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- Title
Evidence-Based Public Policy Options to Reduce Future Prison Construction, Criminal Justice Costs, and Crime Rates.
- Authors
Aos, Steve; Miller, Marna; drake, Elizabeth
- Abstract
Under current long-term forecasts, Washington State faces the need to construct several new prisons in the next two decades. Since new prisons are costly, the 2005 Washington Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to project whether there are "evidence-based" options that can: reduce the future need for prison beds, save money for state and local taxpayers, contribute to lower crime rates. We conducted a systematic review of all research evidence we could locate to identify what works, if anything, to reduce crime. We found and analyzed 571 rigorous comparison group evaluations of adult corrections, juvenile corrections, and prevention programs, most of which were conducted in the United States. We then estimated the benefits and costs of many of these evidence-based options. Finally, we projected the degree to which alternative "portfolios" of these programs could affect future prison construction needs, criminal justice cost% and crime rates in Washington. We find that some evidence-based programs can reduce crime, but others cannot. Per dollar of spending. several of the successful programs produce favorable returns on investment. Public policies incorporating these options can yield positive outcomes for Washington. We project the long-run effects of three example portfolios of evidence-based options: a "current level" option as well as "moderate" and "aggressive" implementation portfolios. We find that if Washington successfully implements a moderate-to-aggressive portfolio of evidence-based options, a significant level of future prison construction can be avoided, taxpayers can save about two billion dollars, and crime rates can be reduced.
- Subjects
WASHINGTON (State); PRISON design &; construction; CRIME prevention; CORRECTIONS (Criminal justice administration); JUVENILE corrections; CRIME prevention programs; POLITICAL planning
- Publication
Federal Sentencing Reporter, 2007, Vol 19, Issue 4, p275
- ISSN
1053-9867
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1525/fsr.2007.19.4.275