This report presents official estimates of criminal victimizations reported and not reported to police from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistic’s National Crime Victimization Survey. The report is the 49th in a series that began in 1973 and includes statistics on non-fatal violent (rape or sexual assault, robbery, aggravated assault, and simple assault) and property crimes (burglary or trespassing, motor vehicle theft, and other types of household theft). The report also describes the characteristics of crimes and victims. Key findings include that from 1993 to 2021, the rate of violent victimization declined from 79.8 to 16.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons age 12 or older. About 46% of violent victimizations were reported to police in 2021, higher than 2020 (40%). From 2020 to 2021, the violent victimization rate increased from 19.0 to 24.5 victimizations per 1,000 persons in urban areas while remaining unchanged in suburban or rural areas. And a larger share of violent victimizations in 2021 (9%) than in 2020 (6%) resulted in the victim receiving assistance from a victim service provider.

State courts have expressed heightened interest in assessing and improving the demographic representation of jury pools over the past several years. Underrepresentation may result from multiple factors in the jury selection process, including nonresponse, undeliverable, disqualification, and excusal rates. Thus, it is imperative that the first step, the master jury list from which the names of prospective jurors are initially selected, be as representative as possible. Developing and maintaining master jury lists that are broadly inclusive of the jury-eligible population, geographically and demographically representative of their communities, and containing accurate and up-to-date records is critical for safeguarding public confidence in the courts. The standard recommended by the National Center for State Courts is that the master jury list consist of unique name and address records for at least 85% of the total adult population within the jurisdiction. To achieve this objective, most states use two or more juror source lists to create the master jury list in a process that involves standardizing the name and address records, merging the files, and identifying and removing duplicate records. At the same time, the master jury list should not be overinclusive. Excessive numbers of shadows (multiple records for the same person) and ghosts (stale records for individuals who no longer live in the community) make it difficult to assess how well the master jury list reflects geographic and demographic representation. The master jury list is the first step in the juror selection process. An effective master jury list is one that is inclusive of the adult population, geographically and demographically representative of the community, and contains accurate address records for prospective jurors. Maintaining 100% inclusiveness is impractical given the intricacies of duplicate identification algorithms and normal migration rates into, out of, and within communities. To maximize accuracy, the master jury list should be refreshed at least annually.

Task forces and commissions are temporary, stakeholder-represented councils charged with examining a particular topic or issue and, in most cases, providing findings and recommendations to inform future policymaking decisions. The education-related task forces and commissions captured in this dashboard are created through state legislation or governors’ executive orders. While task forces and commissions may be convened around novel policy ideas, they can also be conducted to review a state’s approach to a particular policy area and build consensus and support for solutions to complex challenges. Legislators and governors have significant latitude to call task forces and commissions for unique reasons or at regular intervals into the future. These task forces may range from high importance to more routinized reviews of policy areas that are mandated to occur. This dashboard captures task forces and commissions created from 2021 to present by legislation or governor’s executive order. The data points include: state; bill/executive order number; summary, including the task force and commission’s title, charge and important dates; final reports providing findings and recommendations; and related work by the Education Commission of the States. During this time period (2021 to 2022), Florida was reported as establishing one task force, the Task Force on Closing the Achievement Gap for Boys by House Bill 7033.

Research has shown educators’ implicit biases to be a key factor in creating and perpetuating disparities in students’ experiences of schooling, learning, and longer-term outcomes, including job opportunities, wealth, and health. Current school reform and transformation efforts are aimed at addressing institutionalized racism in school policies, practices, and cultural systems by implementing implicit bias training for teachers and staff. This paper seeks to explain how a school home visits program, Parent Teacher Home Visits (PTHV), is a promising intervention for counteracting implicit biases and improving outcomes for families and students. The PTHV relational home visit model focuses on promoting mutually supportive and accountable relationships between educators and families. The paper presents data from a study examining the experiences of 107 educators and 68 family members who participated in PTHV, showing how educators shifted their deficit assumptions about families and students and suggest that relational home visits can disrupt the process by which biased mindsets lead to discriminatory practices and inequitable educational outcomes.

Research supports that people who dropout of high school do substantially worse than those who graduate based upon research on the consequences of dropping out of high school. High school dropouts earn less, report lower levels of happiness, commit more crimes, and suffer from poorer health. Dropout rates have a massive impact on employment rates, individual earnings, and crime rates. Students who dropout of high school face social stigma, fewer job opportunities, lower salaries, and higher probability of involvement with the criminal justice system. The odds are stacked against females even more regarding their health, including reproductive health. Female dropouts may be more susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted infections because they partner with significantly different types of people than non-dropouts. The researcher found that for every three white female dropouts there was one black female dropout based upon the reproductive health services used during the last two years. The researcher also found that more patients with higher degrees utilized the reproductive healthcare provider’s services than patients without college degrees.

People deserve safety in their homes, workplaces, parks, and other community spaces—safety not only from violence, but from the economic, social, and environmental conditions that fuel violence in the first place. Within the United States, however, access to physical safety is shaped by where someone lives, with many of our most unsafe places reflecting decades of systemic disinvestment. This report is designed to help federal lawmakers by outlining an evidence-based policy agenda that prioritizes upstream interventions to advance community safety. Given widespread concerns about community violence and harm, as well as the forthcoming expiration of American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) dollars currently funding community safety interventions, it is essential that the U.S. government build sustainable, flexible, and long-term funding streams for evidence-based safety programs. The report includes case studies of successfully implemented policy interventions, including the Parramore Kidz Zone in Orlando, FL.

Most Americans rely on personally owned, individually occupied, and gas-powered cars—a status quo that leads to tens of thousands of people dying each year in collisions and maintains a resource intensive transportation system. Autonomous vehicles (AVs)—self-driving cars that can travel along publicly accessible streets some or all of the time without human involvement—could help mitigate these problems, if they are implemented in a thoughtful, well-regulated manner. However, if deployed haphazardly with inadequate oversight and regulation, they could produce even worse inequities than those caused by the current system. The authors conducted a study focusing on automobile-sized AVs designed for passenger use as opposed to other types of AVs that could be used for public transit service or freight. Carefully designed regulations could help ensure that these new technologies improve access to mobility and reduce pollution. Regulation suggestions include emphasizing pedestrian safety, zero-emission technology, and disability access to AVs, as well as new data collection and cybersecurity measures to allow for better understanding and safety. Finally, certain key roles must be taken up by states in consumer access standards and street design standards.

In a 2021 report, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that some small businesses lack access to broadband, but may benefit from federal programs that fund deployment in rural areas. A nationally representative survey by Amazon and the U.S. Chamber Technology Engagement Center found approximately 20% of rural small businesses were not using broadband, with about 5% using a dial up connection. Small businesses likely benefit from the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service's (RUS) funding to expand broadband deployment. For example, at the time of the 2021 report, the FCC had awarded $19.7 billion since 2014 through components of its high-cost programs, and estimated it had served 9.1 million business and residence locations. Both FCC and USDA have also helped increase broadband speeds in rural areas. Much of the literature GAO reviewed suggests that FCC's current broadband minimum benchmark speeds—25 megabits per second (Mbps) for downloading and 3 Mbps for uploading—are likely too slow to meet many small business speed needs. In the July 2021 report, GAO recommended that FCC solicit stakeholder input and analyze small business broadband speed needs and incorporate the results of this analysis into the benchmark for broadband.

Over the past 2 years, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected population health and well-being, as well as the nation’s economy. In response, the federal government implemented additional measures to improve access to public and private health insurance coverage during the COVID-19 public health emergency. For example, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) required states to provide continuous coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries for the duration of the COVID-19 health emergency. The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), enacted in 2021, further increased Medicaid funding to states and introduced measures to increase access to care and reduce the cost of coverage. This report examines changes in the uninsured rate, as well as changes in private and public coverage in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the 25 most populous metropolitan areas in the United States between 2019 and 2021. In doing so, the brief describes and compares estimates of coverage and changes in coverage before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Key findings include that the uninsured rate across states and the District of Columbia ranged from 2.5% in Massachusetts to 18.0% in Texas in 2021. In 2021, the percentage of people with private coverage across states and the District of Columbia ranged from 53.3% in New Mexico to 77.8% in Utah. The percentage of people with public coverage in 2021 ranged from 22.3% in Utah to 50.9% in New Mexico. Between 2019 and 2021, the uninsured rate increased in one state (North Dakota) and declined in 28 states. From 2019 to 2021, private coverage increased in one state (Florida) and decreased in 18 states. Public coverage increased in 36 states, but no states experienced a decline in public coverage during this period.

This report summarizes findings from year 3 of an ongoing evaluation of the Meals-to-You (MTY) program, a pilot program administered by the Baylor Collaborative on Hunger and Poverty (BCHP) and funded by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The original aim of the MTY pilot was to provide a stable and reliable source of food through home delivery to children in rural areas who lack reliable sources of food during the summer months when school is not in session. This report covers the 2021 summer MTY program in Alaska, New Mexico, and Texas. Key findings include that the program served 1,722 households and 3,991 participants in Alaska, New Mexico and Texas. The program successfully delivered 41,645 meal boxes. The majority of participants were satisfied with the variety (89%) and quantity (83%) of food in the boxes, though not all felt the box contents were appealing. Damages to boxes decreased from the 2020 program, although 28%of participants reported receiving at least one damaged box. Overall, food insecurity among participating households improved more often than it worsened during the summer, except for households that identified as Native American, who experienced worse food insecurity outcomes by the end of the summer. Recommendations include improving vendor data systems, increasing stakeholder engagement through advisory groups, decreasing barriers to enrollment, and ensuring future programming is funded well in advance of initiation.

Although physical activity is generally protective of cardiovascular disease (CVD), less is known about how young adult physical activity relates to premature CVD events. The objective of this study was to determine the association between level and change in physical activity from young adulthood to middle age and incidence of premature CVD events before age 60. Overall, physical activity declined in young adults as they progressed through middle age. Lower physical activity scores in 18 year-olds were associated with higher odds of premature coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and any CVD events. Each additional annual 1-unit reduction in the physical activity score was associated with a higher annual odds of incident heart failure, stroke, and CVD events. Meeting the minimum U.S. Department of Health and Human Services physical activity guidelines through follow up was protective of premature CVD events. Given recent trends in declining physical activity with age and associated premature CVD events, the transition from young adult to midlife is an important time period to promote physical activity.