Rhode Island KIDS COUNT - News, Research and Policy Information
July 25, 2014
New Issue Brief on Juvenile Justice in Rhode Island

Rhode Island KIDS COUNT released a new report, Juvenile Justice in Rhode Island, which provides an overview of the juvenile justice system in Rhode Island, juvenile justice trends over the past decade, and an in-depth look at youth currently involved in the system. 

 

The Issue Brief also gives an overview of best practices for improving youth outcomes and community safety. Highlights from the publication include data showing a dramatic reduction in youth held at the Rhode Island Training School and significant decreases in juvenile crime.

 

Juvenile Justice in Rhode Island received coverage in the Providence Journal, GoLocalProv, Cranston Herald, Johnston Sunrise, and Warwick Beacon; and was also featured in a Providence Journal editorial. For more information, please see the media release and release event pictures.

Help Spread the Word: Free Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth

Under the ACA, youth who were enrolled in Medicaid and aged out of foster care on or after their 18th birthday are eligible for free Medicaid health insurance until age 26, regardless of their income. In Rhode Island, an estimated 900 youth ages 21 to 25 are newly eligible for this free coverage in 2014. 

 

To help promote this new coverage, the Rhode Island Health Coverage Project has created two new resources. 

Please help spread the word by reviewing, sharing, and forwarding these resources! Email [email protected] for free color copies.

Child Welfare in the RI State Budget and Legislation
RI State House
This week, the 2014 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Legislative Wrap-Up was released. Below find a quick summary of how key child welfare programs and policies fared in the 2014 session:
  • The Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) sustained a budget cut in the state's FY 2015 budget. The budget appropriation of $210.6 million is $5.4 million less than DCYF received in FY 2014. This reduction includes an $850,000 cut in funding for the Family Care Community Partnerships, services designed to help prevent child abuse and neglect.
  • Legislation passed establishing an advisory committee to the Office of the Child Advocate, charged with providing advice and support to the Office by regularly reviewing treatment and services for children and making recommendations about systemic improvements.
  • Legislation did not pass that would have allowed youth in foster care to remain under the jurisdiction of the Family Court until age 21. Rhode Island provided foster care services until age 21 until July 1, 2007, when the upper age limit a youth could remain in foster care was lowered to age 18. For more information on this topic, see Rhode Island KIDS COUNT's Child Welfare Fact Sheet, Focus on Restoring Foster Care to Age 21.
For the full 2014 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Legislative Wrap-Up, please click here.
In This Issue
 
starNew Issue Brief on Juvenile Justice in Rhode Island
star Help Spread the Word: Free Health Insurance for Former Foster Youth
starChild Welfare in the RI State Budget and Legislation
 
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Rhode Island KIDS COUNT works to improve the health, education, safety, economic security and development of Rhode Island's children.