Browsing: Crime and Justice

Wisconsin voters often split evenly on big elections and key issues. But voters on the right and the left agree on the dire shortcomings of the state’s corrections system and the need for reform.

The new age of electronic monitoring

Pastor Jerome Smith got a second chance and made sure countless others received one too

Eighty-seven percent of people who would qualify for an expungement under proposed legislation have never committed anything more serious than a misdemeanor, according to new data from the Badger Institute.

Badger Institute Policy Analyst Julie Grace submitted written testimony in favor of 2021 AB 69 before the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety on April 7, 2021.

2021 AB 69 would reform Wisconsin’s expungement laws.

A majority of Wisconsin voters believe the state’s criminal justice system needs significant improvements, expungement law needs reform; voters overwhelmingly agree the criminal justice system should ensure people are less likely to commit another crime & help people become productive, law-abiding citizens.

The Badger Institute recently hosted a virtual discussion with two Wisconsinites who have seen firsthand the need for expungement reform: State Public Defender Kelli Thompson and Shanyeill McCloud, founder of Clean Slate Milwaukee.

Incarceration is rare for pot-only convictions; coupled with municipal policies, Wisconsin has effectively decriminalized marijuana

For those with a single, low-level, non-violent offense on their record, receiving an expungement would give them the chance to fully move past their mistake, opening employment and housing opportunities.

Badger Institute Policy Analyst Julie Grace testified in favor of 2021 SB 120, SB 122, and SB 123 before the Wisconsin Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety on March 18, 2021.

2021 SB 120, SB 122, and SB 123 would increase transparency among law enforcement use-of-force policies and incidents.

Incarceration is rare for pot-only convictions; coupled with municipal policies, Wisconsin has, in effect, decriminalized marijuana.

Coalition releases recommendations to guide Wisconsin policymakers

The Wisconsin Criminal Justice Coalition, led by the Badger Institute, offers policy ideas for combating recidivism, fostering opportunity, saving taxpayer money and maintaining public safety in its second edition of Criminal Justice Reform Recommendations.

Badger Institute urges legislators to advance this meaningful reform

New policy brief focuses on seven key reforms

If Wisconsin policymakers want to reform the state’s criminal justice system in a way that achieves better outcomes for taxpayers, communities and offenders, they will need detailed, accurate and robust data.

By Patrick Hughes and Julie Grace Police use of force has sparked an intense debate across America, including in our…

Brief suggests ways to make officer discipline fair, quick, transparent and decisive

Cutting cops unnecessarily to placate protesters will do nothing to help George Floyd or Jacob Blake

The state labels thousands of offenders violent when they’ve never committed an act of violence