding are all significant. Unfortunately, these can only be viewed as goals right now. In the end the dollar amounts may be much less. In addition to calling upon...
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