‘Poverty threshold’ update sought, By Sarah Chacko, August 11, 2009, Baton Rouge Advocate: “Members of the U.S. Congress are seeking to update the federal ‘poverty threshold’ and measure figures that determine at what income level a household is considered poor. Backers say the change will more accurately define poverty in America and show that the current measure underestimates the problem. Opponents say the change is an attempt to raise support for wasteful spending on social services. The ‘poverty threshold’ – the line by which people’s incomes are measured to determine their economic status – is what the federal government uses to determine who receives how much in services…”
Daily Archives: August 11, 2009
State Spending on Corrections
At least 23 states spend less on prisons, By John Gramlich, August 11, 2009, Stateline.org: “A $1 billion cost-cutting plan announced last week by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) will translate into layoffs for more than a thousand state prison workers. In Oregon, a voter-approved plan to hand longer prison sentences to those who commit property crimes was delayed by state lawmakers who said they could not pay for it. Tennessee’s department of corrections has sought to save money by offering inmates less milk and meat in their daily meals. And in Kansas – which has received national attention in recent years for shifting resources from locking up prisoners to rehabilitating them – the state eliminated 85 percent of the slots in its substance-abuse treatment program for inmates, citing budget constraints…”
Free School Meals – England
More pupils can claim free meals, August 11, 2009, BBC News: “The number of children eligible for free school meals in England has risen by 21,410 – the first annual increase in three years, official figures show. The 2009 school census reveals a rise from 15.5% to 15.9% in primary schools and from 13.1% to 13.4% in secondary. The increase has been blamed on job losses in the recession. This annual profile of the school population also shows that almost one in four primary pupils is now from an ethnic minority. The census, based on school rolls in January, also shows a further increase in the number of pupils with English as a second language…”
Summer Food Programs – Oregon
A summer of rising hunger in Oregon, By David Sarasohn, August 09, 2009, The Oregonian: “This time last year, John Schrader had been working in a lumber mill for six years and was training to become a millwright. This year, the job is gone, he’s studying metal fabrication and welding in community college, and he’s sitting in the gym at Henry Hill Elementary School as his three sons munch through hamburgers, orange sections and carrot sticks. It’s part of the federal summer food program, aimed at kids who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch during the year, kids who might otherwise face a long hungry summer. In this summer of our discontent, business is booming — at least at the sites still operating, the ones not closed by financial pressures on schools or local organizations…”
Juvenile Justice System and Mental Illness
Mentally ill offenders strain juvenile system, By Solomon Moore, August 9, 2009, New York Times: “The teenager in the padded smock sat in his solitary confinement cell here in this state’s most secure juvenile prison and screamed obscenities. The youth, Donald, a 16-year-old, his eyes glassy from lack of sleep and a daily regimen of mood stabilizers, was serving a minimum of six months for breaking and entering. Although he had received diagnoses for psychiatric illnesses, including bipolar disorder, a judge decided that Donald would get better care in the state correctional system than he could get anywhere in his county. That was two years ago. Donald’s confinement has been repeatedly extended because of his violent outbursts…”