In 2012 there were 8,952 youth admissions to juvenile detention in Wisconsin; almost one-third of admissions were in Milwaukee County.
Youth Justice
Collecting DNA Samples at Arrest Ruled Constitutional
The US Supreme Court ruled today, in the case of a Maryland law that permitted collection of DNA samples at the time of arrest for serious offenses. The court ruled 5-4 in upholding the law, essentially indicating that it was akin to taking fingerprints or photos of suspects who ultimately may not even be charged or convicted of an...
Excluding Kids from School – What do you know about suspensions and expulsions?
Despite a gradual decline in recent years in the rates of suspensions and expulsions of students in Wisconsin, did you know that:Each year over 250,000 school days are lost to expulsion and suspensions?Black students are 10 times as likely to be suspended as white students? American Indian children 3-4 times as likely and Hispanic...
17-Year-Olds Belong Back in Juvenile Court
As other states around the country in which the age of adult court jurisdiction is lower than 18 are changing, it is time for Wisconsin to use what we have learned over the past seventeen years about adolescent brain development, what works with youthful offenders, and what the research confirms - that we can keep the community safer...
Options for Reducing Milwaukee’s “Epidemic Level” of Incarcerating African-American Males
Journal Sentinel Column Examines Black Male Incarceration and Ways to Tackle the Problem A column in Sunday’s Journal Sentinel provides a compelling description of the “mass incarceration” of African American males in Milwaukee County. If that term strikes you as hyperbole, I suspect you missed the alarming report issued a few weeks ago...
Sign up for Emails
Your address helps us identify your legislators and the most relevant messages to send you.