Kids Count ranks Montana 29th in child well-being. South Dakota #1 and Wyoming #2 for Kids in Custody
| June 12, 2008 |  View for printing |
A nationwide survey that measures how children fare on the basis of mortality, education, teen pregnancy and other benchmarks has again ranked Montana 29th for overall well-being of children.
The 2008 Kids Count Data Book http://www.kidscount.org/datacenter/databook.jsp released Thursday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation http://www.aecf.org/ used 10 measurements to rank child well-being in all 50 states. Montana placed 29th in 2007, as well.
The annual survey found that in Montana and nationally, child mortality fell and infant mortality rose. Montana’s high school dropout rate increased while the national rate fell, according to the Casey study. However, Montana’s state school superintendent said use of a different formula shows a declining dropout rate. The Casey survey found the percentage of children in poverty increased nationally, but was unchanged in Montana.
Full Story: http://www.montanastandard.com/artic ... ate_top.txt
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Wyoming ranks No. 2 in US for youth in custody
By JOSHUA WOLFSON Star-Tribune staff writer
Wyoming has the nation's second-highest rate of children in custody, and nearly three quarters of those young people are being held for nonviolent offenses, according to figures released today.
The 2008 Kids Count report shows Wyoming's rate of detained and committed youth in custody at 334 per 100,000 children. Nationally, that figure stood at 125.
Only South Dakota had a higher rate of youth in custody.
Full Story: http://www.casperstartribune.net/art ... 002dce5.txt
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Officials call for action on state's approach to youth offenders
Wyoming is long overdue to figure out how to reduce the number of youths it locks up - especially those kids who wind up in jail for nonviolent offenses, youth services officials said Thursday.
Wyoming has the nation's second-highest rate of locking up juveniles, and nearly three-quarters of those youths go to jail for nonviolent offenses, according to this year's Kids Count report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Full Story: http://www.billingsgazette.net/artic ... 7-youth.txt
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