WJI's Daily Reads for Feb. 25, 2022

Associated Press: Assembly passes bill for new youth prison in Milwaukee County.

The legislation would allow the state to borrow $42 million for build a new youth prison in Milwaukee County. The bill doesn’t specify a location but would make construction contingent upon approval from local government officials in whatever jurisdiction ultimately hosts the facility. The existing facility in Irma would be converted to an adult institution. . . . 

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Tuesday that he didn’t think the proposal would pass because it would be hard to approve money without a site for a new facility. Vos said on the Assembly floor he changed his mind after receiving a letter from Republican gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch urging him to move forward with the bill because the state needs more capacity to house adult offenders in the face of rising crime.

WisPolitics.com: Democratic State Senators proposed bill requiring mandatory reporting by clergy when they become aware of child abuse.

Said Senator Melissa Agard, “[f]or far too long, secrecy has clouded justice and healing for victims. It is time to put an end to keeping the known abuse of children in the shadows. This bill will hold accountable clergy and faith leaders who sexually abuse children, as well as those who have worked to hide this abuse. These are heinous crimes and an abuse of power."

Roll Call: President Biden picks Ketanji Brown Jackson for U.S. Supreme Court.

The Hill: Federal court strikes part of Biden administration rules on protecting patients from surprise medical bills.

A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday struck down part of the Biden administration’s regulations protecting patients from getting stuck with “surprise” medical bills when they see the doctor, in a win for doctors who sued to block part of the rules.

The ruling leaves in place the protections for patients against getting bills for thousands of dollars in situations such as going to the emergency room and later finding out one of the doctors was not covered by their insurance. 

But it strikes down part of the regulations that govern how much insurers will pay doctors once the patient is taken out of the middle.

NBC News: New York is closing one of its last shock prisons.

Shock incarceration took hold four decades ago as a way to “shock” people into a sober, law-abiding life through the discipline of a military regimen combined with confrontational drug counseling and intense daily workouts. But research does not support the idea that shock programs work better than regular prison, and studies show the combative style of counseling that these programs rely on is ineffective. Most states eventually backed away from the programs. 

Courthouse News Service: Massachusetts high court says counsel not required for defense against domestic violence restraining orders.

And though the consequences can be severe — defendants can lose custody of their children or be ordered not to see them at all; be forced out of their homes; have their guns and pets taken away; and be prosecuted criminally for violating the order’s terms — there has never been a requirement that lawyers be appointed for indigent defendants in these cases.