April 9, 2021
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This report presents findings on the time served by
prisoners released from state prison in 2018. It
describes the mean and median length of time served by
most serious offense and the percentage of sentence
served by offense before initial release from state
prison. Findings are based on data from the Bureau of
Justice Statistics' National Corrections Reporting
Program, which is an annual voluntary data collection of
administrative records on individual prisoners submitted
by state departments of corrections. Highlights from the
report include: 1) the average time served by state
prisoners released in 2018, from initial admission to
initial release, was 2.7 years, and the median time
served was 1.3 years; 2) persons released from state
prison in 2018 served an average of 44% of their maximum
sentence length before their initial release; 3) state
prisoners serving time for rape and initially released in
2018 served an average of 68% of their sentence, and
those serving time for murder served an average of 58% of
their sentence; and 4) persons serving less than one year
in state prison represented 42% of first releases in 2018.
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Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of
Justice
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In 2018, an estimated 23 million persons, or about 9% of
all United States residents age 16 or older, reported
that they had been victims of identity theft during the
prior 12 months. Five percent of residents age 16 or
older had experienced at least one incident involving the
misuse of an existing credit card, and 4% had experienced
the misuse of an existing bank account. One percent
reported the misuse of their personal information to open
a new account. Less than 1% had experienced the misuse of
their personal information for other fraudulent purposes,
such as for getting medical care, a job, or governmental
benefits. For 90% of identity-theft victims, the most
recent incident involved only the misuse or attempted
misuse of at least one type of existing account, such as
a credit card or bank account. Monetary losses across all
incidents of identity theft totaled $15.1 billion in
2018. Among victims who resolved the financial and credit
problems associated with their identity theft, more than
half (55%) did so in 1 day or less. An estimated 7% of
identity-theft victims reported the crime to police, and
88% contacted a credit card company or bank. Half of all
victims of identity theft (51%) were in households with
incomes of $75,000 or more.
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Source: Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of
Justice
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Kentucky’s Human Trafficking Victims’ Rights Act, passed
in 2013, includes safe harbor legislation for
sex-trafficked minors that mandates state agencies must
develop a coordinated plan to deliver comprehensive care
and to serve and protect victims. A University of
Kentucky study on the impact of its state safe harbor
laws showed that justice-involved children were more
likely to be screened for sex trafficking and to be
offered victim services, and were less likely to be
criminally charged. However, agency personnel and
juvenile and family court judges interviewed for the
study raised concerns about the legislation, including
the added workload placed on already overwhelmed child
welfare personnel. To improve court response to potential
youth victims of sex trafficking, juvenile and family
court judges offered the following suggestions during
their interviews and in their survey responses: (1)
Empower judges to extend case time limits to ensure
continuity of care or judicial oversight of youth during
sex trafficking cases; (2) Appoint a guardian ad litem or
Friend of the Court for youth victims; (3) Specialize
court processes and protocols for suspected sex
trafficking victims and offer targeted training of court
personnel; (4) Provide incentives for innovative service
delivery to sex-trafficked youth; and (5) Address the
problem at the source through prompt investigations of
youth sex traffickers and buyers.
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Source: Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of
Justice
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The Office of National Drug Control Policy has taken
multiple actions to track, study, and share information
about Good Samaritan laws, which protect individuals who
call for medical assistance for an overdose victim, and
Naloxone Access laws, which protect individuals who
administer the opioid-reversal drug naloxone. The authors
found that 48 jurisdictions (47 states and D.C.) have
enacted both Good Samaritan and Naloxone Access laws.
Kansas, Texas and Wyoming do not have a Good Samaritan
law for drug overdoses but have a Naloxone Access law.
Florida has both a Good Samaritan law and Naloxone Access
law. The authors also found that the laws vary. For
example, Good Samaritan laws vary in the types of drug
offenses that are exempt from prosecution and whether
this immunity takes effect before an individual is
arrested or charged, or after these events but before
trial. The authors found that prior studies suggest lower
rates of opioid-related overdose deaths among states that
have enacted Good Samaritan laws, both compared to death
rates prior to a law's enactment and death rates in
states without such laws. In addition, studies found an
increased likelihood of individuals calling 911 if they
are aware of the laws. However, findings also suggest
that awareness of Good Samaritan laws may vary
substantially across jurisdictions among both law
enforcement officers and the public, which could affect
their willingness to call 911.
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Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office
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Body-worn cameras are an increasingly common tool for
police oversight, accountability, and transparency, yet
there remains uncertainty about their impacts on policing
outcomes. This paper reviews what is known about the
benefits of body-worn cameras and how those benefits
compare to the costs of this new technology. The authors
make two contributions relative to existing research.
First, they update prior meta-analyses of studies of the
impacts of body-worn cameras on policing outcomes to
incorporate the most recent, and largest, studies carried
out to date in this literature. This additional
information provides additional support for the idea that
cameras may affect a number of policing outcomes that are
important from a social welfare perspective, particularly
police use of force. Second, they carry out a
benefit-cost analysis of body-worn cameras, as financial
barriers are often cited as a key impediment to adoption
by police departments. The authors’ baseline estimate for
the benefit-cost ratio of body-worn camera is 4.95.
Perhaps as much as one-quarter of the estimated benefits
accrue to government budgets directly, which suggests the
possibility that this technology could, from the narrow
perspective of government budgets, even pay for itself.
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Source: National Bureau of Economic Research
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This statistical analysis report presents key findings
and other data highlights from the National Center for
Education Statistics School-Level Finance Survey in
school years 2015-16 and 2016-17. The report focuses on
the completeness and comparability of survey data and
how the survey can be used to evaluate differences in
resource allocation (as measured by school-level
expenditures) across schools, school districts, and
states. The report finds that the majority of states
participating in the survey are able to report
school-level expenditure data requested by the survey for
a high percentage of their schools. The survey can be
used to evaluate and compare the variability of
school-level expenditure data within states and across
school districts. It may also be used to evaluate
school-level expenditure data by various descriptive
school characteristics (such as charter school status and
urban verses rural locations). In addition, the survey
allows data users to evaluate and compare school-level
expenditures by school poverty indicators such as Title I
eligibility and school neighborhood income-to-poverty
ratio. For Fiscal Year 2017, median teacher salaries
ranged from a low of $41,257 in Oklahoma to a high of
$78,723 in Rhode Island in the 11 states (not including
Florida) that met reporting standards for reporting
teacher salaries.
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Source: National Center for Educational Statistics, U.S.
Department of Education
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In recent decades, the nature of work has changed in ways
that previous generations would likely not have imagined.
With few exceptions, well-paying jobs increasingly
require higher-level analytical or social skills, or
both, while jobs that demand largely physical or manual
skills are fading in importance. It is no surprise, then,
that education has become an increasingly important
pathway to the middle class in the past 50 years. Indeed,
many recent studies show that adults with high school
diplomas and college degrees are more likely to be
employed and have higher incomes than their peers with
less education. Education levels across America have been
increasing since the 1970s, including growth in high
school and postsecondary education attainment. The
fraction of 25- to 29-year-olds who completed high school
increased from 75% in 1970 to 94% in 2019. The costs of
college attendance have been increasing across most types
of institutions. Between 1990 and 2020, average tuition
and fees, when adjusted for inflation, more than doubled.
This happened not only at private non-profit four-year
colleges, but also at public two-year and four-year
colleges. Between 2009 and 2019, average institutional
grant aid for two- and four-year students increased by
33% ($2,430), offsetting some of the increase in tuition
and fees. However, other forms of financial aid fell over
this period, including federal loans and the value of
Pell grants. Low state appropriations for postsecondary
education may be an important contributor to rising costs
and low completion rates. State appropriations per
student fell across public four-year and two-year
colleges between 2000 and 2012, with a particularly sharp
decline during the Great Recession. Far less is known
about how enrollment in non-degree credential programs
has changed over time. Attainment of occupational
licenses and work certifications have only very recently
been systematically measured in surveys, making it
challenging to look at trends.
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Source: RAND Corporation
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Many children begin school with limited vocabularies,
placing them at a high risk of academic difficulties. The
goal of this study was to examine the effects of a
vocabulary intervention program, Story Friends, designed
to improve vocabulary knowledge of at-risk preschool
children. Children in the treatment classrooms learned
significantly more words than children in the comparison
classrooms, who learned few target words based on
exposure. Large effect sizes were evident as the
treatment group averaged 42% vocabulary knowledge versus
11% in the comparison group, despite a gradual decline in
vocabulary learning by the treatment group over the
school year. Findings indicate that a carefully designed
vocabulary intervention can produce substantial gains in
children's vocabulary knowledge. The Story Friends
program is feasible for delivery in early childhood
classrooms and effective in teaching challenging
vocabulary to high-risk preschoolers.
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Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
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The digital divide, digital equity, and digital
accessibility are not new concerns in higher education,
but the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many institutions to
confront these issues head-on with renewed efforts and
innovative strategies. This report helps to uncover the
factors that underlie these evolving divides and discover
how institutions can continue to promote student success
as they implement extensive, remote-learning programs.
With in-depth analysis and data, readers may gain
critical advice and best practices from experts,
administrators, instructors and students who share the
long-term changes needed in policy and practice to bridge
these gaps. Report topics include national data and
analysis of the 2020-2021 postsecondary enrollment,
evidence-based instructional practices that have been
demonstrated to improve student satisfaction and success,
and the financial implications of remote learning
expenses, laptop shortages and the price of internet
access.
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Source: Inside Higher Ed
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The homeownership rate in the United States, measured as
the percentage of the nation’s occupied housing units
that are owner-occupied units, has experienced
substantial change over the last 15 years. This report
provides information on homeownership in the United
States from 2005 to 2019 using household-level data from
the American Community Survey at the national, state, and
county levels. The data show that the national
homeownership rate was among the highest of the 15-year
period during 2005 to 2009, when the rate was about 66%
to 67%, but by 2010 it had declined to 65.4%. This
coincides with the first full calendar year after the
Great Recession, an economic downturn coupled with a
crash in the housing market that took place from 2007 to
2009. By 2015, the homeownership rate was among the
lowest of the 15-year period, with 63.0% of households
living in owner-occupied units, about a 4.2
percentage-point drop from the 2007 rate. In 2019, the
most recent year of data, 64.1% of households were
homeowners, up from 63.0% in 2015 but still well below
the peak years of 2005 to 2009. The states with among
the largest decreases in homeownership from 2009 to 2014
include Arizona (6.0%), Nevada (5.7%), Georgia (4.8%),
Rhode Island (4.6%), and Florida (4.4%). When comparing
the 2005–2009 5-year estimate to the 2010–2014 5-year
estimate 38 of the 67 counties in Florida showed
statistically significant declines in homeownership.
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Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Florida
Department of Transportation and the Center for Urban
Transportation Research recognized the need to provide
transit agencies with guidance to help them effectively
respond to this crisis. This document is a compilation of
tips, strategies, and practices that other public transit
across the country have implemented to help reduce the
risk of being infected and/or spreading the COVID-19
virus. Additionally, it is pertinent to include
mitigation strategies and updates from the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state and local
emergency operations centers, and industry associations,
such as the National Rural Transit Assistance Program,
Community Transportation Association of America, and the
American Public Transportation Association. Many of the
actions and practices listed may help prevent the spread
of the virus and may offer protections to people who are
not infected. Guidance includes that transit agencies
should make every effort to source supplies locally
and/or through their agency process first, then through
their local EOC before elevating the request to the
State. This resource guide provides vendor information
relating to purchasing equipment, cleaning supplies as
well as other materials that may be difficult to obtain
during a pandemic. In addition, transit agencies should
consider performing a hazard risk analysis and
assessments of any temporary or permanent changes,
additions or modifications to transit facilities,
vehicles or procedures during times of emergencies.
Performing this task will ensure new hazards are not
inadvertently introduced as a result of implementing a
mitigation. Some examples of these may include:
installing temporary barriers or shields, blocking seats
or areas within a facility, transit vehicle or terminal,
and policy changes that may introduce a new hazard.
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Source: Florida Department of Transportation
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The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges
for young people and staff at youth-serving organizations
that provide education and training, employment, and
mental health services. Challenges are more pronounced
for youth who may lack access to digital devices and
conducive learning environments or who must balance
program participation, work, and family responsibilities.
This resource guide for practitioners describes creative
strategies that youth-serving organizations have used to
provide remote services while prioritizing equity.
Recommendations include 1) leverage funding and resources
from grants and city or community-based initiatives to
provide technology and Wi-Fi access to program
participants; 2) ensure access to spaces that are
conducive to learning; 3) use creative approaches (such
as providing bus tokens, clothing, or gift cards) to
obtain resources and supports to address basic needs; 4)
provide support for successful technology use (such as
matching youth with “tech buddies”) and 5) adjust
expectations of program staff to be mindful of young
peoples’ barriers to successful engagement.
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Source: Urban Institute
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Seventy-nine million Americans struggle to pay their
medical bills or are paying off medical debt. This
report examines three key factors driving medical debt:
1) insufficient insurance coverage; 2) the
unpredictability of medical emergencies; and 3) high
out-of-pocket expenses for health care. The U.S. has 14
states, including Georgia and Texas, where medical debt
in collections exceeds 20%. Philanthropic support could
be used to 1) fund efforts to ensure patients can
accesses health care without financial stress and debt;
2) support efforts to expand outreach to ensure those
eligible for public health insurance are aware of those
benefits; and 3) work with advocates to support the
adoption of eligibility standards for health care
financial assistance and transparency of those standards
at the hospital-system, city, county, or state level.
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Source: Aspen Institute
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During this pandemic, families have been dealing with
numerous sources of stress–including unemployment,
strains on financial resources, and higher levels of
anxiety and depression from living in a time of fear and
uncertainty. Young children in poverty are much more
likely to live in households where the experience of
these stressors is chronic and more severe, independent
of the COVID pandemic. Children’s developing brains and
their future health may be negatively affected by growing
up in these conditions. State program administrators can
help parents manage these stressors by strengthening
existing services like home visiting and creating new
avenues for reaching previously uncontacted families with
unmet needs through their pediatric visits. These
recommendations are based on the existing evidence of
promising strategies, as well as insights from work with
programs that serve the nation’s youngest children.
Program administrators can investigate pediatric-based
platforms as a means of reaching new families and can
adapt evidence-based forms of support, like using
behavioral science or investing in more specialized
approaches. Programs’ extra efforts to reach and engage
parents may help families in need survive, and ultimately
thrive during this unprecedented time.
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Source: MDRC
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The prevalence and attributes of positive outcomes (or
doing well) among children with autism spectrum disorder
(ASD) in mid-childhood are not well known. The purpose of
this study is to estimate the prevalence of doing well
according to metrics of proficiency and growth and to
investigate the extent to which significant associations
exist between child- and family-level variables and doing
well. Key outcome domains of developmental health
included measures of socialization, communication,
independent living skills, and measures of internalizing
and externalizing behaviors. This longitudinal cohort
study included children with ASD from regional clinics
across Canada. Participants were sampled three times
between ages 2 and 4.9 years and twice in follow-up into
middle childhood. Data were analyzed March 2018 through
January 2020. This cohort study found that a substantial
proportion of children with ASD were doing well by middle
childhood in at least one key domain of developmental
health, and that doing well was possible even in the
context of continuing to meet criteria for ASD. These
results support a strengths-based approach to treatment
planning that should include robust support for families
to increase the potential likelihood of doing well later
in life.
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Source: JAMA Network Open
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Government Program Summaries (GPS) is a free resource for legislators and the public that provides descriptive information on over 200 state government programs. To provide fiscal data, GPS links to Transparency
Florida, the Legislature's website that includes continually updated information on the state's operating budget and daily expenditures by state agencies.
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A publication of the Florida Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability
PolicyNotes, published every Friday, features reports, articles, and websites with timely information of interest to policymakers and researchers. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations
expressed by third parties as reported in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect OPPAGA's views.
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PolicyNotes provided that this section is preserved on all copies.
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