This report is an update of an earlier report published in October of 2011 and includes data from 2011 and 2012. Fortunately, many of the trends noted in the earlier report have continued, as juvenile arrests have continued to decline and we have seen a growth in support for successful community-based programs.
Research over the past 20+ years affirms that trying youth in adult court has a detrimental impact on community safety as well as on many 17-year-olds. Current Wisconsin law excludes all 17-year-olds from the juvenile court and the services available through that venue. Even if prosecutors and judges wanted to include a 17-year-old in an appropriate juvenile service or program, they are unable to do so. Researchers have studied how best to promote public safety and meet the needs of 17-year-olds in several different ways.
As part of the recently adopted federal budget, there are some notable changes in funding for juvenile justice that will impact Wisconsin. The adopted amounts are significantly lower than proposed by the White House and Senate - including the elimination of Juvenile Accountability Block Grant funds (albeit some funds were moved to...
On Wednesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder released Guiding Principles to help guide schools to improve school climate and discipline. Addressing concerns about the extensive use of suspensions, expulsions, and other exclusionary practices that in the end hurt achievement - particularly youth of...
Progress has been made in Wisconsin in recent years in reducing the number of youth who have not committed a crime being locked up with youth who have. But, we can do better. These "status offenders" are often truants who fail to comply with court orders to attend school or habitual runaways that frustrate the court's attempt to get...
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