Early Prevention as an Alternative to Imprisonment: The Research Evidence on Monetary Costs and Benefits

• In Event: Between Communities and Juvenile Court: Understanding and Preventing Serious Juvenile Offending

Abstract

Objective: From one decade to the next, spending on prisons remains remarkably high in the United States. These costs are also unsustainable, causing a substantial drain on state and local government budgets and diverting scarce resources from critical sectors like education, health, and social services. Early prevention of delinquency and later offending represents a viable public policy alternative to imprisonment, with many state and local governments supporting and funding evidence-based early prevention and intervention programs. As part of a longstanding research initiative on the subject, this paper presents an updated review of the highest quality research on the monetary costs and benefits of early prevention compared with imprisonment.
Data/Methods: A narrative review of the literature was conducted.
Results: Several key findings emerge, including an impressive body of scientific research showing that early prevention is a highly effective and worthwhile investment of public resources; a number of comprehensive economic studies, including Washington State’s comparative benefit-cost model, demonstrate the value of early prevention and other alternatives compared to imprisonment; and an array of new research studies provide important insights on the economics of prison and alternative strategies.
Conclusions/Implications: Implications for public policy are explored.

Authors

• Heather Paterson, Northeastern University

• Brandon C. Welsh, Northeastern University / Harvard Medical School

• David Farrington, Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge