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State Juvenile Justice
Expenditures and Innovations
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Topic
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Juvenile justice is an area of increasing concern to states and the general public. The juvenile justice system, or lack thereof, has become a priority concern for governors and citizens alike. The number and scope of violent crimes committed by juveniles is increasing rapidly. Current state-by-state information on how states spend money in the juvenile justice area is generally not available. This information brief provides an extensive sample of how states are targeting their resources and it describes innovative programs they’ve undertaken for juvenile delinquents and status offenders.
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Background
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The survey was developed by a committee of NASBO members. Eric Kuntz of the New York Budget Office served as the lead for this project. The following members served on the project committee: Stan Stancell of California, George Delaney of Colorado, Laura King of Minnesota, Mark Ward of Missouri, and Rebecca Martin of Texas.
Forty-five states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico submitted data for this report. The survey results represent substantial work by staff in state budget offices and juvenile corrections agencies throughout the United States. The scope of the project was limited to state expenditures and justice system information for delinquents and status offenders. States were also asked to identify innovative programs for delinquents and status offenders.
For the expenditure information, local and federal funds are included only if they are the result of a state match. State to state comparisons are generally not valid because not all states provided information nor was it possible to ensure strict reporting of available data. Instead, this report provides a strong starting point for further analysis and it provides an overview of current funding along with the innovations that underlie those appropriations. Funding for delinquency prevention and post-residential care may be spread across several state agencies. Although some states are unable to identify funding for delinquency prevention and post-residential care, state funds are provided for these programs even though they are not reported here.
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Juvenile Justice Survey Results
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State
Expenditures
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States reported juvenile justice expenditures of $2.6 billion for fiscal 1994. This represents a large portion, although not a complete accounting, of total state spending for juvenile justice programs. Residential placements account for the largest portion of state juvenile justice expenditures at $1.7 billion nationally. Community placements total $591 million. Spending for delinquency prevention programs total $211 million while post-residential care totals $89 million. (For details see Table 1)
State funded residential settings account for about 65% of the total state juvenile justice expenditures. Thirty-two states report federal funding for their residential placements while seven report receipt of local matching funds. State residential settings include any state operated or state-funded residential facility such as training schools, detention centers, reception centers, shelters, ranches, forestry camps, farms, halfway houses, group homes, and state-funded schools operated by voluntary entities. State funded community settings account for about 23% of state juvenile justice expenditures. Twenty-five states report federal funding for these community placements with seven states identifying local matching funds. Community placements include foster care homes, family homes, electronic monitoring, day treatment, and in-home supervision. (For details see Table 2)
Delinquency prevention and post-residential care comprise the remaining 11% of juvenile justice expenditures, 8% and 3% respectively. Because delinquency prevention and post-residential care cover a broad spectrum of programs in a variety of agencies, identifying funds expended is difficult and these expenditures are most likely understated. This scope of this survey included local funds to the extent they are the result of a state match, so these figures again understate the local funds spent for these programs. (For details see Table 3)
Delinquency prevention includes special programs targeted to at-risk youth in the areas of substance abuse, mental health, education, youth/family services, or social services. Thirty-two states report separately identifiable funding for delinquency prevention. Twenty states report receipt of federal funds while four states report local matching funds for delinquency prevention.
Post-residential care includes supervision, probation, case management, mental health, substance abuse, or other after-care programs for delinquent and status offenders no longer in residential care. Twenty-one states report separately identifiable funding for post-residential care. Five states report receipt of federal funds for post-residential care. Although no local matching funds are reported for post-residential care, this does not mean local funding is not provided.
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System
Information
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Thirty states have a single state agency responsible for juveniles removed from home under court order (excluding those removed for abuse/neglect reasons or voluntarily surrendered by parents). For the remaining states, the responsibility for juveniles removed from home under court order is shared by several state agencies.
In state funded residential settings, the one day count (December 31, 1993) for juvenile admissions totals 49,883 while the annual count of admissions is 86,012.
The upper age limit for adjudication as a juvenile varies among the states from 15 to 21 years of age, with most states using 18 years of age. The minimum age for adjudication as an adult varies from 8 to 16 years of age, with most states using age 14. For adjudication as an adult, many states also list certain crimes, such as murder, rape, or kidnapping.
Twenty-five states have conducted studies on recidivism rates for juveniles. Some of the definitions for recidivism were relative to a particular program, while others were specific to a type of offender. The recidivism rates varied from a low of 9% to a high of 70%, with most states reporting between 30% and 60%. Eighteen states report studies on program effectiveness. States evaluated a range of programs from specialized treatment programs (sex offenders, substance abusers) to follow-up evaluations on juveniles released from state operated facilities. (For details see Table 4 and Notes)
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State
Innovations
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States list a variety of programs that appear promising. Among them are intensive third party mentoring, performance agreements, leadership corp, and life-skills training. Several states list programs that involve the family members such as family centered therapeutic intervention, home-based family preservation, parent training and education, home-based intensive supervision, and case management based treatment. Other programs identified include professional foster parenting, boot camps, wilderness programs, transitional aftercare groups, transitional living, shock incarceration, and multipurpose group homes. (For details see Innovations.)
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Summary
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Of the total state juvenile justice expenditures, state funded residential settings account for about two-thirds (2/3) of the expenditures, with state funded community settings accounting for one-fourth (1/4), and delinquency prevention and post-residential care the remaining 11%. More than half of the states have a single state agency for juveniles. In most states, age 18 is the upper age limit for adjudication as a juvenile, while the minimum age for adjudication as an adult is age 14. Of the twenty-five states that have conducted studies on recidivism rates for juveniles, most report 30-60% recidivism. Eighteen states have evaluated or are in the process of evaluating the effectiveness of their programs for juveniles.
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Definitions
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- Fiscal Year 1994:
- State fiscal year beginning in calendar year 1993 and ending in calendar year 1994.
- Delinquent:
- A juvenile charged with or adjudicated for conduct that would be considered criminal (misdemeanor or felony) if committed by an adult.
- Status Offender:
- Conduct that would not be considered criminal if committed by an adult, for example, running away, incorrigibility, or truancy.
- Local Funds:
- For the purpose of this survey, please identify only those local funds that are a result of a state matching formula. The primary objective is to examine state spending in the juvenile justice area. Local funds should be included only if they are the result of a state expenditure.
- State Residential Setting:
- Any state operated or state-funded residential facility. This includes training schools, detention centers, reception centers, shelters, ranches, forestry camps, farms, halfway houses, group homes, and state-funded schools operated by voluntary entities.
- Community Based Setting:
- This is a setting for persons whose behavior does not require strict confinement. This includes foster care homes, family homes, electronic monitoring, day treatment, and in-home supervision.
- Delinquency Prevention:
- This includes special programs targeted to at-risk youth in the areas of substance abuse, mental health, education, youth/family services, or social services.
- Post-Residential Care:
- This includes supervision, probation, case management, mental health, substance abuse or other after-care programs for delinquent and status offenders no longer in residential care.
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For further
information
please contact:
| Mary Dingrando, Senior Staff Associate
National Association of State Budget Officers
444 NorthCapitol Street, N.W., Suite 642
Washington, D.C. 20001-1511
Phone: (202) 624-5382 Fax: (202) 624-7745
email: mdingra@sso.org
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NASBO Information Brief
april 11, 1995
Volume 3, Number 1
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Policy Resources