Crime Prevention White Paper

January 2003

 

Deschutes County spends $ 4,915,000 each year to serve and house juvenile offenders, while only spending $398,000 each year on juvenile crime prevention programs.

 

Crime prevention programs receive only 8% of the total county resources allocated to juvenile crime.

 

All programs currently funded through county juvenile crime prevention funds are research based and tied to the reduction of juvenile crime.  Funded programs and their 2001-2002 outcomes include:

 

 

 

Programs are funded through Community Youth Investment Program Reinvestment funds and state Juvenile Crime Prevention funds.   CCF and community prevention partners have benefited greatly from a close partnership with Juvenile Community Justice. This collaboration has allowed creative strategies aimed at addressing difficult problems in our communities.

 

Juvenile Crime Prevention funds have already received a 6% cut (with a projected 13% cut with failure of the January tax measure) and the state forecasts additional cuts to funds next biennium.    Funds received through the Community Youth Investment Program targeted to prevention have been reducing steadily each year since 2000 and will, in all likelihood, be eliminated or drastically reduced next biennium.

 

Local Juvenile Crime Prevention programs have equally felt the effects of reduced resources in our communities.   Although we are in a time of economic peril we must continue to confirm our commitment to the importance of focusing some of our limited resources on prevention.

 

Oregon spends approximately $54,000 per state bed per year to house and work with juvenile offenders

 

In Deschutes County,investing$54,000 will…

 

Offer home visits to struggling families

15 high-risk families could participate in Ready Set Go, intensive home visit services during the first 2 years of a child’s life

 

-or-

 

Help kindergarten children succeed

37 Kindergarten students and families could be provided in-home and classroom programming to increase positive behavior and reduce aggressive behavior through First Step to Success

 

-or-

 

Improve reading for elementary children

485 kids could benefit from the SMART reading program

 

-or-

 

Train and Support Parents

323 adults could participate in parent education courses to learn important family management skills

 

Special note: These figures are estimates based on programs offered within Deschutes County.  For more information about these or other juvenile crime prevention programs in the county, contact Julie Lyche, Deschutes County’s Prevention Coordinator ... (541) 322-7461.