In our August 2023 report, Under Pressure, the Wisconsin Policy Forum explored how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the justice system in Milwaukee County and whether the system had recovered to its pre-pandemic functioning. The report found a number of key impacts, including a sharp decrease in arrests in the city of Milwaukee, a drop in district attorney charge rates, a rise in case dismissals, and a growing felony backlog in the courts.
While Under Pressure touched briefly on a sharp increase in motor vehicle thefts in the city of Milwaukee, many of which were thought to be committed by youth, its primary focus was the adult justice system. The report did not explore the impacts of the pandemic and the car theft spike on the youth justice system nor whether any negative impacts to the functioning of that system remain and need to be addressed.
In this report, we turn our focus to youth justice in Milwaukee County. This topic...
View Research
