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 Institutes for Research National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice (EDJJ)

Why Prevention? n An 18 year old is five times more likely to be arrested for a property crime than a 35 year old n In 1997, year olds comprised 7% of the overall population but 1 out 5 arrests for violent offenses and 1 out of 3 property crime arrests n Overall, teenagers are responsible for % of all crime Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1999

School Failure Theory Delinquent behavior is a secondary result of the disability. u The disability is thought to lead to school failure u Poor sense of self contributes to behavior causing consequences (e.g., school suspension) u Unstructured time offers many opportunities for delinquent behavior Murray, 1977; Post, 1981

Susceptibility Theory Delinquency stems from behaviors that are a direct result of the defining characteristics of the disability u Characteristics (personal traits, cognitive deficits) lead to lack of impulse control, suggestibility, and poor social perception u Increased risk for delinquent behavior (Keilitz & Dunnivant, 1987; Murray, 1977)

Metacognitive Deficits Theory As a result of the disability, the student lacks the interpersonal skills necessary to build relationships with his or her peers u To gain social status, these students engage in behaviors to impress their peers, including delinquent behaviors (Larson, 1988; 1998; Larson & Turner, 2002)

Differential Treatment Theory Youth with disabilities commit as many delinquent acts youth without disabilities u Certain personality traits that result from their disability cause these youth to frustrate authority figures u Miscommunication often results in harsher treatments u Outcome: overrepresentation (Keilitz & Dunivant, 1987; Leone & Meisel, 1997)

What are we preventing? Left to progress without appropriate treatment, these children with behavior disorders are at heightened risk for: u Serious mental health problems; u Substance abuse; u Educational failure, including truancy and delinquency; and u Encounters with the juvenile justice system.

Serious Mental Health Problems/ Substance Abuse Research supports that children with mental health problems are at risk for u Unemployment or underemployment u In unhealthy relationships, including broken marriages u Other mental problems (e.g., schizophrenia, hyperactivity, obsessional disorders, depression, substance abuse)

Levels of Prevention Primary Secondary Tertiary

Mental Health Service Provisions n Negligence- lack of services/ no recognized need n Skimping- inadequate services/ intentions to save money n Supplier induced demand- provision of unnecessary services/ intention to make money n Indulgence- too many and often unnecessary services provided based on family insistence (Matthews, 1991)

Serious Mental Health Problems/ Substance Abuse (cont.) Children with mental health problems are often un- or under-served u 20% of children have DSM disorders u 10% of children have DSM disorders that significantly impair their functioning u 5% of children receive care for mental health problems u 1-2% receive services in specialty settings (Castello, Burns, Argold, & Leaf, 1993)

Educational Failure Risks n 51.4% of children EB/D dropped out of school, as compared to the national average of 10.7% of children n Unemployment rates for high school drop outs is 60% higher than graduates n When adults without high school degrees, over 30% earn less then the official poverty rate

Juvenile Justice System n Research has found that youth with EB/D are disproportionately involved with the juvenile justice system u 8% of all those in facilities have SLD, accounting for 42% of those with disabilities u 8% of all those in facilities have EB/D, accounting for 40% of those with disabilities

Why examine costs and benefits? n Program evaluation n Influence policymakers and global change n Decreased funding requires the more efficient and prudent use of allocated funds

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

Cost of Substance Abuse n Two-thirds of juvenile justice costs were related to youth substance abuse Source: CASA, Columbia University, 2001

Costs of Delinquency n Important to examine costs as a consequence of non-prevention of BD n 2.4 million juvenile arrests in 2000 (Snyder, 2002) n Juveniles accounted for 9% (murders) to 33% (burglaries) of all arrests for various types of crime in 2000

Types of Costs n Juvenile justice/corrections n Lost property and wages n Medical and psychological expenses n Decreased productivity n Pain and suffering n Decreased quality of life/societal well- being (e.g., fear of crime, changing lifestyle due to risk of victimization)

n Since expenditures allocated to delinquency-related costs, fewer resources are available for education/other government services Opportunity Costs

Who incurs these costs? n Victims n Government agencies n Taxpayers n Society n Delinquent youth n Families

Victimization Costs n 23% of all U.S. households victimized n 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) n Loss of life is not included in this estimate Source: U.S. Department of Justice, National Crime Victimization Survey, 1994

Expenditures for the Criminal and Civil Justice System n Total: $147 billion in 1999 (police protection, corrections, and judicial/legal activities) n 309% increase from n Local government funded half of these expenses (note: local government funded 44% of education costs in 1999) Source: U.S. Department of Justice, 1999

Expenditures for the Criminal and Civil Justice System n States contributed another 39% ( $4.4 billion in 2000; CASA, 2002) n Criminal and civil justice expenditures comprised 7.7% of all state and local expenditures Source: U.S. Department of Justice, 1999

Costs of Juvenile Crime n Cost of juvenile crime: u Victim costs: $62,000-$250,000 u Criminal justice: $21,000-$84,000 F Total: $83,000-$335,000 u For every 10 crimes committed, only one is caught u Chronic juvenile offenders are very likely to become involved in the adult system Source: Cohen, Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 1998

Costs of Dropping Out n In 1991, annual cost of providing for youth who fail to complete high school and their families: $76 billion n Lost wage productivity: $300,000 Source: Joint Economic Committee, 1991

Cost-Benefits of Effective Prevention and Intervention Source: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 2001 ProgramNet 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

The Costs of Crime for Juvenile Offenders n Separation and isolation n In correctional settings: u Negative behaviors are often reinforced u Higher rates of sexual victimization and suicide u For youth with cognitive disabilities, it is difficult to un-learn the prison experience u Lack of special education services and an absence of skill-based programming

The Cost of Ignoring Families n Family involvement (surrogates, extended family, etc.) and stability are critical to the success of prevention and corrections programs n 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

Parent Training n Costs u $500/year per family for instruction and supplies u $2500/year per family for program management n Benefits u 157 serious crimes prevented per million dollars spent Source: RAND, 1996

High/Scope Preschool Programs n Benefits u fewer acts of misconduct u higher grade point averages u higher rates of employment u lower rates of welfare dependence

High/Scope Preschool Programs n Costs u $39,278 per child u $964 increased need for funds for secondary education programs n Savings u reduced need for special education u reduced crime rate

Conclusion n 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 n Have a long-term vision when considering the costs of prevention programs n Consider the impact of incarceration on juvenile offenders and youth with BD