Dr. Catherine Gallagher , Director of the Cochrane Collaboration College for Policy at George Mason University (CCCP at GMU), spoke as a panelist at bipartisan briefing entitled “Reduce Crime, Reduce Costs, and Improve Lives and Communities through Evidence-Based Prevention” on Monday, February 27, 2012. Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott, (D-VA-3) and Congressman Walter B. Jones (R-NC-3) hosted the event.
Dr. Gallagher summarized the juvenile justice system and the Youth PROMISE Act, and then discussed the high costs of adolescent firearms injuries. Pointing to a recent report written by CCCP at GMU staff, Dr. Gallagher highlighted that while the juvenile crime rate has declined the past ten years, the rate for adolescent firearm injuries has remained stable. Moreover, medical care for gunshot victims, who are primarily African American males and also the victims of violent crime, costs nearly 108 million dollars a year (for medical care alone). These hospital costs often last a lifetime.
“Weighing the annual costs overall for gunshot victims underscores the importance of focusing on prevention and intervention before costly and preventable treatment, especially as we consider the potential fiscal and social impacts of these costs over time,”said Ajima Olaghere, a CCCP at GMU Research Associate who helped write the report.
While firearm injuries require extensive medical care; meaningful prevention and intervention programs for youth violence often do not exist or are underfunded. The federal budget for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) for instance, is funded nearly 40 million dollars less than the immediate hospital costs of those adolescents in a single year.
In an accompanying report, CCCP at GMU graduate research assistant Kirsten Hutzell talked about the importance of legislators using proven, evidence-based prevention programs to reduce costs. This includes supporting Congressman Scott’s proposed Youth PROMISE Act (YPA).
“The Youth PROMISE Act could be an effective method for reducing crime across the United States. This bipartisan legislation seeks to decrease juvenile delinquency and criminal street gang activity through the implementation of comprehensive, evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies in communities facing the greatest youth violence,” said Hutzell.
Resources
- Presentation by Dr. Gallagher: Cost‐Effectiveness of Youth Violence and Intervention Strategies (PDF).
- Report: The Costs of Adolescent Firearm Injuries.
- Briefing: Implications of the Youth PROMISE Act (YPA) for Youth Firearm Violence Costs.
- Briefing: The Youth PROMISE Act: A brief overview.
- View photo gallery of the briefing.