07-12-2000 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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THREE GENERAL FINDINGS 1. Does Anything Work? Yes, but the results are often modest. In the Institute's review of the national research literature, we found that some interventions have been successful in lowering the chance that a young person will commit crimes. Other approaches, however, have failed to reduce these odds. Even programs with the most favorable outcomes show success rates that many would consider relatively modest. We found that the best interventions for juvenile offenders lower the chance of re- offending by about 40 percent. An example can help put this number in perspective. In Washington State, about 45 percent of juvenile offenders placed on probation by the courts are subsequently re- convicted for a felony offense by the time they are 25 years old.4 The intervention programs with the best recorded results can potentially lower this recidivism rate to about 27 percent (a 40 percent reduction from a 45 percent starting point) —a significant reduction, but not a magic cure. Thus the answer to the.question "Does Anything Work ?" is yes —some programs have been well - researched and shown to lower the odds of criminal offending, but the success rates of even the best of these interventions are relatively modest. 2. Are Successful Interventions Also Cost - Effective? Some are, some are not. The follow -up to the "does anything work" question is an economic one: Are the programs that have been shown to lower the rate of criminal behavior also cost - effective? That is, do they save more money than they cost? Table 2 summarizes the economics of sixteen of the researched interventions we have reviewed to date. The good news from this list is that there are some programs —if they are implemented well —that can lower crime rates and save more money than they cost. Thus the answer to the question "Are Successful Interventions Also Cost - Effective ?" is that some are and others are not. Like any investment strategy, the goal is to pick the winners and avoid the losers. 3. Most Criminal Justice Programs Have Not Been —But Should Be— Evaluated. In Washington, as in the rest of the United States, most programs designed to reduce crime have never been rigorously evaluated. Some interventions may be working and we don't know it, while others may not be effective yet absorb scarce tax dollars that could better be directed toward effective programs. The 1997 Legislature passed E3SHB 3900 and included a provision for the state juvenile courts to implement research- proven interventions for juvenile offenders. The Act directed the Institute to evaluate the costs and benefits of the programs. When completed, these evaluations will provide the legislature with assistance in making sound resource decisions for these particular programs. In the broader arena of state crime prevention and deterrence programs, however, there is much that remains unknown. Carefully constructed evaluations can help the state assess programs within juvenile and adult corrections. They can also help evaluate the crime 4 The 45 percent felony recidivism rate is for juveniles placed on probation caseloads, not for less serious offenders given diversion. Page 30