Juvenile Incarceration is Expensive, Ineffective, Says New Study
A new report is just the latest in a mounting pile of scholarly evidence which suggests that America's current model of juvenile justice, which involves the heavy use of secure incarceration facilities, may be misguided. Authors of the report suggest that alternative, community-based programs deliver better results for pennies on the taxpayer dollar.
Why Does Youth Incarceration Fail to Prevent Crime?
The new study, released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, reveals that across the U.S., approximately three quarters of incarcerated youths are rearrested for a new offense after being released.
Yet, states which have lowered youth confinement rates the most between 1997 and 2007 have seen a greater decline in juvenile crimes, as compared to states that increased youth confinement rates over the same period.
What can explain this phenomenon? Many experts point out that rehabilitative efforts are most effective in community settings. Youth incarceration facilities themselves may contribute to an ongoing cycle of violence: almost half of states reported persistent maltreatment in at least one juvenile detention facility since 2000, one out of eight incarcerated youths claim they were sexually abused while confined and 42 percent of juveniles behind bars reported being in fear of physical attack. These types of failures may undermine treatment efforts and are correlated to increased rates of recidivism.
A Heavy Price Tag
Americans lock up far more kids per capita than any other nation. Despite having only slightly higher arrest rates for juvenile violent crime, the U.S. youth incarceration rate is almost five times higher than that of the next country on the list, South Africa. This reliance on incarceration carries heavy costs: in 2008, $5 billion was spent to confine and house the approximately 60,000 youthful offenders in incarceration facilities across the country. On average, that works out to a yearly cost to states of $88,000 per confined youth.
What Can be Done?
While the national report card on youth incarceration leaves something to be desired, advocates are hopeful that alternatives to secure detention - such as home detention, electronic monitoring, day and evening reporting centers, and skills training programs - have huge potential to cut down on juvenile recidivism and keep youths from becoming hardened offenders. As an added bonus, the costs associated with such community-based programs are miniscule compared to incarceration.
If your child has been accused of a crime, the statistics are clear: commitment to a detention facility can have devastating and far-reaching consequences. Contact a criminal defense lawyer today for advice on how to keep your son or daughter out of secure confinement.