Educate vs. The Cost to Incarcerate...

from an N'spirational Conversation Reader:

The Cost to Educate vs. The Cost to Incarcerate Children in Chicago and Illinois


Source: AsNotSeenOnTV.info

From Marcie Hill: This story is being re-published with a few revisions because it is a topic that is really on my heart right now.

I am going to go on a limb here to discuss something that we will probably NEVER see on TV – the cost of educating a child versus the cost to incarcerate one in Chicago and Illinois. All of the research I conducted for this story was done in 2008, so some of the information may be a little outdated. The information was obtained from the Chicago Public Schools and Illinois Department of Corrections.


During the FY 2007-2008, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) spent $10,555 operating expenditure per pupil and $9,488 per capital tuition. While I don’t fully understand the per capita tuition (although I could ask), this $10,000 pales in comparison to the money Illinois state spends on juvenile detention.



Things to keep in mind as you read:

1. The average age of detained youth in Illinois is between 16 and 17 years of age.

2. Some of the facilities are overcrowded.

3. With all of the money that is being spent, is correction really going on?



Illinois Youth Center Chicago

Opened: July 1999

Capacity: 130

Level 3: Minimum-Security Juvenile Male

Average Daily Population: 104

Total Average Daily Population: 104

Average Age: 17

Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $76,095.00



IYC-Chicago is located on the west side of the city and is a leased property that occupies the third floor of a rehabbed warehouse building. The facility houses approximately 100 male youth per day. There are approximately 97 employees at the center. The institution also serves as a drop-off center for all juvenile parole violators in District 1. Transitional programming has been supplemented by federal grants that will allow the facility to contract for re-entry services. These services assist youth in their return and progress back into the community. Violence intervention programs have included Schwab “In My Shoes” presentations that discuss the impact of gang activity. Former gang members confined to wheelchairs as a result of gang-related gunfire talk to youth about their lives before and after tragic life-altering incidents in an effort to warn youth about their high-risk lifestyles.



Illinois Youth Center Harrisburg

Opened: July 1983

Capacity: 276

Level 4: Multiple-Security Juvenile Male

Average Daily Population: 316

Total Average Daily Population: 316

Average Age: 17

Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $52,545.00

Overcrowded



Illinois Youth Center-Harrisburg serves as one of the secure medium-security Level 2 institutions for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice currently housing an average daily population of 326 male offenders. IYC-Harrisburg provides a broad range of services to youth incarcerated at the facility. These services include remedial, secondary and college level education courses, a GED program, library services, vocational training, guidance and work training programs. Diagnostic and evaluative services and special education programs are also provided.



Illinois Youth Center Joliet

Opened: April 1959

Capacity: 344

Level 1: Maximum-Security Juvenile Male

Average Daily Population: 230

Total Average Daily Population: 230

Average Age: 17

Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $56,351.00



The Illinois Youth Center-Joliet remains focused on providing a safe and secure working and living environment for all staff and youth. As today’s society experiences increases in violent behavior, chemical dependency and a failure of our traditional institution to adequately guide young people, youths come to the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice with a greater history of violence and an increased need for intervention. Youth who obtain their GED are given specific job assignments. Youth are enrolled in school immediately upon arrival to the facility.



Illinois Youth Center Kewanee

Opened: November 2001

Capacity: 180

Level 2: Medium-Security Juvenile Male

Average Daily Population: 260

Total Average Daily Population: 260

Average Age: 17

Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $96,087.00

Overcrowded



Opened in November 2001, Illinois Youth Center-Kewanee is a secure medium-security facility that houses youthful male offenders. IYC-Kewanee has five 60-cell housing units. The facility includes a Medical Unit with six infirmary beds, eight crisis cells. The Education Department has 18 general education classrooms and three vocational classrooms. IYC-Kewanee is designated as a special treatment facility, focusing on treatment for youth with severe mental health issues, substance abuse problems and sex offenders. A wide range of intensive treatment programs are in place to address these issues, including psychiatric, medical care and counseling services provided 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Academic, vocational, recreational, religious and volunteer programs support these services.



Illinois Youth Center Murphysboro

Opened: April 1997

Capacity: 156

Level 2: Medium-Security Juvenile Male

Average Daily Population: 75

Total Average Daily Population: 75

Average Age: 17

Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $84,403.00



As IYC-Murphysboro is the state’s only juvenile boot camp, its mission remains clear: to prepare youth for positive, successful lives by developing self-discipline, teamwork, self-esteem and self-worth as individuals. To accomplish this, staff consistently strives to provide a military-style environment that encourages cadets to reach a higher point in their lives. Cadets begin the eye-opening experience of participating in the boot camp program at 5:30 a.m. each morning and continue the fully programmed day until 9 p.m., seven days a week. It takes many staff, volunteers and mentors to fill those 16-hour days. Education continues to be central to all programming at IYC-Murphysboro.



Illinois Youth Center Pere Marquette

Opened: March 1963

Level 3: Minimum-Security Juvenile Female



IYC- Pere Marquette is a level three, medium security female facility with an open campus. IYC-Pere Marquette is the first juvenile facility totally dedicated to a modified therapeutic community treatment model, with a focus on regionalizing admissions based on commitment county. IYC-Pere Marquette does not house any special offender population. Youth benefit from more intense intervention and treatment-oriented programming that will ensure them an opportunity for a structured and disciplined setting to educate them in positive life building skills.



Illinois Youth Center St. Charles

Opened: December 1904

Capacity: 318

Level 2: Medium-Security Juvenile Male

Average Daily Population: 328

Total Average Daily Population: 328

Average Age: 16

Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $56,163.00

Overcrowded



The Illinois Youth Center-St. Charles is a Level 2 medium-security facility. It is unique as an institution because in addition to the general population program, the facility processes the majority of all male offenders committed to IDOC. The type of offender assigned to this facility may have an overall designation of high, medium or low escape risk. He will be classified as either high or medium security risk based on his committing offense and criminal history, size, age, level of aggressiveness and security threat group (STG) orientation. Offenders with all classes of crimes are assigned here.



Illinois Youth Center Warrenville

Opened: January 1973

Capacity: 86

Level 4: Multiple-Security Juvenile Female

Average Daily Population: 78

Total Average Daily Population: 78

Average Age: 16

Average Annual Cost Per Inmate: $80,365.00



IYC-Warrenville serves a juvenile female population with multi-service needs. The center provides GED and high school diploma academic services, an in-patient substance abuse treatment program, vocational programs, mental health services, medical services, clinical services, leisure time activities, parenting education, assessments and family reunification programming. The average age of the juvenile females at the center is 16.3 years.

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As you can see, millions of dollars are spent on incarcerating instead of educating children in Chicago and Illinois . If a fraction of the money that was spent on locking up a child was used to effectively educate, this article would not had been written. But, since the education system is set up to fail our children, the incarceration rate will continue to grow along with profits of the prison system. This is a topic that would probably never be seen on TV.