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November 15, 2024
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In response to the federal Death in Custody Reporting Act of
2013 this report is fifth in a series that presents data on
deaths that occur during federal arrest, detention, and
incarceration in the United States.. This act requires
federal law enforcement agencies to report information about
the death of any person who dies while detained, under
arrest, being arrested, or in the custody of federal law
enforcement officers. It describes decedent, incident, and
facility characteristics of deaths in federal custody and
during arrest by federal law enforcement agencies during
Fiscal Year 2022. Homicides accounted for the largest
portion (41%) of arrest-related deaths, followed by
accidents (28%) and suicides (23%). In arrest-related
deaths, 98% of decedents were male, 75% were white, and 53%
were ages 25 to 44. In 55% of arrest-related deaths, law
enforcement officers were serving a warrant when they made
initial contact with the decedent. A violent offense was the
most serious offense allegedly committed by decedents in 50%
of arrest-related deaths. Decedents attempted to injure law
enforcement officers in 35% of arrest-related deaths and
discharged a firearm in 38%.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice
Programs
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This report uses data from the Federal Justice Statistics
Program and other published sources to describe persons
arrested and convicted for a federal drug offense involving
methamphetamine, cocaine, methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA),
methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), and other
amphetamines. It focuses on psychostimulants, including
their classification under the Controlled Substances Act
(P.L. 91–513), persons arrested for a federal offense
involving psychostimulants, deaths due to overdose, and
persons sentenced for a federal offense involving these
substances. From Fiscal Year 2021 to Fiscal Year 2022, the
number of arrests the federal Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) made for psychostimulants decreased by
9%, from 15,846 to 14,392. More than half (55%) of the
arrests the DEA made in Fiscal Year 2022 were for
psychostimulants. Of the 26,233 total arrests by the DEA in
Fiscal Year 2022, 8,035 (31%) were for methamphetamine,
5,118 (20%) were for powder cocaine, 1,009 (4%) were for
crack cocaine, and 230 (<1%) were for other
psychostimulants. DEA arrests for methamphetamine increased
from 6,518 in Fiscal Year 2002 to 9,335 in Fiscal Year 2021,
then decreased to 8,035 in Fiscal Year 2022.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice
Programs
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The mission of the Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby
County Tennessee is to provide interventions that result in
positive outcomes for families and children, by addressing
family matters with dignity and respect, and when necessary,
holding youth accountable in developmentally appropriate
ways. To better determine where the Court Services Division
should focus its improvement efforts, the Crime and Justice
Institute used a systematic, multi-pronged approach to
perform a system assessment, including a qualitative
assessment and quantitative data analysis. While the
proportion of youth with more than one complaint filed in
the same year has decreased, most youth cycled through the
juvenile court more than once over multiple years. Youth are
increasingly being pushed from the child welfare system to
the youth justice system, evidenced by an uptick in
crossover youth and an increase in the proportion of
juvenile court referrals made by social service agencies.
Boys, Black youth, and youth experiencing poverty are
disproportionately represented among the juvenile court
population compared to the Shelby County population overall.
Incidents related to complaints involving delinquent
allegations are not evenly distributed across Shelby County,
indicating a need to target resources and preventative
efforts in the geographic areas most impacted. Youth justice
systems that rely heavily on surveillance and confinement or
mimic the adult legal system can critically deprive young
people of healthy adolescent development. Systems like the
juvenile court can thrive and produce better outcomes for
youth and their families when developmental approaches are
incorporated into policy and practice. Such approaches can
include accountability without criminalization through
restorative practices, increasing alternatives to formal
system involvement, establishing individualized responses
based on the assessed risks and identified needs, utilizing
interventions rooted in knowledge about adolescent
development, limiting confinement only when necessary for
public safety, and actively and consistently engaging the
family.
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Source: Crime and Justice Institute
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Ten years ago, nearly all community colleges were using
standardized placement tests in English and math to
determine whether new students were ready for college-level
courses. Students with low scores were placed in
developmental—remedial—courses that usually did not count
toward college credits. Over a quarter of students entering
public community colleges ended up taking at least one
developmental course, and historically, the overwhelming
majority did not graduate. But large-scale studies showed
that these test scores misjudged many students: In fact,
many more of them could be moving straight into
college-level courses, meaning they were spending time and
money on courses they did not need and that were potentially
holding them back from earning degrees. A random survey of
colleges conducted in 2023 showed that nearly three-quarters
were using high school performance to inform these placement
decisions. Broadly speaking, those studies have revealed two
things: (1) Students make more progress if they get into
college-level courses faster and (2) High school grade point
average (GPA) is the best predictor of student success in
college.
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Source: MDRC
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The International Computer and Information Literacy Study
(ICILS) is designed to measure 8th-grade students’
capacities to use information and communication technology
productively for a variety of different purposes beyond
basic use of digital technology and consists of two tests,
one required, computer and information literacy, and one
optional, computational thinking. Thirty-five education
systems, including the United States, assessed computer and
information literacy in 2023, and 24 education systems,
including the United States, assessed computational
thinking. U.S. students in public schools with 75% or more
of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch had an
average CIL score of 440; this was 42 points lower than the
U.S. average of 482. Average CIL scores of Hispanic, Black,
and White students were 40, 35, and 28 points lower,
respectively, in 2023 compared to 2018. Over one-third of
students in the United States (37%) agreed or strongly
agreed with the statement, “I hope that my future job
involves programming,” which was lower than the ICILS
average of 43%. Among U.S. 8th-graders, higher percentages
of students reported learning the following tasks at school
than outside of school to a large or moderate extent: use
the internet to find information (83% vs. 71%), include
accurate references (76% vs. 59%), refine internet searches
(72% vs. 65%), and evaluate the reliability of information
(71% vs. 61%). In 2023, higher percentages of U.S. 8th-grade
students reported using ICT during most, almost every, or
every lesson than in 2018 in English language arts (55% vs.
44%), sciences (58% vs. 48%), social studies (53% vs. 45%),
foreign language arts (38% vs. 32%), and mathematics (46%
vs. 41%).
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Source: National Center for Education Statistics
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Exposure to exclusionary discipline has been tied to several
deleterious outcomes in adulthood, including contact with
the criminal legal system. While this work provides
interesting insight into the long-term consequences tied to
this form of school punishment, few have attempted to
consider whether and how, exclusionary discipline practices,
in particular, school suspension and expulsion shape mental
health patterning over the life course. Using panel data
from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult
Health, this review contributes to this body of literature
by examining whether exposure to school suspension or
expulsion shapes depressive symptom trajectories from
adolescence to adulthood. Results from our mixed-effects
linear growth curve models demonstrate both forms of
exclusionary discipline play a significant role in
depressive symptom trajectories. We find suspended and
expelled youth exhibit significantly higher depressive
symptoms in adolescence when compared to their counterparts
with no history of suspension or expulsion. Results also
show age variation in depressive symptom trajectories by
history of exposure to exclusionary discipline.
Specifically, results show the depressive symptoms gap
between disciplined and non-disciplined youth slightly
dissipates as youth age into early adulthood, but as
individuals begin to transition out of this stage of the
life course, the gap in depressive symptoms widens
substantially. Results carry implications for how punitive
disciplinary practices in schools shape mental health from
adolescence to adulthood.
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Source: Advances in Life Course Research
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Veterans owned about 5.4% or 304,823 of the nation’s
5,681,118 employer businesses with at least one paid
employee in 2021, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022
Annual Business Survey. A business is considered
veteran-owned if a veteran owns at least 51% of the stock or
equity in it. There were also 122,970 firms equally owned by
veterans and non-veterans. The Annual Business Survey
receives input from employer businesses and uses their
responses to produce data on business ownership.
Veteran-owned businesses generated $922 billion in revenue,
about 5.3% of the total $17.4 trillion of all classifiable
employer businesses in 2021. The Professional, Scientific,
and Technical Services had the most veteran-owned businesses
(52,167) based on two-digit North American Industry
Classification System codes, which accounted for 6.1% of all
businesses in this sector. Retail Trade (16,655),
Construction (15,803), and Professional, Scientific, and
Technical Services (14,050) were the top sectors owned
equally by veterans and non-veterans. In 2021, 92.6% of
veteran-owned businesses (282,207) and 84.5% of
nonveteran-owned businesses (4,440,456) were White-owned.
Black or African American veterans owned about 5.1% (15,417)
of firms — the second most common racial demographic in
veteran-owned businesses.
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Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau
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Restrictive software licensing practices include vendor
processes that limit, impede, or prevent agencies' efforts
to use software in cloud computing. Officials from five of
the six selected agencies described multiple impacts that
they had experienced from restrictive software licensing
practices. The agencies impacted were the U.S. Departments
of Justice (DOJ), Transportation (DOT), and Veterans Affairs
(VA); the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA); and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
Officials from the remaining agency, the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM), reported that it had not encountered any
restrictive licensing practices. None of the six selected
agencies had fully established guidance that specifically
addressed the two key industry activities for effectively
managing the risk of impacts of restrictive practices. These
activities are to (1) identify and analyze potential impacts
of such practices, and (2) develop plans for mitigating
adverse impacts. Furthermore, of the five agencies that
reported encountering restrictive practices, three agencies
partially implemented the key activities to manage those
restrictive practices and the other two agencies—DOT and
VA—did not demonstrate that they had fully implemented
either of the activities. Key causes for the selected
agencies' inconsistent implementation of the two activities
included that (1) none of the agencies had fully assigned
responsibility for identifying and managing restrictive
practices, and (2) the agencies did not consider the
management of restrictive practices to be a priority. Until
the agencies (1) update and implement guidance to fully
address identifying, analyzing, and mitigating the impacts
of restrictive software licensing practices, and (2) assign
responsibility for identifying and managing such practices,
they will likely miss opportunities to take action to avoid
or minimize the impacts. The U.S. Government Accountability
Office (GAO) recommended the agencies assign responsibility
and update and implement guidance to lessen the effects of
restrictions on moving software to the cloud.
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Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office
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When service members leave the military, they become
veterans, retaining social identities and policy relevance
albeit under a different name and government agency.
However, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs lacks the
statutory authority to provide care or benefits for the bulk
of veteran families. While the agency has a great deal of
information about enrolled veterans, little is known about
veteran households. The authors of this report attempt to
fill that gap by analyzing data from the American Community
Survey, providing valuable context for understanding the
social and economic resource environment of veterans and
identifying potential gaps and needs compared with
non-veteran families. Veteran households, defined as those
in which either the head of household or spouse (if present)
is a veteran, account for around 11% percent of all
households in the United States. Veteran households are more
likely to be headed by a married or partnered couple than
non-veteran households. Nearly 10% of marriages involving at
least one woman veteran are same-sex marriages (i.e., two
women), compared with 0.4% of marriages involving at least
one man veteran. A slight majority of veteran households do
not have experience as an active-duty household (i.e., the
couple married after the service member[s] left the armed
forces). The composition of the military service member and
veteran populations is becoming more demographically
diverse: Approximately 17% and 40% of post-2001 service
members and veterans are female and non-White, respectively.
Veteran households have a distinct advantage over
non-veteran households (via larger income) and are somewhat
better protected against potential employment shocks.
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Source: RAND Corporation
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During 2022, about one in five adults age 18 and older
experienced any symptoms of anxiety (18.2%) or symptoms of
depression (21.4%) in the past 2 weeks. The severity of
symptoms differed by sociodemographic and geographic
characteristics. The percentages of adults with mild,
moderate, or severe symptoms of both anxiety and depression
were highest among adults ages 18–29 and decreased with age
and were higher among women than men. Asian non-Hispanic
adults were least likely to experience moderate and severe
symptoms of anxiety and depression compared with the other
race and Hispanic-origin groups examined. In addition, the
percentage of adults with any symptoms of anxiety and
depression was highest among those with less than a high
school education and with family incomes less than 100% of
the federal poverty level and was higher among those living
in rural areas. A significant increase was seen in the
percentage of adults with anxiety symptoms (from 15.6% to
18.2%) and depression symptoms (from 18.5% to 21.4%) between
2019 and 2022. Increases in symptoms of anxiety and
depression were seen throughout the subgroups examined,
including adults ages 18–44, Black non-Hispanic and White
non-Hispanic adults, adults with a high school education or
more, and adults with family incomes of 100% of the federal
poverty level or higher, as well as adults from all regions
and urbanization levels.
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Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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This report presents results from the 2023 National
Substance Use and Mental Health Services Survey, an annual
survey of substance use and mental health treatment
facilities in the United States. The survey is designed to
collect data on the location, characteristics, service
provision and utilization of substance use and mental health
treatment facilities. Report findings include that private
non-profit and private for-profit organizations operated in
91% of substance use treatment facilities, 83% of mental
health treatment facilities, and 86% of combined substance
use and mental health treatment facilities. Programs
specifically tailored for adolescents were provided by 25%
of substance use treatment facilities, 38% of mental health
treatment facilities, and 51% of combined substance use and
mental health treatment facilities. Other tailored programs
for specific client categories included, but were not
limited to, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer
clients (LGBTQ), clients with HIV and AIDS, veterans, and
active-duty military clients. For example, 38% of substance
use treatment facilities, 36% of mental health treatment
facilities, and 48% of combined substance use and mental
health treatment facilities offered tailored programs for
LGBTQ clients. Designated bed utilization rates for
substance use treatment facilities were 96%, mental health
treatment facilities were 104%, and combined substance use
and mental health treatment facilities were 122%.
Approximately 92% of private and 75% of public substance use
treatment facilities accepted cash payment. Private health
insurance and Medicaid were accepted at 77% substance use
treatment facilities. Cash was accepted at 87% of private
and 76% of public mental health treatment facilities.
Approximately 83% and 87% of mental health treatment
facilities accepted private health insurance and Medicaid
respectively.
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Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) paused many drug
manufacturer inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspections help ensure that the drugs Americans rely on are
safe. Since resuming inspections, FDA data show it conducted
621 foreign and 444 domestic inspections in fiscal year
2023, although there were 36% fewer than in fiscal year
2019. This decrease was due in part to reduced investigator
capacity, according to FDA. FDA has struggled to retain
staff. From Nov. 2021 to June 2024, the vacancy rate among
investigators who inspect foreign and domestic manufacturers
jumped from 9% to 16%—leading to fewer inspections. FDA said
concerns with travel, pay, training, workload, and work-life
balance contribute to turnover. For example, investigators
can travel up to 75% of the time. The U.S. Government
Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that FDA collaborate
to develop and implement action plans to address the
remaining root causes of investigator attrition that balance
inspection needs against the need to retain investigators.
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Source: U.S. Government Accountability Office
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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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