ABSTRACT
In 1995, Ohio began a program entitled RECLAIM Ohio (Reasoned and Equitable Community and Local Alternatives to Incarceration of Minors). This statewide initiative is designed to assist counties in providing community services to adjudicated juvenile offenders. Essentially, local juvenile courts are given an allocation of funds to use for community-based alternatives. In turn, they must pay for all youths who are incarcerated in a state institution from their allocation. Results indicated that they are successfully reducing the commitment rate of juveniles to state facilities. Figure 5.11 shows the number of admissions to state facilities before and after the implementation of RECLAIM. As shown, there has been a significant reduction in commitments to state institutions within the Department of Youth Services. RECLAIM has also strengthened local juvenile courts; private-sector service providers increased their participation; and cooperation across prosecutor, court, and court services increased. Failure rates were not unusually high, and the percentage of youths
BOX 5.9 COSTS AND BENEFITS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTION A series of small-scale programs attempted to assess the costs and benefits of early childhood (prenatal through age 4) intervention, asking if early interventions targeted at disadvantaged children benefit participating children and their families, and might government funds invested early in the lives of children yield compensating decreases in later government expenditures? Peter Greenwood examined five of the most rigorously designed programs for younger children; programs had a matched control group that was assigned randomly at program onset. In particular, he found: n IQ differences between program participants and control group members approached or
exceeded 10 points at the end of the program. n The difference in rates of special education and grade retention at age 15 exceeded 20
percent (Abecedarian project). n Participating children experienced 33 percent fewer emergency room visits through age
four than children in the control group (Elmira, NY Prenatal/Early Infancy Project). n Mothers were on welfare 33 percent less time in the same Elmira Project. n Earnings at age 27 were 60 percent higher among program participants (Perry Preschool
Program). n Benefits outweighed costs and savings were $25,000 versus $12,000 for each family
participating in the Perry program, and $24,000 versus $6000 for each higher-risk family participating in the Elmira program.
