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 | $8,554 | Benefits minus costs | $31,037 | |||
Participants | $1,026 | Benefit to cost ratio | $7.26 | |||
Others | $24,874 | Chance the program will produce | ||||
Indirect | $1,542 | benefits greater than the costs | 99 % | |||
Total benefits | $35,996 | |||||
Net program cost | ($4,959) | |||||
Benefits minus cost | $31,037 | |||||
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. |
17 | 1 | 412 | -0.260 | 0.085 | 18 | -0.260 | 0.085 | 26 | -0.260 | 0.002 | |
Substance use disorder^ A non-specified alcohol or drug use disorder. Typically, a collection of different types of disorders reported by study authors. |
17 | 1 | 412 | 0.427 | 0.126 | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.427 | 0.001 | |
Drug-related offense^ Criminal offenses that are drug-related (e.g., illegal drug possession or drug trafficking). |
17 | 1 | 412 | 0.108 | 0.103 | 17 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0.108 | 0.294 |
Detailed Monetary Benefit Estimates Per Participant | ||||||
Affected outcome: | Resulting benefits:1 | Benefits accrue to: | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Taxpayers | Participants | Others2 | Indirect3 | Total |
||
Crime | Criminal justice system | $8,158 | $0 | $24,261 | $4,079 | $36,498 |
Labor market earnings associated with high school graduation | $511 | $1,201 | $665 | $0 | $2,378 | |
Costs of higher education | ($115) | ($175) | ($52) | ($58) | ($400) | |
Program cost | Adjustment for deadweight cost of program | $0 | $0 | $0 | ($2,479) | ($2,479) |
Totals | $8,554 | $1,026 | $24,874 | $1,542 | $35,996 | |
Detailed Annual Cost Estimates Per Participant | ||||
Annual cost | Year dollars | Summary | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Program costs | $4,522 | 2012 | Present value of net program costs (in 2018 dollars) | ($4,959) |
Comparison costs | $0 | 2012 | 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. |
Gordon, J.A. (2002). Barrett Juvenile Correctional Center: Is it effective? A comparison of youth released from a residential substance abuse treatment center to youth at a traditional juvenile correctional center. Richmond, VA: Virginia Commonwealth University.