Recent news about the decline in the number of youth placed in Juvenile Correctional Institutions in Wisconsin (see Where Have all the Children Gone?) is mirrored by the continuing decline in the number of youth held in one of the 17 juvenile detention facilities in the state. As recently as the first half of 2008 there were, on average, 317 youth held in detention facilities. That number declined through 2008 and 2009, with the average during the 2nd half of 2009 being 211. Recent data from the Office of Justice Assistance and Department of Corrections indicates that during the 1st Quarter of 2010, there was an average of approximately 179 youth being held each day, representing only 37% of the capacity of facilities overall and over a 40% decline within the last two years! No county’s ADP averaged more than 50% of their capacity during the 1st quarter.
Language Access in Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths. But when children and their families face language access barriers, they are often excluded from critical information and services, which can hinder their development and well-being.
