Public Policy publications (MU)
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Items in this collection are the scholarly output of the Institute of Public Policy faculty, staff, and students, either alone or as co-authors, and which may or may not have been published in an alternate format. Items may contain more than one file type.
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Item Safety Implications of Changing to a Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Law(University of Missouri - Columbia Institute of Public Policy, 2001) Richardson, Lilliard E. Jr.; University of Missouri--Columbia. Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs. Institute of Public PolicyIn 1984, New York became the first state to enact a mandatory seat belt law; since then, the District of Columbia and every state except New Hampshire have adopted similar laws. Of the 49 states with seat belt laws, eight states included in their original seat belt laws primary enforcement provisions, which allow police to stop a driver solely on the basis of not wearing a seat belt (New York, Hawaii, North Carolina, Texas, Connecticut, Iowa, New Mexico, and Oregon). During the 1990s, beginning with California, nine states upgraded their seat belt enforcement provisions from secondary to primary. According to a recent survey of nearly 2000 adults conducted by the Insurance Research Council, there is considerable public support for primary and secondary seat belt enforcement: 47% of the survey respondents indicated support for primary enforcement, while 41% of respondents favored secondary enforcement.Item Missouri's Senior Population: The Facts(University of Missouri - Columbia Institute of Public Policy, 2001) Stokes, Shannon Daily; University of Missouri--Columbia. Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs. Institute of Public PolicyDuring the past century, the percentage of Americans who are age 65 years and older has more than tripled, from just over 4% of the total population in 1900 to nearly 13% of the total population in 1999. Older individuals comprise 1 in every 8 Americans, numbering some 34.5 million persons.Item Improving Enforcement of Protection Orders in Domestic Violence Situations(University of Missouri - Columbia Institute of Public Policy, 2002) Harris, Gardenia; Stokes, Shannon Daily; Richardson, Lilliard E. Jr.; Baker, Dana Lee; University of Missouri--Columbia. Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs. Institute of Public PolicyDomestic violence is increasingly recognized as a serious social problem in Missouri. Protection orders are designed to offer individuals some level of safety, but nationally it is estimated that a quarter of such orders are not followed and enforcement is inconsistent. Noncompliant batterers typically increase the level of threats, coercive tactics and violence, and often the victims must relocate to hide from the abuser. These relocated victims need protection in new communities, but frequently they run into difficulties because of different legal jurisdictions across county and state lines. The Full Faith and Credit provisions of the Federal Violence Against Women Act of 1994 offer remedies to this problem, but states (including Missouri) have experienced considerable difficulties in implementation of the provisions of this act. Such problems include lack of coordination among jurisdictions, low levels of understanding about the law, scarce government resources for addressing impediments, and failure to enforce protection orders.Item Should We Continue to Incarcerate Non-Violent Offenders?(University of Missouri - Columbia Institute of Public Policy, 2002) Alarid, Leanne Fiftal; University of Missouri--Columbia. Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs. Institute of Public PolicyThis brief seeks to determine what types of offenses and offenders warrant punishment in prison and what types of offenders could be penalized using a community-based sanction. As one of the most expensive forms of punishment, prisons are designed to protect the community from people who pose a serious threat to the safety of the community, namely violent and predatory offenders. Studies show that many factors contribute to the crime rate, such as the state of the economy, the demand for illegal drugs, arrest patterns, and prevention efforts, among others. Higher incarceration rates play only a marginal role in overall crime reduction. In addition, stiffer penalties and longer prison sentences for non-violent and drug crimes will not necessarily increase public safety.Item Federal Election Reform Bill Will Require Action by Missouri(University of Missouri - Columbia Institute of Public Policy, 2002) Kimball, David; Kropf, Martha; University of Missouri--Columbia. Harry S. Truman School of Public Affairs. Institute of Public PolicyPresident Bush has just signed into law the “Help America Vote Act” (H.R. 3295). The bill authorizes almost $4 billion in grants to states for improvements in voting technology and election administration, and imposes several requirements. SB 675, passed by the Missouri Legislature in 2002, addresses many, but not all of the requirements in the federal legislation.