At a hearing of the Assembly Committee on Corrections and the Courts, WCCF provided testimony in support of AB732 to return 17 year-olds to the juvenile system. The testimony cites six (and there are more) key reasons why this should be done. Others speaking at the hearing included representatives from counties who oppose this particular bill – while in general supporting the policy of returning 17 year-olds to juvenile court, concerns focused on the funding and ensuring that sufficient resources would be allocated so as not to disrupt that good progress that has been made in providing local prevention and early interventin programming. Perhaps the most significant testimony, however, was provided by families harmed by the 1996 change that subjected 17 year olds to adult court. Vicky G.from La Crosse told the story of her son, Kirk, who committed suicide in jail while awaiting proceedings on his adult charge; and Mary H. and her son Ben – Ben ended up in a county Huber facility shortly after turning 17 and was introduced there to drugs and a host of other negative influences. Fortunately, Ben is now on track through the support of his family and a program in Milwaukee – but he will be haunted for a long time by his now-criminal record.
Wisconsin’s Wealthiest Have Prospered at the Expense of Everyday Families.
It’s time to fix this. Wisconsin can be a place where we all—regardless of race or place—have what we need to make ends meet and care for our families. But as our hard work has made the wealthy few in Wisconsin even richer, they’ve rigged the rules to redirect...
