The high cost of juvenile jail

It's standard procedure these days to criticize government for being inefficient, to say it's wasting money, that businesses could do a better job.

But rarely do the critics come up with specific ways for government to work smarter.

As Virginia's agencies follow the governor's direction to cut their budgets to match declining revenues, a national foundation has produced a road map for the Department of Juvenile Justice to save the state money and help more troubled kids become responsible adults.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation's recommendations, announced this month, run counter to those put forward by DJJ, which has suggested adding more capacity to its six Juvenile Correctional Centers. The locked facilities, which resemble adult prisons, are 95 percent full.

They also don't work. Nearly 80 percent of the adolescents held there are charged with another crime within three years of release. They're expensive - taxpayers pay $108,820 a year per juvenile. And they can be dangerous, particularly for the youngest offenders.

Correctional centers should be reserved only for teens with histories of violence or risk to public safety.

Sadly, as the state has cut agencies' budgets repeatedly in this recession, correctional centers have replaced community-based programs as the de facto choice for youngsters charged with crimes. In these big institutions, teens are less likely to get treatment for alcohol or drug abuse or for mental illnesses, including depression. It's less likely they'll work with mentors, get remedial classroom instruction or job skills.

The Casey Foundation, a charity that works on behalf of vulnerable children and families, points to alternatives to incarceration that have been much more successful in other states.

Florida's redirection program, for example, provides intensive family treatment - regimented intervention to address the underlying causes of delinquent behavior - for less serious offenders.

As of August 2008, the foundation's report said, the program had saved taxpayers $41.6 million over four years by steering less-serious offenders away from expensive residential confinement and by reducing the chance of rearrest.

Another proven program: YouthBuild, for high-risk teens and young adults, combines remedial education with hands-on construction training.

Virginia must shift its strategy to combat juvenile crime. It must look for ways to rehabilitate and treat kids while incarcerating the small minority who commit serious offenses. It can't continue to cut the programs that keep children and teens engaged and out of trouble.

"At a time when other states are closing secure facilities, the Department of Juvenile Justice's request to open more beds in large correctional centers is a move in the wrong direction," said Kate Duvall, an attorney with JustChildren.

If Virginia really wants all kids - including those who make mistakes, or who have bad parents - to grow up and learn a work ethic, a skill and accountability, society has an obligation to teach them those things. It has to treat their mental illnesses and provide models for sound decision-making.

If Virginia is instead going to treat juveniles as if they're adults - locking them up as punishment, with no counseling, no mentoring, no schooling, no chance for redemption - we might as well give up on them.