N.M. Law Enforcement Urge Early Childhood Focus
Mar 11th 2009
SANTA FE, N.M. -- Santa Fe Chief of Police Eric Johnson, New Mexico Attorney General Gary King, New Mexico State Police Chief Faron Segotta, and Los Alamos Chief of Police Wayne Torpy held a joint news conference Wednesday to release a new report showing that children who attend high-quality early education and care programs are significantly less likely to commit crimes as adults.
To read a copy of the report, click here.
"Once a crime is committed, the damage is done. It is really common sense to focus our resources on the period of life when these kids have all the potential for a productive life, and we still have the opportunity to prevent crime," King said. "The earlier we invest, the safer our communities will be for years to follow."
The law enforcement leaders extended their support to proposals in the state legislature to expand the state's pre-kindergarten program and other early childhood development initiatives in New Mexico.
A 40-year study of the Perry Preschool, a high-quality Michigan preschool program, found that at-risk children who did not attend were five times more likely to be repeat offenders by age 27 than children from similar backgrounds who did participate.
Children who attended the program were also 44 percent more likely to graduate from high school. Nationwide, 70 percent of state prison inmates never graduated from high school.
Children who benefit from high-quality early education are also significantly less likely to repeat grades, require special education or abuse illegal drugs.
Because of inadequate funding, many of the children who would benefit the most from early learning cannot enroll. Currently, 65 percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in New Mexico are not enrolled in state pre-kindergarten, the federally-funded Head Start school readiness program or a special education preschool.
They also sounded a call for New Mexico's lawmakers to expand voluntary home-visiting programs, which help new parents learn about the health and developmental needs of their kids and avoid abusive behavior.
While most children who grow up in abusive settings lead normal lives, those who survive abuse or neglect are significantly more likely to commit crimes and act violently, even at an early age. They are also more likely to abuse their own kids later in life, creating a cycle of violence, Segotta said.
"We have to stop this cycle of violence. Supporting high-risk families early on can help us accomplish that," Segotta said.
A study of the Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP), a voluntary home-visiting program that helps expectant mothers and parents of newborns connect with registered nurses, found that it cut cases of child abuse and neglect by half in at-risk families who received the visits. The program also reduced later arrests of mothers and children in participating families by 60 percent.
Only a fraction of high-risk families in New Mexico are currently benefiting from home-visitation programs. A bill pending in the state legislature would increase funding for voluntary home-visiting programs by $1 million.
Analysis from the RAND Corporation found that Nurse-Family Partnership was so effective in preventing child maltreatment, crime and other long-term problems, that it saved $3 for every single dollar invested in the program.
The law enforcement leaders represent FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS, a national anti-crime group of 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors and violence survivors, including 53 in New Mexico, who advocate for policies proven to prevent crime and violence.
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