Project Overview
About T3 - Navigation
Project Summary
T3 (Transforming to Thrive) is a five-year, cross-agency initiative in Wisconsin. State agencies in corrections, education, health, and workforce development are partnering with community organizations to improve outcomes for justice-involved youth as they transition from correctional settings back into their communities.
Problem Overview & Community Impact
T3 aims to address four problem areas for youth in the justice system:
System Fragmentation
Overrepresentation
Poor Outcomes
Recidivism
When youth struggle, entire communities feel the impact through unemployment, public assistance needs, and ongoing involvement in the justice system. For Wisconsin, it means we are investing far more in incarceration than in the supports that actually change long-term outcomes.
The Cost of Corrections
The cost of incarcerating one youth is $463,000 per year, per the data provided on June 30, 2025.
The Department of Corrections has requested an increased rate per incarcerated that will bring the cost to $841,000 - $862,000 per year.
Compared to the K-12 spending Wisconsin does per student of $16,345 for the 2022-2023 school year, the annual costs of incarcerating youth is astronomical.
When youth struggle, entire communities feel the impact through unemployment, public assistance needs, and ongoing involvement in the justice system. For Wisconsin, it means we are investing far more in incarceration than in the supports that actually change long-term outcomes.
T3 Helps Address These Problems
T3 offers a coordinated system that begins support during incarceration and continues seamlessly into the community – one that treats youth as whole people and not disconnected data points. It treats reintegration for youth involved in the justice system as a cross agency effort and that includes youth with disabilities.
Think Exit at Entry
Previously, reentry programs were fragmented or lacked fidelity evaluation. Many re-entry toolkits did not address youth with disabilities or include trauma-informed components.
In addition to a comprehensive approach to addressing the four main problem areas, T3 invests in innovation and storytelling that amplifies voices of justice-involved youth and their families to inform statewide and national reform efforts.
T3’s Proposal
T3 proposes to build a multilevel system of reintegration supports:
Intensive Supports: Comprehensive, trauma-informed, evidence-based case management beginning during incarceration ("think exit at entry")
Targeted Supports: Cross-agency collaboration between DPI, DOC, and DVR to coordinate educational, mental health, employment, and housing services.
Universal Supports: Development and implementation of a youth-centered digital storytelling initiative and an app-based reentry toolkit to raise awareness and promote belonging.