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April 07, 2006
Cost Effective Corrections: Rationalizing the Fiscal Architecture of Juvenile Justice Systems
Cost Effective Corrections: Rationalizing the Fiscal Architecture of Juvenile Justice Systems.
A publication by the Justice Policy Institute,
available at www.justicepolicy.org
In most states, juvenile delinquency is handled at the county-level, youth charged in local courts. In many places, the counties have to pay for services such as drug treatment, mental health counseling, or community service. State secure confinement, on the other hand, costs little to the county—creating a financial incentive for counties to send youth to the most restrictive environment, even though alternatives cost less, are more effective, and better promote the health of young people and communities.
In “Cost-Effective Youth Corrections: Rationalizing
the Fiscal Architecture of Juvenile Justice Systems,”
the Justice Policy Institute profiles several states
that have altered the fiscal architecture of their
juvenile justice systems to reduce the inefficient,
ineffective and sometimes damaging affect of fiscal
incentives that make it cheaper to send youth to state
secure care then to treat them at home. Pennsylvania, California, Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois have demonstrated that, by rethinking how they fund their juvenile justice systems, states and localities can succeed in keeping more youth at home, reduce the number of youth incarcerated, and promote better outcomes for young people.
Posted by lois at April 7, 2006 08:58 PM