examining the costs and benefits of effective juvenile delinquency programs for youth with bd j...
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Examining the Costs and Benefits of Effective Juvenile Delinquency Programs for Youth with BD
Jeffrey Poirier, Mindee O’Cummings, and Mary Quinn American Institutes for Research National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice (EDJJ)
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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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School Failure Theory
Delinquent behavior is a secondary result of the disability. The disability is thought to lead to
school failure Poor sense of self contributes to
behavior causing consequences (e.g., school suspension)
Unstructured time offers many opportunities for delinquent behavior
Murray, 1977; Post, 1981
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Susceptibility Theory
Delinquency stems from behaviors that are a direct result of the defining characteristics of the disability Characteristics (personal traits,
cognitive deficits) lead to lack of impulse control, suggestibility, and poor social perception
Increased risk for delinquent behavior
(Keilitz & Dunnivant, 1987; Murray, 1977)
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Metacognitive Deficits TheoryAs a result of the disability, the student
lacks the interpersonal skills necessary to build relationships with his or her peers To gain social status, these students
engage in behaviors to impress their peers, including delinquent behaviors
(Larson, 1988; 1998; Larson & Turner, 2002)
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Differential Treatment Theory
Youth with disabilities commit as many delinquent acts youth without disabilities Certain personality traits that result
from their disability cause these youth to frustrate authority figures
Miscommunication often results in harsher treatments
Outcome: overrepresentation (Keilitz & Dunivant, 1987; Leone & Meisel, 1997)
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What are we preventing?Left to progress without appropriate
treatment, these children with behavior disorders are at heightened risk for: Serious mental health problems; Substance abuse; Educational failure, including
truancy and delinquency; and Encounters with the juvenile justice
system.
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Serious Mental Health Problems/ Substance Abuse
Research supports that children with mental health problems are at risk for Unemployment or underemployment In unhealthy relationships, including
broken marriages Other mental problems (e.g.,
schizophrenia, hyperactivity, obsessional disorders, depression, substance abuse)
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Levels of Prevention
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
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Mental Health Service Provisions
Negligence- lack of services/ no recognized need
Skimping- inadequate services/ intentions to save money
Supplier induced demand- provision of unnecessary services/ intention to make money
Indulgence- too many and often unnecessary services provided based on family insistence
(Matthews, 1991)
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Serious Mental Health Problems/ Substance Abuse (cont.)
Children with mental health problems are often un- or under-served 20% of children have DSM disorders 10% of children have DSM disorders
that significantly impair their functioning
5% of children receive care for mental health problems
1-2% receive services in specialty settings
(Castello, Burns, Argold, & Leaf, 1993)
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Educational Failure Risks
51.4% of children EB/D dropped out of school, as compared to the national average of 10.7% of children
Unemployment rates for high school drop outs is 60% higher than graduates
When adults without high school degrees, over 30% earn less then the official poverty rate
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Juvenile Justice System
Research has found that youth with EB/D are disproportionately involved with the juvenile justice system 8% of all those in facilities have
SLD, accounting for 42% of those with disabilities
8% of all those in facilities have EB/D, accounting for 40% of those with disabilities
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Why examine costs and benefits?
Program evaluation
Influence policymakers and global change
Decreased funding requires the more efficient and prudent use of allocated funds
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Cost of Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is very costly: “Every sector of society spends
hefty sums of money shoveling up the wreckage of substance abuse and addiction.”
In 1998 more than 13% of state budgets ($81.3 billion) was spent on substance abuse
Of this amount, only 3.7 cents of each state dollar was spent on prevention or research
Source: CASA, Columbia University, 2001
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Cost of Substance Abuse Two-thirds of juvenile justice
costs were related to youth substance abuse
Source: CASA, Columbia University, 2001
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Costs of Delinquency Important to examine costs
as a consequence of non-prevention of BD
2.4 million juvenile arrests in 2000 (Snyder, 2002)
Juveniles accounted for 9% (murders) to 33% (burglaries) of all arrests for various types of crime in 2000
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Types of Costs Juvenile justice/corrections 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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Since expenditures allocated to delinquency-related costs, fewer resources are available for education/other government services
Opportunity Costs
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Who incurs these costs?
Victims Government agencies Taxpayers Society Delinquent youth Families
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Victimization Costs
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)
Loss of life is not included in this estimate
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% ($4.4 billion in 2000; CASA, 2002)
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
Cost of juvenile crime: Victim costs: $62,000-$250,000 Criminal justice: $21,000-
$84,000Total: $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-Benefits 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 Cost of Ignoring Families
Family involvement (surrogates, extended family, etc.) and stability are critical to the success of prevention and corrections programs
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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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/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
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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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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 youth with BD