A prescription for juvenile justice

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baltimoresun.com

A prescription for juvenile justice

Instead of focusing on the failings of our youth detention centers, invest in proven preventive measures

3:54 PM EST, December 16, 2010

I believe that juvenile crime in Baltimore is less the failing of individuals and more the fault of flawed public policy. Children succeed when given opportunities for healthy development and avoid serious delinquent behaviors when services are available at the first sign of trouble. When opportunity and services are absent, as they are for many Baltimore city youth, growing up can be hard. Faced with barren environments — with few places to play, living in households on the verge of crisis, too many young people adopt dysfunctional behaviors for mere survival.

Instead of investing to change these unmanageable circumstances, public dollars are in effect, held until after young people get in trouble, and then hundreds of millions of dollars are spent to fix or punish them — most of whom, in Baltimore City, are African American. Why is this? Are we angry at black children? Would it be a waste of money to invest in their well-being from the start? Or have centuries of discriminatory spending policies created an entrenched, racially biased juvenile justice structure — that sucks up the lion's share of public dollars in the name of public safety?

I think it's the latter, and each and every one of us holds a responsibility for its persistence. I do not believe that our elected officials intend to do harm to the city's young African-Americans, nor do I believe that the majority of residents simply do not care.

Moreover, I don't believe it is the failing of Donald DeVore, outgoing secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS.) No single person can run an under-resourced, over-subscribed system and correct the life-damaging consequences of bad public policy. It's just not possible, and it is immoral to keep trying — particularly when state and city elected officials absolutely know that there are less expensive and far more effective ways to support our youth. In fact, under Secretary DeVore's leadership, evidence-based practices have increased, and so too has public safety — however funding for such remains a small fraction of the DJS budget.

Our primary problem is the disproportionately high amount of money spent on expensive programs that don't work (detention, jail, out-of-home confinement) which, in effect, rob our public budgets of the dollars to invest in basic opportunities and services for all children and youth.

The city and state can fix this problem with targeted investments that produce positive outcomes for our youth and simultaneously leverage savings from avoided confinements.

Last year, the state spent $43 million to take custody of approximately 500 Maryland youth, at $86,000 per kid, with a dismal 25 percent success rate in preventing further offenses by those served. In fact, research shows that time spent in custody harms most young people more than it helps. So we should and can stop putting so many young people into state custody.

There are alternatives for the same population that cost far less. For example, $10,000 funds intensive therapy for a youth and his or her family, producing, on average, a 75 percent success rate and fortifying parents and kids with new ways to deal with problems and conflicts. When we compare these two costs and success rates, it is clear to see how we can reverse our bad public spending policies. We can spend less for better outcomes on a wide range of programs run by non-profit, for-profit and public organizations.

With targeted investments in programs that keep youth from entering the juvenile justice system and rigorous accountability for their success, we can document the savings that accrue from the reduction in institutional care and use the savings to increase effective interventions and opportunities. As opportunities increase, fewer young people get in trouble — and for those that do, DJS can respond effectively to a reduced population with clearly identified needs.

It is a simple leveraged investment approach. Here's a summary of how it works:

• For youth found guilty of a non-violent offense: Enroll youth in multi-systemic therapy (or one of the other effective alternatives at a cost of $10,000 per youth) instead of commitment to an out-of-home facility. Use the resulting savings of ($76,000 per success) to increase the number of slots in such programs and fund positive activities — such as jobs and community service.

• For youth awaiting "trial" after an arrest: Less expensive and more supportive alternatives also exist for youth held in detention. Instead of spending $460 a day to hold juveniles until their case can be heard, many are better served in the community by such programs as evening reporting centers. These centers make sure youth appear for their "trial" and in the interim help them connect to community services and opportunities. At $44 per day, not only are youth better served by these centers but so too is our city when the accrued savings from detention are invested in less damaging and more positive activities.

• For youth apprehended and not charged: Lastly and most importantly, resources can be available to young people at the first sign of trouble. Approximately 500 young people are brought to the Baltimore City Juvenile Detention Center each month and released without charges or services. Our current overburdened juvenile justice system can rarely provide the opportunity for these young people to learn how their actions affect others. These youth are the first-timers — many of whom, if nothing or no one comes to their rescue, will get in trouble again. Among the successful interventions to support youth at this point is community conferencing, a diversion program that allows the young person and his or her victims to be a part of resolving the crime or conflict.

The impact is significant. In Baltimore, 98 percent of the community conferences have resulted in a written agreement created by all participants, with over 95 percent compliance. Through this experience, the young person has the chance to take responsibility for his or her actions, make good and receive supports to get connected to real opportunities. This program costs $900 per youth and is but one example of effective interventions and supports among the many current highly successful programs operating in Baltimore that are desperate for funding to expand.

There is no doubt that all children and youth in Baltimore are capable of success, and it is up to the elected officials who control how our tax dollars are spent to ensure fair and affirmative opportunity to all. A civil society invests its resources in services and opportunities for the common good, and a just society ensures that no one is excluded from access. I believe that Baltimore can be both, if those elected to represent all Baltimoreans fund a leveraged investment strategy to rebalance the allocation of our tax dollars in favor of opportunity for all.

Hathaway Ferebee is executive director of the Safe and Sound Campaign. Her email is hferebee@safeandsound.org.

Copyright © 2010, The Baltimore Sun

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"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs