Key Terms
Court-involved youth: Youth who are processed through the juvenile justice system but who are not ordered to a period of confinement in a residential or correctional facility. This includes populations of arrested youth, diverted youth, charged youth, adjudicated youth, and youth on probation or formal supervision.
Youth in state institutions: Youth who are confined in a residential or correctional facility when they participate in the program.
Youth post-release: Youth who are returning to the community following a period of confinement in a residential or correctional facility and who participate in the program after release to the community.
ALL |
META-ANALYSIS |
CITATIONS |
|
Benefit-Cost Summary Statistics Per Participant | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Benefits to: | ||||||
Taxpayers | $817 | Benefits minus costs | $3,086 | |||
Participants | $180 | Benefit to cost ratio | $53.55 | |||
Others | $1,813 | Chance the program will produce | ||||
Indirect | $335 | benefits greater than the costs | 65% | |||
Total benefits | $3,144 | |||||
Net program cost | ($59) | |||||
Benefits minus cost | $3,086 | |||||
Meta-Analysis of Program Effects | ||||||||||||
Outcomes measured | Treatment age | No. of effect sizes | Treatment N | Adjusted effect sizes(ES) and standard errors(SE) used in the benefit - cost analysis | Unadjusted effect size (random effects model) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
First time ES is estimated | Second time ES is estimated | |||||||||||
ES | SE | Age | ES | SE | Age | ES | p-value | |||||
Crime Any criminal conviction according to court records, sometimes measured through charges, arrests, incarceration, or self-report. |
16 | 14 | 2784 | -0.036 | 0.082 | 17 | -0.036 | 0.082 | 25 | -0.036 | 0.662 | |
Alcohol use disorder^^ Clinical diagnosis of alcohol use disorder or symptoms measured on a validated scale. |
16 | 1 | 31 | -0.079 | 0.250 | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a | -0.079 | 0.751 | |
Cannabis use disorder^^ Clinical diagnosis of cannabis use disorder or symptoms measured on a validated scale. |
16 | 1 | 31 | -0.144 | 0.250 | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a | -0.144 | 0.564 | |
Problem alcohol use^^ Alcohol use reflecting problem behaviors (e.g., high frequency drinking, binge drinking, or drinking that has a high impact on daily life) for individuals who do not have an alcohol use disorder. |
16 | 1 | 31 | -0.015 | 0.250 | 16 | n/a | n/a | n/a | -0.015 | 0.951 | |
Drug-related offense^ Criminal offenses that are drug-related (e.g., illegal drug possession or drug trafficking). |
16 | 3 | 759 | 0.061 | 0.334 | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.061 | 0.856 |
Detailed Monetary Benefit Estimates Per Participant | ||||||
Affected outcome: | Resulting benefits:1 | Benefits accrue to: | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxpayers | Participants | Others2 | Indirect3 | Total |
||
Crime | Criminal justice system | $748 | $0 | $1,706 | $374 | $2,827 |
Labor market earnings associated with high school graduation | $89 | $210 | $116 | $0 | $415 | |
Costs of higher education | ($20) | ($30) | ($9) | ($10) | ($69) | |
Program cost | Adjustment for deadweight cost of program | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($29) | ($29) |
Totals | $817 | $180 | $1,813 | $335 | $3,144 | |
Detailed Annual Cost Estimates Per Participant | ||||
Annual cost | Year dollars | Summary | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Program costs | $6,611 | 2004 | Present value of net program costs (in 2022 dollars) | ($59) |
Comparison costs | $6,571 | 2004 | Cost range (+ or -) | 20% |
Benefits Minus Costs |
Benefits by Perspective |
Taxpayer Benefits by Source of Value |
Benefits Minus Costs Over Time (Cumulative Discounted Dollars) |
The graph above illustrates the estimated cumulative net benefits per-participant for the first fifty years beyond the initial investment in the program. We present these cash flows in discounted dollars. If the dollars are negative (bars below $0 line), the cumulative benefits do not outweigh the cost of the program up to that point in time. The program breaks even when the dollars reach $0. At this point, the total benefits to participants, taxpayers, and others, are equal to the cost of the program. If the dollars are above $0, the benefits of the program exceed the initial investment. |
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