Examining the Costs and Benefits of Effective Juvenile Delinquency Programs for Youth with BD J effrey P oirier, Mindee O’Cummings, and Mary Quinn American.

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