Michigan Law Enforcement Leaders Salute State Officials' Investment in Early Childhood Programs
Crime fighters say early education cuts crime, saves taxpayers dollars
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Contact: K.P. Pelleran
kppelleran@fightcrime.org
Cell: 517-643-5981, Desk: 517-803-2463
LANSING, Mich. (Wednesday-September 7, 2011) — As children go back to school, law enforcement leaders across Michigan salute the decision of the Governor and state lawmakers for the $6 million funding increase over last year to support high-quality early education as a critical strategy to reduce crime, lower prison costs, and save taxpayers money.
Michigan has spaces for nearly 30,000 4-year-olds in its state-funded preschool program, the Great Start Readiness Program, and has $104 million budgeted for use in fiscal year 2012. Throughout the summer months, recruitment of 4-year-olds to the Great Start Readiness Program has been ongoing at schools and with private providers. Although most programs begin after Labor Day, programs can accept students until they reach capacity.
The law enforcement leaders say that investing in high-quality early care and education can help at-risk children in Michigan succeed. This can significantly reduce the likelihood that they will commit crimes, and save taxpayer dollars from reduced prison costs.
While overall crime rates are decreasing in many jurisdictions, Michigan still spent nearly $2 billion in 2010 on corrections with more than 45,000 adults locked up in either state or federal prisons on the first day of 2010. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Michigan’s corrections spending was 3.5 times HIGHER in 2008, than in 1982.
A long-term study of Michigan’s Perry Preschool found that at-risk children who did not participate in the high-quality program were five times more likely to be chronic offenders by age 27 than children who did attend. The children who did not attend were 86 percent more likely to be sentenced to jail or prison by the age of 40.
Law enforcement leaders are urging federal policymakers to follow the lead of state officials to protect and strengthen early care and education programs. Congress has the opportunity to improve these programs through the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and other education initiatives that will help states to improve and increase access to high-quality early education.
FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS is a national anti-crime organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, attorneys general and violence survivors, with 470 members in Michigan and 5,000 members nationwide.
The following quotes have been authorized by law enforcement leaders throughout Michigan for use by local media:
Alpena County Sheriff Steve Kieliszewski: “No child is born destined to go to jail. Research shows that we can make a difference in kids’ lives through early learning. We’re not saying that every kid who benefits from early education is set for life, but we can dramatically improve their odds.
Antrim County Prosecutor Charles Koop: “Early learning teaches kids key lessons that are vital to building a solid foundation for success. If we help kids learn to make a sentence in preschool today, it’s less likely they will be serving a sentence in prison down the road.”
Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey: “It’s up to us to invest in America’s youngest kids, so they never become America’s most wanted adults.”
Chippewa County Prosecutor Brian Peppler: “The research is clear, investing in early education gives kids a solid foundation for school and cuts crime.”
Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin: “For those of us in law enforcement, we need to use every tool possible to combat crime and keep our streets safe. Early learning initiatives give these young kids the tools to become productive and responsible adults. This is a fact: Early education reduces crime and saves lives.”
Ingham County Sheriff Gene Wriggelsworth: “We’re talking about dollars and common sense. We know how expensive it is when someone becomes a career criminal. If getting these kids access to early learning can help us avoid those enormous costs, then we need to make sure they have that opportunity today.”
Ionia County Sheriff Dwain Dennis: “It’s easier to nurture a child than to fix a broken man. Investing in early education gets kids ready to succeed so that they graduate on schedule and never end up in prison.”
Kalamazoo County Prosecutor Jeff Fink: It’s been said that crime doesn’t pay. However, it seems that we all end up paying for crime. I would rather put tax dollars to work educating the next generation than having to lock them up.”
Marquette County Prosecutor Gary Walker: “We want kids to graduate on schedule without having to repeat a grade. Research shows that involvement in preschool improves the likelihood of graduation, in that graduates are less likely to be coming to our jails. Caps and gowns are preferable to orange jumpsuits.”
Midland County Prosecutor Michael Carpenter: “One way or another, these kids are going to get an education. I’d rather it be at a quality early learning center where they’ll get tools to succeed in life than in detention.”
Ottawa County Prosecutor Ron Frantz: “When you invest in early learning for the youngest kids, you can get them on the path to college, not prison.”
Saginaw County Prosecutor Mike Thomas: “We can arrest, prosecute, and lock-up criminals, but there is no substitute for getting in front of the problem by investing in the care and education of our young children.”
Washtenaw County Prosecutor Brian Mackie: “When we close the gap in needed services for our most vulnerable citizens- our children-we will be more likely to see them graduate instead of entering the criminal justice system.”
Wayne County Sheriff Benny Napoleon: “If there is one thing I have learned in over 36 years in law enforcement, it’s that you can pay now by investing in early care and education for our at-risk youth, or you can pay exorbitant costs as it relates to incarceration and rehabilitation as a result of criminal actions later in their lives.”
###
