In Wisconsin, 17-year-olds are three times more likely to return to prison if they originally go through the adult system rather than the juvenile system. As taxpayer advocates, we must question whether continually spending more money on a government program without analyzing the effectiveness or outcomes is a fiscally prudent or a just policy.
We know that a government which simply throws money at problems rarely creates better outcomes. Our government is effectively spending millions of dollars a year to cycle individuals through expensive processes that are unlikely to reduce future offending. This policy is not a responsible use of taxpayer dollars, and it does not result in positive outcomes for young offenders or our communities.