Madison Honored for Child Care Efforts

The City of Madison was honored for its “cutting-edge early childhood initiatives” by the National League of Cities in October. The city’s Child Care Assistance Program was recognized as one of the nation’s four most innovative city models for promoting early childhood success. Madison is one of the few cities in the United States with a robust child care program, including an accreditation program to increase quality tied to extensive technical assistance, grant programs to help programs improve, and subsidies for low-income families. The child care program has operated for 35 years. Approximately half of Madison’s children in child care are served in city-accredited programs. For more information, download the full NLC report.

A Snapshot of State's Implementation of Megan's Law for Juvenile Sex Offenders

The National Center for Juvenile Justice has recently released three briefs providing a quick overview of the status of the state's implemenation of provisions of Megan's Law related to juvenile sex offenders. The three briefs cover the current status of states related to registration, the lower age limits of registration, and an overview of provisions for termination of registration.

The Valid Court Order Exception to Core Requirements: A Big Enough Gap to Drive a Truck Through?

One of the key issues to be resolved in reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) will be what to do with the Valid Court Order exception that now exists that has permitted states to remain in compliance even though they are placing status offenders in secure facilities alongside delinquent youth. A recent article in the Seattle Journal of Social Justice provides a perspective on the history of the exception, some data about its use, and in the end advocates for a response in the reauthorization that will close that exception and a more aggressive federal response to ensuring that status offenders are not confined.

Thinking About Risk Assessment Models in the Justice System: Can More Mean Less?

The National Council on Crime and Delinquency released a critique in February of this year that should be required reading for professionals thinking about the "what" and "how" of using various assessment tools to measure risks, needs, criminogenic needs, risk of recidivism, and more. A Question of Evidence: A Critique of Risk Assessment Models Used in the Justice System reminds us that it is easy to become overwhelmed with "fancy" tools that may or may not have any basis in actually measuring risk. And, confusing needs and risks in tools may lead practitioners down a path that takes us further away from the desired end - finding valid ways to focus our limited resources on those offenders who are the most likely to reoffend - and leave the others alone! It's worth taking a step back and reading this critique.

Ohio Meets SORNA Guidelines: But Does Registration for Juvenile Offenders Cause More Harm than Good?

On September 23rd, Ohio Attorney General and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Ohio became the first state to achieve substantial compliance with Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Title I, known as the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), requires registration and community notification of youth convicted of sex offenses.

However, the Justice Policy Institute, a national organization focusing on juvenile and criminal justice issues, released a report, Registering Harm (referenced in a previous blog) warning that placing youth on sex offender registries is unlikely to improve public safety. The Justice Policy Institute stated that this registration can negatively affect a young person’s entire life, and often penalizes their families as well. The public would also feel the negative effects of this act. JPI explains that the broad registration and notification practices will make it difficult to determine who on the registry poses a public safety threat and who does not.

New Census Data on Taxes and Spending Show Wisconsin's Rank Continuing to Drop

The Wisconsin Budget Project has analyzed new figures from the U.S. Census Bureau on state and local spending and revenue. The Census Bureau figures reveal that Wisconsin has fallen to 25th among the states in total state and local spending per capita, down from 14th highest in 2000. On total state and local taxes per person, Wisconsin has dropped from 9th in 2000 to 20th in 2007; per capita state and local taxes in Wisconsin were $65 below the national average in fiscal year 2007.

In total state and local taxes relative to income, Wisconsin ranked 13th in fiscal year 2007, compared to 5th in 2000 (including District of Columbia). Wisconsin continues to rely less on fees and other revenue sources than most other states, and now ranks 39th in that category, 13% below the national average. Wisconsin fell to 46th in per capita federal revenue. In what is called “own source” revenue – which combines all state and local taxes, fees and things like interest earnings, but excludes federal revenue – Wisconsin fell to 26th in the per capita ranking (5% below the national average) and 23rd when it is measured relative to income.

For more information, see our short paper about the Census Bureau's recent release of data on state and local spending and revenue.

Wrongful Convictions of Youth: How Does It Happen?

Remember that studies have indicated that youth, particularly early teens, are subject to admitting to things they did not do. In some particularly aggregious cases, the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth, has been able to demonstrate that false confessions have led to wrongful convictions with particularly dire results for the youth - as well as not then finding the real perpetrator(s). Check out a short video that tells you how and why this can happen.

Assessing Girls: Are There Valid Tools?

The Girls Study Group, through OJJDP, has recently completed an analysis of a wide range of delinquency and mental health assessment tools to determine if they have been validated for use with girls. Certainly one of the key issues in working with girls in the juvenile justice system has been that all too often approaches, including assessments, have "borrowed" from what is done with boys. Fortunately, over recent years that trend has changed. So, if you are interested in a list of what assessment tools might be appropriate to use with girls, check it out!