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    Wisconsin Lawyer
    February 07, 2008

    Wisconsin court system receives grant to improve criminal justice system

    Wisconsin LawyerWisconsin Lawyer
    Vol. 81, No. 2, February 2008

    Legal News & Trends

    Wisconsin court system receives grant to improve criminal justice system

    The Wisconsin court system has received a $537,000 grant to help research and develop strategies for improving the effectiveness of the state's criminal justice system during the next two and a half years.

    The grant, awarded by the JEHT Foundation, will help fund the project Enhancing Public Safety: Effective Justice Strategies, building on local, evidence-based practices that deliver effective outcomes for communities, victims, and defendants.

    "This grant will help all stakeholders in the criminal justice system work effectively together toward solutions that enhance public safety and, where appropriate, reduce excessive reliance on incarceration," said Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley S. Abrahamson.

    The project will build on work started at the local level, including formation of Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils and problem-solving courts. These efforts have helped address underlying issues, such as drug addiction, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, and mental health problems.

    During the last 15 years, Wisconsin has experienced unprecedented growth in prison, jail, and community corrections populations. Prison population has doubled over the past decade, from 11,000 prisoners to more than 23,000 prisoners and has tripled since 1990. This growth has had a significant impact on the costs, workload volume, and overall criminal justice system operations.

    Objectives of the effective justice strategies effort include:

    • enhancing public safety and reducing recidivism;
    • providing courts with better information to deliver the most effective sentences;
    • identifying and fostering support for local, court-centered programs; and
    • recommending a comprehensive state-level strategy to promote and implement effective criminal justice strategies and evidence-based practices.

    The New York City-based JEHT Foundation was established in 2000. The name stands for the core values that underlie its mission: justice, equality, human dignity, and tolerance.


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