This report describes victim, perpetrator, and incident characteristics of sexual victimization of youth in juvenile facilities. These tables accompany the full U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics report Sexual Victimization Reported by Youth in Juvenile Facilities, 2018, which provides national estimates of sexual victimization in juvenile facilities and identifies 12 high-rate and 14 low-rate facilities. The report finds that a higher percentage of male (6.1%) than female (2.9%) youth reported staff sexual misconduct. A higher percentage of female (4.7%) than male (1.6%) youth reported youth-on-youth victimization. In most-serious incidents of staff sexual misconduct, an estimated 91% of incidents involved only female staff, while 6% involved only male staff. About half of youth (51%) who reported prior sexual victimization in another juvenile facility also reported sexual victimization in their current facility.

This analysis covers data on violence against women and girls collected by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in the first half of 2020 on victims of homicide by intimate partners, on victims of femicide or the gender-related killing of women and girls, on sexual assault and rape reported to the authorities, and on calls made to helplines supporting victims of crime and women experiencing gender-based violence. The analysis of crime statistics recorded by national authorities and calls received by emergency helplines shown in this research brief present a diverse picture of trends. There was a clear decrease in sexual violence and rape reported to authorities and an increase in calls to helplines in some countries during lockdown. However, in a small number of other countries, there were no significant changes or even a decrease in gender-related killings of women and girls, and no significant increase in the number of calls recorded by helplines. More marked patterns were visible in sexual and domestic violence reported to the authorities and in calls made to helplines that assist women who experience violence. In some instances, when an increase in complaints about gender-based violence against women and domestic violence was recorded, the patterns seem to have returned to pre-lockdown levels after the first phase of restrictive measures, while the level of reported sexual violence increased once measures were relaxed. Some national helpline data depict a striking increase in reported violence against women. Only long-term monitoring and assessment will ascertain whether measures aimed at restricting the spread of COVID-19 have had an impact on the level of sexual and domestic violence in particular countries and globally.

In September 2017, the Chief Judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County issued General Order 18.8A (GO18.8A) to reform bail practices in Cook County. This order established a decision-making process for bond court judges who were to first determine whether a defendant should be released pretrial and, if not, hold the defendant in jail. If the defendant could be released, the order created a presumption of release without monetary bail; however, if monetary bail was necessary, the order stated that bail should be set at an amount affordable for the defendant. In the end, the order established a presumption of release without monetary bail for the large majority of defendants in Cook County and encouraged the use of lower bail amounts for those required to post monetary bail. The paper evaluates the impact of the order on four outcomes: bond court decisions, pretrial release, pretrial release outcomes (failure to appears, new criminal activity, and new violent criminal activity), and crime rates. Findings include that the order increased the use of I-Bonds (i.e., individual recognizance bond for which defendants are released without having to post monetary bail) and reduced the costs of bail for defendants; the order increased the percentage and number of people released pretrial; and had no effect on new criminal activity or crime.

This report examines public high school graduates’ career and technical education (CTE) course taking as of 2013, and trends in students’ CTE course taking from 1992 to 2013. The key findings include that most public high school graduates earned CTE credits but did not necessarily concentrate in a specific CTE subject area. Overall, 88% of graduates earned CTE credits, 20% were 3-credit concentrators, and an additional 18% (for a total of 38%) were 2-credit concentrators. Public high school graduates earned more credits in business, finance, and marketing than in any other CTE area. Career and technical education participation declined from 1992, when public high school graduates earned an average of 3.13 CTE credits, to 2013, when they earned an average of 2.60 CTE credits. Male public high school graduates earned more CTE credits than female graduates. White and Black graduates earned more CTE credits than their Asian/Pacific Islander peers. Graduates whose first language was English earned more CTE credits than their peers whose first language was not English. Students who had an Individualized Education Program (IEP) earned more CTE credits than students who did not have an IEP, and students whose parents had lower levels of educational attainment earned more CTE credits than students whose parents had higher levels of attainment. Public high school graduates who took lower and mid-level mathematics courses in ninth grade completed more CTE credits than graduates who took higher-level mathematics courses. Relatedly, public high school graduates with lower levels of mathematics achievement in ninth grade earned more CTE credits than those with higher levels of mathematics achievement.

National surveys show that most principals participate in professional development. Some professional development activities are associated with stronger demonstrations of principals’ leadership skills, school culture, and student achievement. For example, principals who have mentors or receive coaching are more effective leaders than those who have not participated in these forms of professional development. Further, research shows a positive impact on leadership practices or student achievement when principals participate in activities such as learning communities, mentoring, or ongoing coaching and collaboration. Principals frequently report participating in principal networks, which is a form of learning community, as well as in mentoring and coaching. However, some activities, such as taking university courses, are not associated with leader effectiveness. Few principals report taking university courses related to their role as principal. In 2017–18, most public school principals (95%) with at least one year of experience at their current school reported participating in professional development during the prior school year. The most prevalent type of professional development activity reported by these principals was participating in workshops or conferences in which they were not a presenter (94%), and the least prevalent activity was taking university courses related to their role as principal (19%). Professional development activities that are likely to have been part of district-sponsored professional development showed considerable variation by the community type of the school. Principals in city schools more often reported participating in visits to other schools designed to improve their own work as principal than did principals in suburban, town, or rural schools (78% compared with 59% to 69%). Principals in city schools also more often reported participating in mentoring and/or peer observation and coaching of principals than schools located in other types of communities (59% compared with 45 to 51%). Over 80% of public school principals who participated in professional development did so in supporting effective instruction (92%), analyzing and interpreting student achievement data (86%), and safety or school climate (85%). School improvement planning was studied by 77% of these principals, 65% learned about school management and policy, 54% learned about social services for students, and 49% studied human resource management.

Despite the growth in access to higher education, the opportunities and experiences of students, faculty, and staff in higher education continue to vary along racial and ethnic lines. Understanding these variations is vital to ensuring that higher education fulfills its role in promoting social and economic mobility. The data presented in this supplement delve deeper into specific topic areas based on feedback from key stakeholders about the areas that deserve more attention. Key findings include that K–12 and postsecondary educational institutions disproportionately fail Black or African American students. Inequities in K–12 education restrict postsecondary opportunities for many Black students and often create an uneven playing field for those who do matriculate. In addition, the authors found that Black or African American, Native, and Hispanic or Latino students were much more likely than their Asian and White peers to enroll in and complete degrees at for-profit institutions. This is particularly problematic, as students who enrolled in these institutions tended to have higher borrowing rates and faced larger debt burdens than students enrolled in other sectors. The majority of undergraduate students took out loans to help pay for college. However, borrowing patterns, amount borrowed, and experiences with loan repayment differ significantly by race and ethnicity. In particular, Native and Black or African American students were more likely to borrow and more likely to face difficulty repaying their loans than other groups, potentially hindering intergenerational upward mobility even for those who complete a college credential.

High levels of school mobility are a problem in many urban districts. Many of these same districts are also dealing with high rates of violent crime. In this study, the authors use 6 years (2010–2011 to 2015–2016) of administrative data from Baltimore City public elementary school students and crime data from the Baltimore Police Department to examine whether changes in violent crime at schools are associated with the likelihood of school exit. Using logistic regression with school fixed effects to adjust for constant differences between schools, the authors find that students are more likely to leave following years with higher levels of violent crime at their school. These associations are strongest for students ineligible for free or reduced-price meals and from safer neighborhoods.

The authors’ analysis of U.S. Energy Information Administration data and interviews with industry stakeholders shows that the repeal of the U.S. crude oil export ban is associated with increased crude oil exports—from less than half a million barrels per day in 2015 to almost 3 million barrels per day in 2019. The repeal of the ban expanded the market for U.S. crude oil to overseas buyers and, along with other market factors, allowed U.S. crude oil producers to charge higher prices relative to comparable foreign crude oil. Higher prices and an expanded market for U.S. crude oil further incentivized domestic crude oil production, which had been growing since the shale oil boom began around 2009. During the period after the repeal, total U.S. imports of crude oil remained largely unchanged. In addition, profit margins for petroleum refiners decreased as they paid more for domestic crude oil relative to international prices. Following the repeal there was also a decreased demand for U.S. tankers to move domestic oil, leading to declines in the U.S. shipping industry.

Trust in many institutions, such as government and media, has declined in the past two decades. Although such trends are well documented, they are not well understood. The study described in this report presents a new framework for assessing institutional trust and understanding the individual characteristics and institutional attributes that affect trust. Analysis is based on a survey of 1,008 respondents in April 2018. The study makes several key contributions to the field of institutional trust research. First, researchers used a scale that distinguishes between trust and distrust, thus allowing a different understanding of trust. Second, the analysis is a first step toward understanding why people trust institutions. The framework allows exploration of components of trustworthiness—i.e., the institutional attributes that people say they consider important to levels of trust (e.g., integrity, competence). The researchers also analyzed relationships between components of trustworthiness and the individual characteristics of those expressing the level of trust. Third, the survey featured questions about multiple institutions, allowing researchers to make comparisons across institutions. The research provides insights into individual characteristics and institutional attributes associated with institutional trust. This study is a first cut at a complicated concept and at exploring what is needed to rebuild institutional trust.

Local governments are big buyers. Here in the U.S., state and city governments collectively spend $1.6 trillion per year. But for too long, how and with whom local governments spend their money has reinforced economic inequities in the country. Minority-owned small businesses have been historically locked out of opportunities to contract with governments, and the current crisis has disproportionately impacted these very enterprises. In this report, the authors consulted 35 experts in the community to propose essential, game-changing solutions that could reshape procurement systems. Good procurement is equitable procurement. Solutions that advance equity also support other goals like value for money, efficiency, and transparency, so there are myriad reasons for governments to adopt more user-friendly technology and processes, more open data, and outcomes-based contracting. Co-creating procurement reforms and solutions with frontline workers, vendors, and citizens will enable solutions that successfully help Small Minority-Owned Business Enterprises and Minority Women-Owned Business Enterprises overcome barriers to entry. Technology cannot fix everything. Many ideas for improving how procurement is done involve change management, process improvement, and communication. Ecosystem actors including community organizations like chambers of commerce, philanthropies, different levels of government, as well as businesses, could play a bigger role in supporting a more equitable municipal procurement system. Right now the government and some businesses and nonprofits are the primary actors pushing for changes in this space. However, experts identified many opportunities for new actors to step in and support change.

Wearing masks is a CDC-recommended approach to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), by reducing the spread of respiratory droplets into the air when a person coughs, sneezes, or talks and by reducing the inhalation of these droplets by the wearer. This study examines the spread of COVID-19 in Kansas counties. The governor of Kansas issued an executive order requiring wearing masks in public spaces, effective July 3, 2020, which was subject to county authority to opt out. After July 3, COVID-19 incidence decreased in 24 counties with mask mandates but continued to increase in 81 counties without mask mandates. The findings in this report are consistent with declines in COVID-19 cases observed in 15 states and the District of Columbia, which mandated masks, compared with states that did not have mask mandates.

The authors investigated the effects of the timing of early prenatal care on infant health by exploiting a reform that required expectant mothers to initiate prenatal care during the first ten weeks of gestation to obtain a one-time monetary transfer paid after childbirth. Applying a difference-in-differences design to individual-level data on the population of births and fetal deaths, they identified small but statistically significant positive effects of the policy on neonatal health. They further provide suggestive evidence that improved maternal health-related knowledge and behaviors during pregnancy are plausible channels through which the reform might have affected fetal health.

There is limited information on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 thevirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)) testing and infection among pediatric patients across the United States. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using electronic health record data from 135,794 patients younger than 25 years who were tested for SARS-CoV-2 from January 1 through September 8, 2020. Data were from PEDSnet, a network of 7 U.S. pediatric health systems, comprising 6.5 million patients primarily from 11 states. Data analysis was performed from September 8 to 24, 2020. In this large cohort study of U.S. pediatric patients, SARS-CoV-2 infection rates were low, and clinical manifestations were typically mild. Among the 5,374 patients with positive test results, 359 (7%) were hospitalized for respiratory, hypotensive, or COVID-19–specific illness. Of these, 99 (28%) required intensive care unit services, and 33 (9%) required mechanical ventilation. The case fatality rate was 0.2% (8 of 5,374). Black, Hispanic, and Asian race/ethnicity; adolescence and young adulthood; and non-respiratory chronic medical conditions were associated with identified infection.