AUSTRALIA
Youth crime: prevention 'cheaper' than punishment
A report has found it is up to 50 times more expensive to put a young person in the justice system, than to prevent them getting into trouble in the first place.
The study by the charity Mission Australia has found it costs an average of $150,000 per year to keep someone in the juvenile justice system. That compares to about $2,500 for a diversionary program.
Mission Australia's Anne Hampshire says programs it runs have reduced offending rates by up to two-thirds. "Governments are trying to balance incarceration with community-based programs but we think they need to invest more significantly in the community based programs which have proved to be much more effective," she said.
About 13,000 young people go through the juvenile justice system every year and the number is rising.
Mission Australia is calling on the states and territories to increase funding for diversionary programs and set targets to reduce the number of offenders.
Michael Turtle
16 June 2009
