Press Releases
3.9.22
Report Shows Support for Eliminating Fines and Fees and Improving Community Supervision Within Youth Justice System
A new report shows that fines and fees within the youth justice system do not offset the cost of youth incarceration for taxpayers, nor do they improve public safety. Furthermore, it concludes the use of community supervision is a better alternative to the use of secure confinement.
According to Genevieve Caffrey, member of the La Follette School capstone team: “Interviews with youth justice stakeholders in five counties indicate that fines and fees carry more than a monetary impact. They can send a child and family into a cycle of negative consequences which prevent youth from getting the support that is actually needed to mitigate long-term harm.”
Takeaways from this report point to the need to streamline, reduce, and, preferably, eliminate juvenile fines and fees and ensure that community supervision offers equitable access to quality programs and partnerships for all youth in all communities.
2.9.22
Lessons Learned From COVID-19 Make it Possible to Safely Reduce Youth Incarceration
“COVID-19 and Youth Justice in Wisconsin: What Are We Learning?” shows how the youth justice system may be changing for the better and the worse. Based on a survey of county and state juvenile justice stakeholders and an analysis of statewide data points, this report presents the second phase of study within the Youth Justice Wisconsin COVID-19 Impact Project. The publication, and upcoming webinar, elevate quantitative and qualitative data indicating what can be learned and gained as a result of the extreme circumstances experienced during the pandemic.