A Tale of Three States, Part 6: Happy Days

In the previous post in this series, I took the imprisonment data from Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin back to 1991.  I’ve been interested, though, in pinpointing when exactly the Minnesota-Wisconsin imprisonment disparity arose, which requires going back further — much further, to the 1950′s.  Here are the numbers:

WI Imprisonment Rate (per 1000,000) Percent Change MN Imprisonment Rate (per 1000,000) Percent Change IN Imprisonment Rate (per 1000,000) Percent Change
1950 58.7 n/a 63.0 n/a 120.4 n/a
1955 61.6 4.9% 61.6 -2.2% 103.1 -14.4%
1960 69.5 12.8% 60.3 -2.1% 116.4 12.9%
1965 68.3 -1.7% 49.1 -18.6% 91.1 -21.7%
1970 67.3 -1.5% 41.7 -15.1% 79.6 -12.6%
1975 65.0 -3.4% 42.0 0.7% 73.0 -8.3%
1980 85.0 30.8% 49.3 17.4% 114.0 56.2%
1985 113.6 33.6% 55.9 13.4% 182.3 60.0%
1990 152.6 34.3% 71.9 28.6% 229.7 26.0%
1995 218.6 43.3% 105.1 46.2% 277.7 20.9%
2000 386.9 77.0% 126.8 20.6% 331.0 19.2%
2005 392.9 1.6% 173.1 36.5% 399.5 (est) 20.7%
2010 387.2 -1.5% 177.8 2.7% 459.9 15.1%

 

The numbers tell a remarkable story.  Here are some of the parts of that story that stand out for me:  

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New Ventures and Old

As some members of the Law School know, last winter I received a grant from the Bradley Foundation to form a nonprofit law center that has come to be known as the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty. WILL engages in public education and litigation in the public interest with respect to issues of constitutional government, individual liberty, and the preservation of a robust civil society. We currently have a staff of four, including Tom Kamenick (L’09), and look forward to expanding as we complete our first year of operation this July. You can read more about us here.

I am excited by WILL but also happy to be able to return to the Law School on the adjunct faculty and teach Election Law this spring. When I proposed the class and first taught it a few years ago, I thought it would be something that could be offered every two years for the politicos in the student body. I had no idea that it would be delivered during a time when Wisconsin had become a virtual election law laboratory. But that’s where we are and that’s where I’d like to go in my next blog post.

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The Errors & Excitement of Being an Entrepreneur

I chose Marquette because of its strong dispute resolution program. That training helped me to develop an ability to analyze not only legal issues, but also delve into the unspoken motivations that bring clients through the door. Managing conflict is a fundamental for lawyers. And it also works for landlords.

When I took a non-profit job in Troy, New York, I thought my career path would lead toward expanding and professionalizing the dispute resolution field. I did not expect to be knocking on doors to collect rent.

Legal training anticipates unexpected twists and turns, opening doors to new careers and opportunities. In addition to my day-to-day job, I also decided to become a landlord. Troy has beautiful Victorian brownstones and two universities with plenty of potential tenants. Purchasing rentals was obvious.

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