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Get the latest news and research from Badger Institute
- Forty-year-old vehicle emissions program under new scrutiny
- In memory of Tom Howatt, embodiment of American Dream
- The Wisconsin experiment in economic freedom
- An agenda for opportunity and prosperity in Wisconsin
- From mudslinging to Mandate
- UW System opens door to 3-year degrees, but many students already are on pace for one
- How to keep good teachers in the classroom
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Browsing: Criminal Justice
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.
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.
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…
What happened in Kenosha is an anomaly, defying the critics’ charge that police violence is systemic
Strategies for improving community-police relations
State needs better crime data to get an accurate picture of who’s incarcerated here and why
Badger Institute urges legislators to mandate better statewide data
Wisconsin needs criminal justice data collection and reporting legislation
What we know thus far
Policymakers will need to look to reforms to address overcrowding issues
Move would stress support and health care systems throughout the state
Badger Institute analysis shows the rate is much lower, and complicated crime reporting makes comparisons difficult
Revoking supervision for ex-offenders accused of new crimes would cost taxpayers without improving public safety
Wisconsin’s prison system will require hundreds of millions of dollars for new construction, operating costs just to keep up with population growth
The Joseph Project, a program championed by Senator Ron Johnson, connects the formerly incarcerated and others from disadvantaged Milwaukee neighborhoods with good-paying jobs.

