Fight Crime: Invest in Kids – New York
According to this report, nearly three-quarters of the 17,500 juveniles held in New York state’s juvenile justice system each year are arrested again within three years of their release, and 42 percent of those arrests are for violent felonies. The study looks at reforms implemented in other states and makes a series of recommendations that could eliminate 40 percent of repeat juvenile offenses in New York. Among its recommendations:
• More effective interventions for the most serious and troubled juveniles in custody.
• The use of intensive foster care as an alternative to lockup for less dangerous juveniles.
• A combination of community sanctions and effective interventions as an alternative to out-of-home placements.
• Reductions in pretrial detention for low-risk juveniles after their arrests.
The report says research-based approaches for cutting juvenile aggression and substance-abuse problems could reduce New York’s current custody costs and future crime costs by between $15,000 and $75,000 per delinquent. Free. 32 pages. (518) 465-5462, http://www.fightcrime.org/ny/rep/jjdist.pdf.
