skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

WI Social Workers: Don't Send Kids to Adult Jails

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 1, 2009   

Madison, WI - They are coming from every state Senate district, and they are hoping their presence at the State Capitol today can make a difference for kids. The Wisconsin chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) is bringing more than 330 people to Madison to talk with lawmakers about a number of issues on which they feel strongly, many of which affect children.

Marc Herstand, the group's executive director, says one goal will be to raise the age from 17 to 18 for those individuals who can be automatically waived into adult courts and sentenced under adult guidelines.

"They're treated again as an adult rather than as a kid, as a juvenile who could be treated and helped."

The social workers say a 17-year-old is subject to juvenile court for truancy and protective service concerns. They are also still considered to be children in terms of entering into contractual agreements, voting, joining the military, purchasing cigarettes, buying and consuming alcoholic beverages, marriage and dropping out of school.

Supporters of trying 17-year-olds in adult court say it's a powerful deterrent. Herstand says however that in many cases these children don't need adult jails, but treatment.

He says that in some cases sending 17-year-olds to adult court can set them on a course they never recover from.

"People can make some very poor judgments. We don't think they should have to pay their entire life for a poor judgment, unless of course for a crime like first-degree murder."

Another NASW focus is a push for universal health care, which Herstand says has a real chance in the current environment.

"It's the first time since 1992 when Clinton ran that there really is a national consensus and a move to do something about this health care crisis in the country."

Those opposed to universal health care say it will drive up taxes and lower the quality of care.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021