MICHIGAN LAW ENFORCEMENT LEADERS CALL FOR MEDICAID EXTENSION TO SAVE TAXPAYER DOLLARS AND CUT CRIME New report documents high cost of alcohol and drug abuse on children and value of extending coverage to 160,000 women in Michigan

LANSING, MI – Michigan law enforcement leaders today called on state lawmakers to extend Medicaid coverage to protect unborn children and address the health needs of older children and families in an effort to curb later crime. The officials released a report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids that spotlights how Medicaid coverage for expectant mothers can protect children from abuse and neglect and keep children from being born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects, which affect many adults and adolescents arrested for crimes.

The report, Cut Violence, Cut Prison Costs, also explains that Medicaid can also cover interventions for youth with alcohol and drug use disorders and mental and behavioral health issues. Without treatment, these issues can lead to criminal behavior.

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie, state co-chairman of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids said, “We can help prevent crime by extending Medicaid to offer cost-effective interventions to keep kids from being born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and treatments for youth with mental health and behavioral health issues.” Mackie added, “Through these interventions, we can help save lives and valuable taxpayer dollars.”

Interventions for Young Mothers to Protect Unborn Children

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) report that prenatal exposure to drugs is the leading preventable cause of birth defects in the U.S. In one study of adolescents and adults with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects, 87 percent of adults had been arrested, charged and/or convicted of at least one crime, and 36 percent of adolescents and adults had been incarcerated.

Ingham County Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings, III, said, “Medicaid extension can provide mental and behavioral treatments that are now unavailable for many of these women and children. It will provide counseling before pregnancy, and the needed early, periodic, screening, diagnosis, and treatment for children to mitigate developmental delays that can change the life trajectory of a child.”

Research reveals that the number of women 18 to 24 years of age who admit to “binge drinking” and notes that over 1,000 children are born with alcohol related birth defects in Michigan each year. Extension of Medicaid would give women with alcohol and drug abuse problems the opportunity to be screened, counseled and directed into treatment before they become pregnant to help reduce the number of children born with prenatal exposure to alcohol.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is a membership organization of law enforcement leaders and crime victims under the umbrella non-profit Council for a Strong AmericaThere are almost 160,000 Michigan women 19 to 44 years of age who will become eligible for Medicaid if it is extended. Because uninsured parents are three times more likely to have uninsured children, providing Medicaid coverage to them will likely have a strong influence and positive effect on their children. Furthermore, 25,000 Michigan children who are currently eligible but not enrolled will likely become enrolled when their parents become eligible.

Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey said, “Extending Medicaid will help innocent, vulnerable children and ensure their mothers get the treatment they need for long-term family stability. Fixing these problems now is a lot smarter than trying to address them after the damage is already done.” Bailey added, “Our county jails have seen increased mental and behavioral health problems with inmates. Had these people received earlier treatment, they would have been less likely to commit crimes.”

Parent Coverage Can Help Reduce Child Abuse and Neglect and Later Crime

Parents enrolled in Medicaid can receive mental and behavioral health treatment, including substance abuse treatment. One-third to two-thirds of child abuse or neglect cases involve a parent with a substance abuse problem. Parental substance abuse is associated with the most severe child maltreatment outcomes, including placement in foster care and fatalities. Also, mothers’ depression has also been linked to child abuse and neglect. There were more than 33,000 confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect in Michigan in 2011, and 75 died as a result.

Access to Interventions to Keep Older Youth Out of Trouble

Bringing more children and teens into Medicaid will enable them to be screened by physicians for mental health and substance abuse issues, which also have a high impact on criminal behavior. Therapeutic interventions for youth have led to significant reductions in criminal behavior and time spent in juvenile justice facilities. One study that followed youths who had participated in a family therapy program for 22 years found that felonies committed by the participants were reduced by 72 percent, and that family interventions profiled in the report saved taxpayers an average of $25,000 to $30,000 for each child served.

“Medicaid can and should pay for many of the interventions that have proven to be effective in reducing aggressive behavior among very young children and older youth,” said Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler. “Dealing with these problems early on is the best way to get kids on the right path before they start committing serious crimes that lead them to jail.”

Pay Now, or Pay Much More Later

The law enforcement leaders emphasized the value of extending Medicaid as a cost effective way to save taxpayer dollars now and in the future. They cited a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that estimates the annual cost of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome at $3.6 billion, but noted the cost of not helping young mothers or children is even more expensive. Each child who drops out of school, uses drugs, and goes on to become career criminals costs society an average of $2.5 million.

“Extending Medicaid makes common sense and fiscal sense,” said Mackie. “It’s a vital investment in the health and safety of young children, the lives of adolescents, and the safety of our communities.”

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Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Response to “Willful Defiance” Data

Law Enforcement Leaders Encourage School Discipline Reform to Prevent High School Dropout, Crime

SAN FRANCISCO – New data released by the California Department of Education show that 709,596 suspensions were issued during the 2011-2012 academic year. The most serious basis for 48% of the suspensions was “disruption or willful defiance,” a subjective and vague catch-all category which has been shown to include wide-ranging behaviors not linked to safety or crime, such as failing to turn in homework, not paying attention in class, or refusing to follow classroom instructions.

“I cringe whenever I hear the word ‘suspension’ because I cannot help but wonder where these unsupervised kids end up. The reality is when kids are not in school, too often they’re out on the streets,” said East Palo Alto Police Chief Ron Davis, a member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national anti-crime organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, district attorneys and violence survivors with over 400 members in California and more than 5,000 members nationwide. “It is alarming that so many suspensions are for behavior that doesn’t pose a safety threat. Suspensions should be used as a last resort. It is far better to work with troubled students and offer them help, counseling, and guidance, instead of making them fall further behind. With common-sense school discipline policies, we could literally stop violence before it starts.”

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California members are urging policymakers to support AB 420, a bill authored by Assemblymember Roger Dickinson and co-sponsored by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, that would limit extreme uses of “disruption or willful defiance” as grounds for suspensions.  Instead of sending students home for an unsupervised break from school, AB 420 would prioritize keeping these students on campus while correcting the behavior through a variety of efforts designed to address underlying issues and keep students learning.  The measure passed the Assembly Education Committee earlier this week with a bipartisan, unanimous vote.

Research shows clearly that high suspension rates do not create healthier learning environments or improve academic achievement. Yet the effects of suspension on students themselves can be serious and far-reaching. One recent study showed that a student with even a single suspension in the ninth grade was twice as likely to dropout as other students. Other research also found an increased likelihood of future involvement with the juvenile justice system.

“This new data underscores the importance of finding more effective ways to help struggling students by focusing more attention on them, rather than giving them unsupervised time off from school.” said Barrie Becker, State Director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, “For students whose behavior does not create a safety threat, we simply must do a better job of keeping them in school and on track to graduate, while still holding them accountable. There are effective, evidence-based discipline approaches that promote positive behavior, reduce suspensions, and increase academic achievement.”

To review Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California’s complete 2013 legislative agenda, or to arrange an interview with a local member, please contact Meghan Moroney at mmoroney@calfightcrime.org.

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Click here to read the entire letter.

Chicago, IL (April 10, 2013) – In the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy, Illinois law enforcement leaders met with Senator Mark Kirk to urge Congress to include key school climate and mental health approaches in any legislation to address gun violence and support school safety. The meeting was attended by:

Bob Berlin, State’s Attorney, DuPage County
Russ Laine, Chief of Police, Algonquin
Joe McMahon, State’s Attorney, Kane County
Michael Neirheim, State’s Attorney, Lake County
Richard Randall, Sheriff, Kendall County
Tom Weitzel, Chief of Police, Riverside

The law enforcement leaders are members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a group of 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and crime survivors who believe the best way to prevent crime and violence is to invest in proven strategies that get kids started on the right path in life and keep them there. They presented Senator Kirk with a letter signed by over 100 Illinois law enforcement leaders that highlighted several approaches supported by the group.

“Law enforcement and prosecutors know that no conversation about school safety and preventing gun violence is complete without addressing the mental health and behavioral challenges schools face daily,” said DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin.

“It is critical to public safety to make sure teachers, staff and students have the right tools to help troubled youth, increase positive behavior, and keep kids in school and on track,” said Algonquin Police Chief Russ Laine.

Address bullying to improve school climates

To keep kids on the right path, schools must foster a positive school climate conducive to learning and free from violence, including bullying.  A U.S. Secret Service study showed that 75 percent of school shooters had previously been bullied or injured by fellow students. The law enforcement leaders highlighted the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program, which was shown to reduce bullying in North Carolina by 20 percent. The key, members said, is to focus on evidence-based approaches, since they have been proven to positively address school climate and ensure long-term public safety.

“Bullying among youth hurts both bystanders and victims. It’s disruptive to learning, and has lasting repercussions for many children. Prevention of serious incidents of violence starts by preventing bullying with proven strategies,” said Lake County State’s Attorney Mike Nerheim.

Don’t push troubled kids out of school

The law enforcement leaders also cautioned against unnecessary suspensions and expulsions for conduct that doesn’t impact the safety of the school environment.

“Too many troubled kids view suspension and expulsion as a free vacation from supervision,” said Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon. “Suspension and expulsion are absolutely essential tools for the most serious offenses, but we can’t keep pushing kids out of school and into the streets unsupervised for relatively minor, non-violent infractions.”

Research has shown that students who have been suspended or expelled are nearly five times more likely to drop out than their peers. Additionally, a student who drops out becomes eight times more likely to end up in jail or prison than his or her peers who stayed in school.

Address mental health issues

Finally, the Fight Crime: Invest in Kids representatives urged Senator Kirk to consider several mental health recommendations. About one in five children and adolescents aged 9 to 17 have a diagnosable mental health order, but 70 to 80 percent fail to receive needed treatments.

“Children often show signs of mental health challenges well before they turn to violence,” said Riverside Police Chief Tom Weitzel. “We must do everything in our power to identify those children and get them the support and effective treatment they need as early as possible.”

The law enforcement leaders urged Senator Kirk to include resources to provide school personnel with training to identify, screen and refer students to essential evidence-based mental and behavioral health services. While no single solution will prevent all crime, the recommendations outlined are components of a comprehensive plan to reduce violence and improve school safety.

“It’s important to remember there is no catch-all solution to preventing tragedies like the one in Newtown, or other kinds of crime,” said Kendall County Sheriff Richard Randall. “But a comprehensive approach that incorporates the best available tools to give kids and schools the right supports is our best bet.”

Contact: Chris Beakey, cbeakey@fightcrime.org
Cell: 302-448-0253, Desk: 202-464-7016

INDIANAPOLIS (April 2, 2013) – Representatives of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, an anti-crime organization of over 5,000 law enforcement leaders and violence survivors with 90 members in Indiana, are urging the continued implementation of Indiana’s Common Core State Standards and voicing strong opposition to legislative proposals to repeal, delay, or otherwise impede full implementation of the standards.

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governor’s Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The standards establish a set of shared goals and expectations for what students should understand and be able to do in grades K-12 in order to be prepared for success in college and the workplace. The standards are research and evidence-based and internationally benchmarked. They have been voluntarily adopted by a total of 45 states and the District of Columbia.

The CCSS will have aligned assessments, which will allow educators to determine how students are doing and to use this information to improve education. The results of these “apples-to-apples” assessments of student learning, based on the standards, will produce data that will help provide educators with a basis for identifying and sharing education practices that work with other schools and districts.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids members voiced support for the standards with the release of a new research report – “What Gets Measured Gets Done” – that spotlights the connection between academic success and avoidance of crime, and the valuable role that collecting and analyzing data has played in crime fighting efforts. The report describes how the timely use of data to drive law enforcement policies has helped bring down homicide rates, and how law enforcement agencies are collecting and analyzing data and using it to continually improve practice and reduce crime. To view the report, please go to http://www.fightcrime.org/commoncoreindiana2013.

Members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids signed a support letter last week for legislators identifying the importance of the Common Core State Standards and the data collection benefits for schools. As stated in the letter, “creating opportunities to accurately measure what is happening and widely share lessons on what does and does not work will allow school districts to continually improve.” The Senate Education Committee is planning to meet tomorrow, April 3, to discuss this issue, and law enforcement leaders hope the Committee will ensure there is no risk of repeal, delay or impediments to full implementation for these important standards.

“Some people might wonder why law enforcement is adding its voice to the chorus of support for the Common Core Standards but it’s easy to explain when you think about the continuum between academic failure and involvement in crime,” said Bruce Embrey, Miami County Prosecutor and former Miami Circuit Court Judge. “Keeping kids on track academically will lead to greater public safety for people throughout our state.”

“Many of our juvenile crimes in our area are the result of family collapse and the lack of a strong educational foundation,” said Chief Dennis Kunkel of the Georgetown Police Department. “ Educational intervention through the use of solid common core standards will assist in the prevention of imminent scholastic breakdown and the economic failure for juveniles in the future.”

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Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is a national, nonpartisan anti-crime organization made up of more than 5,000 law enforcement leaders and crime survivors. These sheriffs, police chiefs, prosecutors and crime victims promote greater public investments in programs proven to direct kids to a better path in life, leading them away from crime and toward success.

Contact: Meghan Moroney, 415-450-1913, mmoroney@calfightcrime.org

SACRAMENTO – Members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, national anti-crime organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors with over 400 members in California and more than 5,000 members nationwide, visited the Capitol today to urge legislators and administration officials to support evidence-based programs proven to keep children in school and away from crime.

“It is an honor to have so many dedicated law enforcement officials with us today because they understand that we must implement proactive and effective strategies today to prevent crime from happening tomorrow,” said Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California State Director Barrie Becker. “Getting kids prepared for school and keeping them in that classroom and on track to graduate are two of the most effective ways to keep our streets and communities safe.”

Representing law enforcement leaders across the state, approximately 20 members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California called on both Republican and Democratic legislators to restore state funding for programs scientifically proven to steer kids away from crime, such as high-quality early education, and to prevent dropouts by reducing out-of-school suspensions and expulsions.

Research shows that kids who receive high-quality early education and care are more likely to graduate from high school and less likely to ever become involved in crime. Yet over  $54 million in cuts to half- and full-day preschool were enacted in 2012, which resulted in over 12,500 low-income 3- and 4-year-olds being denied access to state-funded preschool. Over the past two years, preschool funding has been cut by over $130 million.  Studies also show that students who are suspended or expelled are more likely to be held back a grade, drop out, and turn to crime.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California members also urged lawmakers to support two bills on school discipline reform, including AB 420, a bill authored by Assemblymember Roger Dickinson and co-sponsored by Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, that would limit extreme uses of “disruption or willful defiance” as grounds for suspensions.

Participating members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California included:

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca

Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson

Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones

Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood

Solano County District Attorney Don du Bain

Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig

Riverside County District Attorney Paul Zellerbach

Ceres Police Chief Art de Werk

Signal Hill Police Chief Michael Langston

San Diego Police Chief William Lansdowne

Richmond Police Chief Chris Magnus

Alameda Police Chief (Ret.) Burnham Matthews

Los Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Chief Scott Seaman

Griffin Dix, Ph.D., Victim Advocate

Marc Klaas, Victim Advocate

To review Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California’s complete 2013 legislative agenda, or to arrange an interview with a member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California, please contact Meghan Moroney at mmoroney@calfightcrime.org.

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Law enforcement leaders stress need for high-quality early education;

Call on policymakers to boost quality of early learning programs statewide

Schenectady, New York (March 28, 2013)— Two of the Capital District’s top law enforcement officials – Schenectady County DA Robert Carney and Schenectady Police Chief Brian Kilcullen – along with Patricia Gioia, Parents of Murdered Children, joined youngsters at a local Pre-K program today to continue a 12-month state campaign in support of high-quality early education programs as an effective way to reduce crime and save taxpayers money.

Speakers at the event, held at Howe Early Childhood Education Center, applauded Governor Cuomo and the legislature for including a $25 million investment in quality, full-day Pre-K programs in the 2013-14 Budget.  The state currently spends about $384 million on part-day programs.  Research shows that full-day programs yield even better educational outcomes.

The Fight Crime: Invest in Kids members stressed that Pre-K must be high-quality to garner the results we want for children.

According to District Attorney Robert M. Carney, “Any comprehensive approach to reducing crime must include high-quality early childhood education and family support systems that are shown to keep at-risk kids out of the pipeline that funnels them into lives of juvenile and adult crime.”

According to Jenn O’Connor, New York State Director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, that “high-quality early childhood education” includes quality standards like those in QUALITYstarsNY, the state’s rating and improvement system.  There was no funding for that initiative in the state budget.

She also stated that those standards would include:

• Highly skilled teachers with appropriate compensation;
• Comprehensive and age-appropriate curricula;
• Strong family involvement and effective parent coaching;
• Low child-to-staff ratios to ensure each child gets sufficient attention;
• Small, age-appropriate class sizes; and
• Screening and referral services for developmental, health or behavior problems.

Chief Brian Kilcullen said that, “Early care and education is vital for improving the safety of our communities and helping at-risk kids get the right foundation for completing school and staying on track.  Investing in quality early learning today means fewer dropouts and less crime.”

High quality early childhood education increases in high school graduation rates, critically important in the Capital District.  The speakers noted that two long-term evaluations of Pre-K programs show that participating in high-quality Pre-K increases high school graduation rates by as much as 44 percent.  According to researchers, 10 percentage point increases in graduation rates have historically been shown to reduce murder and assault rates by approximately 20 percent.

Patricia Gioia, chapter leader of Capital District Parents of Murdered Children, said

“High quality early learning programs have a profound impact on reducing later crime and violence.  Fighting crime can start by investing in the next generation and ensuring that they have quality early learning opportunities.”

Also participating in the event was Lawrence Spring, Superintendent of the Schenectady City School District.

Fight Crime: Invest in Kids used the event to release its report, High Quality Early Learning: A Key to Reducing Future Crime in New York.

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Call on policymakers to boost quality of early learning programs statewide

Cohoes, New York (February 13, 2013)— Two of the Capital District’s top law enforcement officers—Albany Sheriff Craig Apple and Cohoes Police Officer John Shanahan—joined youngsters at a local Pre-K program today to continue a 12-month state campaign in support of high-quality early education programs as an effective way to reduce crime and save taxpayers money.

Speakers at the event, held at the Abram Lansing Elementary School, applauded Governor Cuomo for his proposal to invest $25 million in quality, full-day Pre-K programs.  The state currently spends about $384 million on part-day programs.  Research shows that full-day programs yield even better educational outcomes.

The Fight Crime: Invest in Kids members stressed that Pre-K must be high-quality to garner the results we want for children.

According to Sheriff Apple, “We need to both expand access to early learning opportunities for all New York children and have a uniform system in place to make sure that all our young children are getting the kind of dynamic learning experience that ensures they will succeed in school and in life.”

That “uniform system” includes quality standards like those in QUALITYstarsNY, the state’s rating and improvement system.  There is currently no funding for that initiative in the state budget.

According to Jenn O’Connor, New York State Director of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, researchers have found that high-quality early learning programs have several key characteristics, including:

• Highly skilled teachers with appropriate compensation;
• Comprehensive and age-appropriate curricula;
• Strong family involvement and effective parent coaching;
• Low child-to-staff ratios to ensure each child gets sufficient attention;
• Small, age-appropriate class sizes; and
• Screening and referral services for developmental, health or behavior problems.

Officer Shanahan said that, “The early years in a child’s life are the best place to start steering them toward long-term success and away from crime.  But our investment only works if early care and education services are high-quality.”  He urged policymakers to “improve the quality and accountability of these programs to make sure that we get the best return on our investment.”

One return on investment is an increase in high school graduation rates, critically important in the Capital District.  The speakers noted that two long-term evaluations of Pre-K programs show that participating in high-quality Pre-K increases high school graduation rates by as much as 44 percent.  According to researchers, 10 percentage point increases in graduation rates have historically been shown to reduce murder and assault rates by approximately 20 percent.

Also participating in the event were Cliff Bird, Principal of Abram Lansing Elementary School, and Colleen Forlani, Assistant Director for Special Programs for the Cohoes City School District.

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Read The Report

Law Enforcement Leaders Urge Gov. Martinez to Support Funding to Prevent Child Abuse and Reduce Crime

Reports show voluntary home visiting and quality early education can reduce abuse and crime and save taxpayers money  

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico law enforcement leaders today released a new report on opportunities to prevent child abuse and neglect, and urged Governor Susana Martinez to support a proposal to provide home visiting services and quality early education programs for at-risk children and families.

The report from the anti-crime organization Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, called “Breaking the Cycle,” shows that providing voluntary home visiting services to high-risk families can significantly reduce child abuse and neglect rates, prevent violent crime, and improve the safety of New Mexico communities. It was released at a news conference at the Albuquerque Police Academy that also highlighted research from an earlier Fight Crime: Invest in Kids report, “Pay Now or Pay Much More Later,” showing the significant impact of quality early education on long-term academic achievement and crime reduction.

The law enforcement leaders cited the research-based solutions in both reports in urging Governor Susana Martinez to sign into law the full amount of increased investments – passed by the legislature with bi-partisan support through House Bill 2 and Senate Bill 113 – for preK education through the Children Youth and Families Department and Public Education Department, childcare and home visiting.

Participating in the news conference were Bloomfield Police Department Chief Michael Kovacs, Los Lunas Police Department Chief Roy Melnick, Albuquerque Police Department Deputy Chief Macario Page, and Rio Rancho Department of Public Safety Director Robert Boone.

The law enforcement leaders cited data showing at least 5,400 New Mexico children suffered abuse or neglect in 2010—more than 100 each week. They voiced their strong support for voluntary home visiting services, which link young parents and pregnant mothers on a voluntary basis with trained advisers to help them cope with the challenges of raising a young child.

A study of one home visiting model, the Nurse-Family Partnership program, tracked the outcomes of at-risk children whose mothers received visits compared with similar children whose families were not served. Children in participating families had half as many incidents of abuse or neglect. By age 15, youth whose families did not participate in the program had more than twice as many arrests. Another study of the quality nurse home visitation program found significantly fewer cases of childhood injury and child death among families who participated.

According to a 2009 study, federal, state, and local child welfare spending on services like foster care, usually the result of abuse or neglect, totaled over $70 million in FY 2006 for the state of New Mexico alone. Evidence-based home visiting programs are highly cost-effective because they can reduce later abuse and neglect and child welfare spending. Analysis from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy showed that the Nurse-Family Partnership program produced a net savings of almost $13,000 for each family served.

“Every week in New Mexico, kids will be physically or emotionally abused, sexually molested or left alone, unfed or endangered by unsafe homes,” said Melnick. “Most disturbing of all, 19 innocent kids lost their lives in 2010 because of these tragedies. This report is a wake-up call for anyone who cares about vulnerable kids, but it also shows we have proven ways to protect them and improve community safety as well.”

While most survivors of childhood abuse never become violent criminals, the data shows that abused or neglected children are nearly 30 percent more likely to commit violent crimes. Research also shows that of the 5,400 cases of abuse and neglect in 2010, there will be about 220 future violent criminals in New Mexico who never would have been arrested for violent crimes if not for the abuse or neglect they experienced. Survivors are also more likely to abuse their own children, creating a multi-generation cycle of violence.

“The evidence is in, and it proves that child maltreatment today is a driver of crime tomorrow,” Kovacs said. “New Mexico’s law enforcement community absolutely must do everything in its power to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect. We know quality home visiting programs can cut child abuse and neglect by as much as 50 percent, significantly reduce later crime and save taxpayers money.”

The law enforcement leaders also emphasized the wisdom of investing in quality early education to reduce crime and save taxpayer dollars, noting that New Mexico spent $280 million on corrections in 2011, and only $15.3 million for the New Mexico PreK program. That same year the program served less than one out of every five of the state’s four-year-olds.

They also cited research in “Pay Now or Pay Much More Later” showing that providing at-risk children with high-quality early care and education steers them toward success and away from later involvement in crime, thereby reducing corrections costs for taxpayers. The report from Fight Crime: Invest in Kids shows that New Mexico’s pre-kindergarten program, launched in 2005, is already seeing strong results in improved literacy and other outcomes:

• Across the first three years of the initiative, participating children answered an average of 24 percent more questions correctly on a literacy test.

• An evaluation of participants from the fourth year found that early literacy scores for participants were much higher on average than scores for non-participants.

• Pre-k participants also showed significant improvements in vocabulary for three of the four initial years and math for all four years.

• Every $1 invested in New Mexico PreK returns an estimated $5 to society from reduced education costs.

“For all these reasons, we want to respectfully ask the legislature and Governor Martinez to ensure we reach more at-risk families and children so we can protect our youngest and most vulnerable,” said Boone. “And we need to provide the funding our state needs for early care and education, including PreK, quality child care and other services that give kids the foundation they need for long-term academic success.”

“Quality early learning will keep kids in school and out of lock-up,” said Page. “It’s the smartest investment we can make, right now, for New Mexico’s kids and communities alike.”

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The police chiefs and sheriffs are members of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, a national anti-crime organization of 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors, including 63 members in New Mexico. Gov. Susana Martinez is a former District Attorney of New Mexico’s 3rd Judicial District, and lifetime member of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids. Learn more and read the report at www.fightcrime.org/nm.

County-by-County Rankings Show Many Communities Struggling with Poor Academic Achievement and High Crime Rates

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Released today by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the 2013 County Health Rankings reveal that many communities across the nation are grappling with a low number of high school students who graduate on time and high rates of violent crime. The more than 5,000 members of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS are concerned about these rankings and recommend two key practices to prepare children for academic success and support at-risk families.

HIGH QUALITY EARLY LEARNING

In their support for high quality early learning, FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS members cite research showing that investing in the earliest years of a child’s life is the most effective way to ensure that each child graduates from school, abides by the law and becomes a contributing member of society.

• A 40-year study of at-risk children enrolled in a high-quality preschool program in Ypsilanti, Michigan found that those children were three times more likely to be performing on grade level or better by age 14. They were 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school. Children who did not participate in the program were five times more likely to be chronic criminal offenders by age 27.

• A similar long-term study of Chicago’s Child-Parent Centers found that participants in the pre-K program were 29 percent more likely to have graduated from high school, and those who were left out of the program were 70 percent more likely to have been arrested for a violent crime by age 18.

• Investments in early education also produce savings to taxpayers. The costs of failure can be very high. For example, each child who grows up to drop out, use drugs and become a career criminal costs society, on average, $2.5 million.

HOME VISITING PROGRAMS FOR AT-RISK FAMILIES

Research shows that high-quality, voluntary parent coaching, or “home visiting,” can significantly reduce cases of abuse and neglect among at-risk children.

• One high-quality program, the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), can cut instances of child abuse and neglect in half by age 15.

• Due to reduced criminal justice costs and foster care placements, studies have found that NFP saved a net of $13,000 for every family served.

• Mothers served by Healthy Families America reported engaging in physical abuse of their children less frequently than mothers not receiving the program’s services.

• In addition, families who participated in Child First home visiting were half as likely as control group families to be involved with Child Protective Services within 3 years.

The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program is a collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. The rankings help counties understand what influences healthy residents. The rankings have been used to garner support among government agencies, healthcare providers, community organizations, business leaders, policymakers and the public for local health improvement initiatives.

FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS is a national, nonpartisan anti-crime organization of more than 5,000 law enforcement leaders and crime survivors. These sheriffs, police chiefs, prosecutors and crime victims promote greater public investments in programs proven to direct kids to a better path in life, leading them away from crime and toward success.

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