The Cost-Benefit Context of Keeping 17-Year-Olds in Wisconsin’s Juvenile System

Passing Wisconsin Assembly Bill 387 and Senate Bill 308 makes fiscal sense for Wisconsin. AB 387 and SB 308 propose to keep nonviolent 17-year-old youth under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system instead of the adult system. Research shows that youth in the juvenile justice system have lower recidivism rates than their counterparts in the adult system. Reducing recidivism rates decreases crime, and can save us money. Established economic research shows that a 1% decrease in crime could lead to a gross domestic product (GDP) increase of $10.6 million for Wisconsin each year.

Passing Wisconsin Assembly Bill 387 and Senate Bill 308 makes fiscal sense for Wisconsin. AB 387 and SB 308 propose to keep nonviolent 17-year-old youth under the jurisdiction of the juvenile justice system instead of the adult system. Research shows that youth in the juvenile justice system have lower recidivism rates than their counterparts in the adult system. Reducing recidivism rates decreases crime, and can save us money. Established economic research shows that a 1% decrease in crime could lead to a gross domestic product (GDP) increase of $10.6 million for Wisconsin each year.

To learn more about why passing AB 387 and SB 308 would benefit Wisconsin, click here.