Wisconsin has 2nd highest percentage of prisoners locked up for crimes committed as youth

By: WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL STAFF//May 23, 2023//

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Wisconsin has a higher percentage of prisoners incarcerated for crimes they committed as youth than any state except Louisiana, reports The Wisconsin State Journal.

More than 7% of Wisconsinites in adult prisons are there for crimes they committed when they were 17 or younger, more than double the percentage nationwide, the nonprofit organization Human Rights for Kids found in a May report, the State Journal said.

Wisconsin also has the fourth-highest racial disparity nationwide among prisoners incarcerated for crimes they committed as youth. Black Wisconsinites make up just less than 8% of the population but constitute 60% of offenders held for crimes committed when they were young, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

According to a Justice Department report six studies found juveniles that were prosecuted as adults had higher recidivism rate than youth who remained in the juvenile justice system.

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