Individuals released from prison have a higher death rate than the general population. Few studies have explored pre-incarceration service utilization and health among those who die after prison. This paper explores service usage and health trends among individuals who died and those who survived. Baseline data were drawn from individuals enrolled in a reentry intervention trial. Researchers captured service utilization, well-being, and health constructs. Analyses explored frequency distributions and bivariate comparisons of individuals who died to survivors. Individuals who died had lower emotional well-being and health and higher rates of mood disorders. Those who died received more mental health services yet reported a lower need for services compared to those who survived. Despite having higher rates of substance misuse, individuals who died identified a lower need for substance use disorder treatment and had lower rates of treatment engagement. Reentry is a high-risk time for death as individuals leaving incarceration often have poorer overall health. Service utilization patterns may be important in protecting against death during reentry. Improving linkages to services during and after incarceration may reduce death rates among those who have been incarcerated, and this association should be researched further.

Harsh prison conditions have been widely examined for their effects on the mental health of incarcerated people, but few studies have examined whether mental health status exposes individuals to harsh treatment in the penal system. With prisoners confined to their cells for up to 23 hours each day, often being denied visitors or phone calls, solitary confinement is an important case for studying harsh treatment in prisons. Routinely used as punishment for prison infractions, solitary confinement may be subject to the same forces that criminalize the mentally ill in community settings. Researchers found high rates of punitive isolation among those with serious mental illness by analyzing a large administrative data set showing admissions to solitary confinement in state prisons. Disparities in mental health status result from the cumulative effects of prison misconduct charges and disciplinary hearings. Researchers predict that those with serious mental illness spend three times longer in solitary confinement than similar incarcerated people with no mental health problems. The evidence suggests the stigma of dangerousness follows people into prison, and the criminalization of mental illness accompanies greater severity of incarceration.

This document examines whether residential mobility affects recidivism among parolees through changes in both housing types and neighborhood characteristics; it describes the research study’s methodology, findings, and implications; and notes mixed results from community-level measures. The impact of housing and individual residential mobility on recidivism is nuanced. Individuals may move from prosocial environments to criminogenic environments, or from neighborhoods that are more, or less, socioeconomically disadvantaged. The authors explore these phenomena using data on individuals on parole in the District of Columbia with community-level Census data. They hypothesize that residential mobility will affect recidivism through changes in both housing types and neighborhood characteristics. Findings suggest that people immediately placed into treatment-oriented or transitional housing had lower rates of re-arrest than those in other housing situations. Results of the community-level measures of social disorganization were mixed.

The research team surveyed undergraduate students at a large public university to understand the pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors driving their college major and career decisions with a focus on K-12 teaching. While the average student reports there is a 6% chance they will pursue teaching, almost 27% report a non-zero chance of working as a teacher in the future. Students, relative to existing statistics, generally believe they would earn substantially more in a non-teaching job (relative to a teaching job). The team ran a randomized information experiment where they provide students with information on the pecuniary (monetary) and non-pecuniary job characteristics of teachers and non-teachers. This low-cost informational intervention impacts students' beliefs about their job characteristics if they were to work as a teacher or non-teacher, and increases the reported likelihood they will major or minor in education by 35% and pursue a job as a teacher or in education by 14%. Linking the survey data with administrative transcript records, the team finds that the intervention had small (and weak) impacts on the decision to minor in education in the subsequent year. Overall, their results indicate that students hold biased beliefs about their career prospects, they update these beliefs when provided with information, and that this information has limited impacts on their choices regarding studying and having a career in teaching.

In 2021, California committed to providing universal prekindergarten (UPK) for all 4-year-olds and expanding access for income-eligible 3-year-olds by 2025–26. California UPK includes several early learning programs, including transitional kindergarten (TK), the California State Preschool Program (CSPP), Head Start, and locally funded early learning programs. To support UPK expansion, California’s legislature and administration established the Universal Prekindergarten Planning and Implementation Grant in 2021, which allocated $200 million to all local education agencies (LEAs) serving kindergarteners, which include school districts, charter schools, and county offices of education. The 2022 budget added another $300 million to the UPK Planning and Implementation Grant program, with funds released in 2023. Local education agencies may use the funds to support transitional kindergarten and the California State Preschool Program and strengthen partnerships among prekindergarten (PreK) providers. This report provides an update on UPK implementation across the state by analyzing survey responses from 1,384 local education agencies representing almost all (95%) public school districts and two-thirds (65%) of charter schools serving elementary grades. The report found that most local education agencies offered transitional kindergarten at all elementary school sites, with 81% of LEAs offering TK at all elementary sites and 82% offering a full-day TK option. Additionally, most local education agencies had sufficient classroom space for projected TK enrollment, although facilities remain a top challenge in UPK implementation. Eighty-two percent of local education agencies reported sufficient classroom space for anticipated enrollment in the 2025–26 school year. However, the 249 local education agencies (18% of all respondents) that indicated insufficient classroom space reported needing 946 additional UPK classrooms to accommodate projected enrollment by 2025–26. Lastly, funding is a top concern for many local education agencies as they expand UPK. Over one-tenth of local education agencies noted that securing sustainable funding and resources for UPK implementation was one of the biggest challenges they faced in the 2022–23 school year. The survey also revealed promising practices and wide access with UPK expansion in California’s four largest districts during their first year of implementation.

U.S. Census Bureau data show the median price per square foot for new homes sold in 2023 by region: South ($146.64); Midwest ($156.25); Northeast ($220.95); West ($195.38). In 2023, 666,000 single-family houses built and sold in the United States; the median price (half cost less, half more) was $428,600 and the median size was 2,286 square feet with a median price per square foot of $154.70. The median price and square footage of new single-family homes sold in 2023 in the Northeast: $760,700, 2,430 square feet; Midwest: $396,300, 2,172 square feet; South: $388,800, 2,335 square feet and West: $536,200, 2,170 square feet. Of the new single-family homes sold in 2023 (1) 32% in the Northeast did not have a fireplace and 65% there had only one fireplace; (2) 98% in the West had air-conditioning; (3) 77% in the Northeast had vinyl siding and 34% in the South had brick as the primary exterior wall material; (4) 33% in the South were heated with gas and 67% in the South were heated with electricity; (5) 92% in the Midwest were heated with a forced-air furnace and 8% in the Midwest with a heat pump; (6) 5% did not have a patio, porch or deck as an outdoor feature; and (7) 12% in the West had a crawl space foundation.

Pivotal shifts are underway in America’s economic future, driven by technological advances, digitalization of business operations and jobs, sustainability practices, and evolving supply chains. Added to these aspects are demographic changes, as Latinos are projected to represent 78% of net new workers entering the U.S. labor market between 2020 and 2030, cementing the role of Latinos as key future cornerstones of the U.S. economy. Moreover, Latino businesses grew 35% over the last decade, compared with 4.5% for white-owned businesses, fueling America’s economic growth. Workforce development is a priority for a variety of current efforts that actively engage communities to understand their competitiveness needs. Broadband internet access, seen as a transformative opportunity, continues to increase in importance for policymakers. The competitiveness of Latino businesses will be closely tied to investments in workforce development, and the competitiveness of the national economy will increasingly depend on the success of Latino businesses and workers — necessitating a solid approach to developing the talent needed. Latino businesses and workers are not only a substantial subset of the American economy; they are squarely placed to be front and center of future American growth and continued preeminence in the global economy. Latino businesses, however, will fulfill this promise more fully if policymakers, capital providers, corporate America, and Latino-serving organizations take action. These entities must ensure that the right conditions are in place to foster continued growth in entrepreneurship, innovation, and equitable approaches to economic growth.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), poor health and nutrition are growing challenges threatening U.S. military readiness and its ability to retain a fit and healthy force. The department’s policy is to provide military service members with appropriate nutrition to help ensure they can achieve and maintain performance and they rely on various food service operations to feed military personnel high-quality food in a cost-effective manner. The Joint Explanatory Statement and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 directed the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review the quality and nutrition of food available at military installations. This report assesses the extent to which the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and the military services implemented programs and initiatives to provide service members with access to nutritious food at military installations, overseen such programs and initiatives, and evaluated their effectiveness. GAO reviewed policies, guidance, program documentation, and operations at 19 dining facilities and held five discussion groups with service members. GAO staff also interviewed officials from DOD, the military services, and eight installations. GAO found that OSD and the military services have taken steps to implement a color-coded nutrition-labeling program and related initiatives. However, the 19 dining facilities at military installations GAO reviewed had not fully implemented the required program elements. GAO also found that OSD has not fully addressed congressionally directed efforts to increase access to nutritious food, including establishing a nutrition leadership structure, the Defense Feeding and Nutrition Board. GAO recommends that the military services and DOD establish nutrition program guidance, clarify or adjust leadership roles, develop oversight processes and checklists, and establish goals and metrics.

Over the past decades, Florida has consistently exceeded national trends in the reduction of the number of persons experiencing homelessness. Since 2015, Florida’s communities have reduced the number of persons experiencing homelessness by 13% while the state simultaneously saw a 13% increase in population. But, unfortunately, recent Point in Time (PIT) data reflect annual increases in homelessness, with the prime driver is the dramatic increase in the cost of housing experienced throughout the state. While the state continues to outperform national averages across most performance measures, preliminary PIT data indicates the overall number of individuals experiencing homelessness increased 2% over the past year, including a 9% increase in unsheltered homelessness. Returns to homelessness also increased since 2023, indicating ongoing challenges for those facing chronic housing instability. Rent increases have begun to slow after multiple years of aggressive growth, which is providing some relief to renters. However, those with extremely low incomes (i.e., below 30% of Area Median Income, AMI) remain among the most vulnerable to becoming homeless due to a shortage of available affordable housing and other factors. The increased funding from the Florida Legislature for Florida's homelessness initiatives has significantly enhanced the state's capacity to address and mitigate homelessness. The Challenge and Staffing Grants, supported by state funds, have been crucial in leveraging federal matching funds and bolstering the efforts of local Continuums of Care (CoCs). This financial support has enabled comprehensive housing activities, including rental and utility assistance, rapid rehousing, and homelessness prevention, ensuring vulnerable populations receive necessary services.

Since fall 2021, the authors of this report have conducted regular counts of the unsheltered populations in three Los Angeles neighborhoods known for having high concentrations of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness: Hollywood, Skid Row, and Venice. In addition to counts, the authors have conducted surveys of unsheltered residents in these same neighborhoods to better understand the characteristics, experiences, and needs of these populations. This report presents their findings from the 2023 data collection period and includes comparisons with the previous year's effort and new information about unsheltered populations' experiences and needs across the same three Los Angeles neighborhoods. Key findings from the report include that on average, the number of unsheltered residents in these neighborhoods was stable across 2023, a notable change from late September 2021 through 2022, when the rate of growth was approximately 10% on an annual basis. In areas that had substantial encampment resolution activities, temporary declines that lasted two to three months on average were observed in the unsheltered population. The share of unhoused people living literally unsheltered (without a tent or vehicle) in Venice increased from 20% to 46%, a change that corresponds with policy changes in the neighborhood regarding tent encampments. More than one-half of survey respondents reported a chronic mental health condition, about one-half reported a chronic physical health condition, and about one-half reported a substance use disorder. Respondents in Skid Row were older and less healthy than respondents from the other two neighborhoods. About one-half of survey respondents reported being on the streets for three years or longer. About two-thirds of respondents were actively looking for housing. Respondents in Venice were less likely to be actively looking for housing, had less time on the streets, and were less likely to have been last housed in California. About one-half of survey respondents reported recent engagement with a homelessness outreach worker or case manager. Respondents in Hollywood had more-frequent contacts and higher reports of receiving assistance. On average, 10% of survey respondents reported being employed; three-quarters had an income of less than $600 per month. People living in vehicles were more likely to be employed.

More than half of Americans will need paid long-term services and supports (LTSS), such as a broad range of day-to-day assistance for individuals with long-term conditions, disabilities, or frailty. Few Americans feel prepared to face the potential need for LTSS, with nearly 70% reporting not preparing for their future long-term care needs. This qualitative report summarizes the issues Illinois caregivers and older adults faced when searching for local LTSS resources and their assessments of the quality of care received. The AARP conducted qualitative research studies across five counties from urban to rural areas in Illinois to understand and document disparities in access to, quality of, and experiences with LTSS in nursing home facilities and in-home and community-based settings. Researchers interviewed older adults with a disability or chronic health conditions and their family caregivers. These interviews covered experiences across the pathway to care from the onset of illness or disability to the search for assistance and receiving services and support. This report identified key themes among older adults and their caregivers, such as issues in finding local resources, accessing available services and support, and quality of services. Most older adults and their caregivers were unfamiliar with available LTSS resources in their area. This lack of initial knowledge about potential services made the search for services and support more difficult and time-consuming. Low-income families caring for their elderly relatives reported that limited financial resources created additional barriers, restrictions, and stress when seeking care. Additionally, older adults with long-term care insurance or higher household incomes also reported that long-term care was a significant financial burden. Older adults and their family caregivers expressed mixed feelings about the quality of services they received, with some reporting positive experiences while others reported negative experiences. The report highlights promising policies and practices to support older adults needing LTSS and their caregivers, such as centralizing resources, easing the cost of care, and addressing disparities in quality of care. Additionally, AARP states that while some promising policies and practices are targeted to the care pathway in Illinois, most recommendations apply or are adaptable to any state seeking to improve how caregivers and older adults experience LTSS.