Post on 31-Dec-2015
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What is the Price of Failure?
A Comparative Analysis of Prevention and Delinquency
Mary Magee Quinn and Jeffrey Poirier, American Institutes for Research
National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice (EDJJ)
WWW.EDJJ.ORG
Overview The role of school-based
prevention in meeting the needs of at-risk youth
The importance of ensuring at-risk youth are educated
The financial and social costs of not preventing juvenile/adult crime
The impact of the justice system on juvenile offenders and their families
The long-term benefits and savings of reduced delinquency
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Why Prevention? An 18 year old is five times more
likely to be arrested for a property crime than a 35 year old
In 1997, 15-19 year olds comprised 7% of the overall population but 1 out 5 arrests for violent offenses and 1 out of 3 property crime arrests
Overall, teenagers are responsible for 20-30% of all crime
Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1999
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Levels of Prevention
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
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Primary Prevention Strategies applied to intact
groups or populations, such as a school-wide discipline plan used to help all students in a school meet behavioral and academic expectations
Focuses on avoiding the initial occurrence of a problem
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Reading Programs Youth in Correctional
Facilities Median age 15.5 years 9th grade (placement) 4th grade reading level
(mean) More than 1/3 read below
4th grade
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Adult Literacy
Incarcerated Adults
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
GeneralPopulation
CompletelyIlliterate
FunctionallyIlliterate
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Reading Programs Prison-based literacy
programs are significantly more effective than boot camps or shock incarceration
The more education prisoners receives, the less likely they are to be re-arrested or re-imprisoned
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Literacy
Quality reading programs can reduce recidivism by 20%.
Probationers had significantly lower re-arrest rates (35% vs. 46%)
Recipients of GED had significantly lower re-arrest rates (24% vs. 46%)
Inmates with 2 years of college (10% vs. 60%)
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Education Level
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Recidivism Rates (1990-1991)
Findings from Texas study, 1994
Without degrees
All Degrees
AA
BA
MA
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Levels of Prevention
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
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Secondary Prevention Focus on preventing
repeated occurrences of problem behavior through more targeted interventions
Efforts provide additional support when universal preventative efforts are not sufficient
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Secondary Prevention Example: students who
have more than one disciplinary referral in a given month for fighting may be provided with special instruction in conflict resolution or social skills
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High/Scope Preschool Programs Benefits
fewer acts of misconduct higher grade point
averages higher rates of employment lower rates of welfare
dependence
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High/Scope Preschool Programs Costs
$39,278 per child $964 increased need for funds
for secondary education programs
Savings reduced need for special
education reduced crime rate $6,495 lifetime tax payments
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Tertiary Prevention Most intensive level of
support and intervention Attempts to reduce the
impact of a condition or problem on the individual's ability to function in the least restrictive setting
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Tertiary Prevention Example: the needs of students
identified as having an emotional/behavioral disability are addressed through special education services and behavior intervention plans so that they may benefit from the educational program
Includes outside agency support
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Home Visit Programs Costs
$2700/year from third trimester through age 2
$6000/year for day care and early childhood education
Benefits 11 serious crimes prevented
per million dollars spentSource: RAND, 1996
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Parent Training
Costs $500/year per family for
instruction and supplies $2500/year per family for
program management Benefits
157 serious crimes prevented per million dollars spent
Source: RAND, 1996
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High School Graduation Adult Inmates in State
Facilities 70% have not completed
high school 46% have had some high
school 16.4 % have had no high
school at all
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, 1996
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Graduation Incentives Costs
$3130/year for 4 years for each youth
Benefits 258 serious crimes
prevented per million dollars spent on incentives
Source: RAND, 1996
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Delinquent Programs Costs
$10,000/year per youth (conservative estimate)
Benefits 72 serious crimes
prevented per million dollars spent
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11
157
258
72
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Comparison of Number of Prevented Serious Crimes per Million Dollars
Home VisitsParent TrainingH.S. Graduation IncentivesDelinquency Programs
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Students with Disabilities
The arrest rate among high school dropouts with disabilities was 56%, compared with 16% among graduates, and 10% among those who "aged out" of school.
Among dropouts with serious emotional disturbances, the arrest rate was 73% three to five years after secondary school
Source: SRI International, 1992
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The Costs of Crime for Communities and Victims
Lost property and wages Medical and psychological
expenses Decreased productivity Pain and suffering Decreased quality of
life/societal well-being (e.g., fear of crime, changing lifestyle due to risk of victimization)
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Incarceration (prisons/correctional facilities)
Increased demand for criminal/civil justice services
Opportunity costs: since greater percentage of government expenditures must be dedicated to crime-related costs, fewer resources are available for education/other government services
The Costs of Crime for Communities and Victims
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Who incurs these costs? Crime victims Government agencies Taxpayers Society
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Cost of Victimization 23% of all U.S. households victimized
Crime victims lost $17.6 billion in direct costs in 1992 (includes losses from property theft/damage, cash losses, medical expenses, and amount of pay lost because of injury/activities related to the crime)
Crimes included: attempts and completed offenses of rape, robbery, assault, personal and household theft, burglary, and motor vehicle theft
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994
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Expenditures for the Criminal and Civil Justice System
Total: $147 billion in 1999 (police protection, corrections, and judicial/legal activities)
309% increase from 1982-1999 Local government funded half
of these expenses (note: local government funded 44% of education costs in 1999)Source: U.S. Department of Justice, 1999
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Expenditures for the Criminal and Civil Justice System
States contributed another 39%
Criminal and civil justice expenditures comprised 7.7% of all state and local expenditures
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, 1999
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Costs of Juvenile Crime
A life of crime costs society $1.5-$1.8 million
Cost of juvenile crime: Victim costs: $62,000-$250,000 Criminal justice: $21,000-$84,000
Total: $83,000-$335,000 For every 10 crimes committed,
only one is caught Chronic juvenile offenders are very
likely to become involved in the adult system
Source: Cohen, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 1998
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Costs of Dropping Out
In 1991, annual cost of providing for youth who fail to complete high school and their families: $76 billion
Lost wage productivity: $300,000
Source: Joint Economic Committee, 1991
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Cost of Effective Prevention and Intervention
Source: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 2001Program Net Cost
per Participant
Taxpayer Savings
Taxpayer Savings and Victim Benefits
Benefit-to-Cost Ratio
Early Childhood Education for Disadvantaged Youth
$8,936 -$4,754 $6,972 $1.78
Quantum Opportunities Program
$18,964 -$8,855 $16,428 $1.87
Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care
$2,052 $21,836 $87,622 $43.70
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The Costs of Crime for Juvenile Offenders
Separation and isolation In correctional settings:
Negative behaviors are often reinforced
Higher rates of sexual victimization and suicide
For youth with cognitive disabilities, it is difficult to un-learn the prison experience
Lack of special education services and an absence of skill-based programming
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The Costs of Crime for Juvenile Offenders
For youth who are sent to adult facilities, there are higher rates of re-offending and the number of serious crimes committed
More youth today are being referred to correctional settings for behaviors that are mental health related
Competing missions within the juvenile justice system (protection v. rehabilitation)
The juvenile court is not familiar with the impact of mental health/cognitive disabilities on behaviors
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The Cost of Ignoring Families
Family involvement (surrogates, extended family, etc.) and stability are critical to the success of prevention and corrections programs
The family will be a part of the youth’s life long after the professionals leave
When parents do not have the skills/knowledge to advocate for their child’s learning/mental health needs, their children are more likely to drop out of school and become involved in the justice system
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The Cost of Ignoring Families
Families are seen as the problem and not part of the solution, leading to increased reliance on foster care and costly, ineffective multiple placements
Families become distrustful of the systems that have failed their children often for many years
The rate of recidivism is impacted by the degree to which youthful offenders have a stable adult in their lives
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Conclusion Prevention/intervention
programs for at-risk youth will not eliminate juvenile crime, but can reduce it and will bring net benefits to both society and the juvenile
Have a long-term vision when considering the costs of prevention programs
Consider the impact of incarceration on juvenile offenders and the role of families