Governor's Crime Commission juvenile age study : a study of the impact of expanding the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention : final report to the Governor of North Carolina and to the 2009 session of the General A - Page 38 |
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29
Appendix E for the methodology of the victim cost per offense calculations and Appendix F for
how this cost was incorporated into the cost-benefit scenarios.
Benefits Associated with Raising the Age
Benefits associated with changing the age of juvenile court jurisdiction include those incurred by
the state and local government, victims, and offenders. Benefits have been included to the degree
that they are measurable, have validated and reliable estimates, and are supported by evidence of
their occurrence. State and local government benefits are derived from crimes averted due to
reduced recidivism. Victim benefits are also derived from the recidivism outcomes of the adult
and juvenile systems. Offender benefits are calculated as an increase in lifetime earnings that
would result from the lack of an adult criminal record, should persons committing offenses while
16 and 17 years of age be placed under juvenile jurisdiction.
State and Local Government Benefits
Benefits attributed to serving persons 16 and 17 years of age in the juvenile and adult systems
result from crimes averted. Because the cost of initial offenses is a substantial cost in both
systems, any benefits in the form of reduced recidivism do not result in an overall net positive
benefit in the overall cost-benefit analysis. However, averted crime mitigates the budgetary
burden of serving delinquent or criminal offenders in their respective systems.
Victim Benefits
Victims benefit from reduced crime, as they have a lower chance of being victimized and
incurring costs associated with victimization. If the age of juvenile court jurisdiction is changed,
victim costs total approximately $62.7 million. If these persons continue to be served in the adult
system, victim costs total approximately $64.5 million. Overall, victims would benefit $1.7
million under the baseline juvenile system.
Offender Benefits
The juvenile system produces benefits outside the scope of avoided budgetary and victim costs.
Currently, first-time adult offenders 16 and 17 years of age who do not recidivate retain records
of arrest and conviction. Studies show that records of arrest, and to a greater degree convictions
and incarceration, reduce future earnings of offenders and decrease their overall likelihood of
employment. These outcomes in turn increase the likelihood of recidivism. If North Carolina
changes the age of juvenile court jurisdiction, these one-time offenders will enter adulthood with
clean records.
The degree of an adult criminal record’s effect on earnings varies among studies on the subject.
Leading studies in the area of offender benefits suggest that offenders will avoid a loss in
earnings anywhere from 2 to 11 percent depending upon whether their criminal records include
an arrest, conviction, or incarceration. This analysis uses a lifetime earnings reduction factor in
the middle of the range of estimates from leading studies of 6.5 percent. See Appendix G for
more information about the studies.
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| Title | Governor's Crime Commission juvenile age study : a study of the impact of expanding the jurisdiction of the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention : final report to the Governor of North Carolina and to the 2009 session of the General A - Page 38 |
| Full Text | 29 Appendix E for the methodology of the victim cost per offense calculations and Appendix F for how this cost was incorporated into the cost-benefit scenarios. Benefits Associated with Raising the Age Benefits associated with changing the age of juvenile court jurisdiction include those incurred by the state and local government, victims, and offenders. Benefits have been included to the degree that they are measurable, have validated and reliable estimates, and are supported by evidence of their occurrence. State and local government benefits are derived from crimes averted due to reduced recidivism. Victim benefits are also derived from the recidivism outcomes of the adult and juvenile systems. Offender benefits are calculated as an increase in lifetime earnings that would result from the lack of an adult criminal record, should persons committing offenses while 16 and 17 years of age be placed under juvenile jurisdiction. State and Local Government Benefits Benefits attributed to serving persons 16 and 17 years of age in the juvenile and adult systems result from crimes averted. Because the cost of initial offenses is a substantial cost in both systems, any benefits in the form of reduced recidivism do not result in an overall net positive benefit in the overall cost-benefit analysis. However, averted crime mitigates the budgetary burden of serving delinquent or criminal offenders in their respective systems. Victim Benefits Victims benefit from reduced crime, as they have a lower chance of being victimized and incurring costs associated with victimization. If the age of juvenile court jurisdiction is changed, victim costs total approximately $62.7 million. If these persons continue to be served in the adult system, victim costs total approximately $64.5 million. Overall, victims would benefit $1.7 million under the baseline juvenile system. Offender Benefits The juvenile system produces benefits outside the scope of avoided budgetary and victim costs. Currently, first-time adult offenders 16 and 17 years of age who do not recidivate retain records of arrest and conviction. Studies show that records of arrest, and to a greater degree convictions and incarceration, reduce future earnings of offenders and decrease their overall likelihood of employment. These outcomes in turn increase the likelihood of recidivism. If North Carolina changes the age of juvenile court jurisdiction, these one-time offenders will enter adulthood with clean records. The degree of an adult criminal record’s effect on earnings varies among studies on the subject. Leading studies in the area of offender benefits suggest that offenders will avoid a loss in earnings anywhere from 2 to 11 percent depending upon whether their criminal records include an arrest, conviction, or incarceration. This analysis uses a lifetime earnings reduction factor in the middle of the range of estimates from leading studies of 6.5 percent. See Appendix G for more information about the studies. |
