Local Law Enforcement Leaders Say Early Childhood Programs Pay Off
Contact: Martha Brooks, mbrooks@fightcrime.org
Cell: (503) 577-4715, Desk: 503-649-2068
McMinnville, Oregon (May 10, 2011) — Noting that Oregon taxpayers are spending more than $792 million a year on corrections, local law enforcement leaders today called on state and federal lawmakers to support high-quality early education as a critical strategy to reduce crime, lower prison costs and save taxpayers money. The law enforcement leaders say they oppose cuts to early education and support efforts to strengthen and improve current programs.
Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree and McMinnville Chief of Police Ron Noble signaled their support for early learning during a visit to the McMinnville Head Start Center today to read to children and discuss the value of early childhood education. The McMinnville Center is one of 4 locations for Yamhill County Head Start. They serve 295 3- and 4-year-olds in 20 classes across the county; yet still have a waiting list of 146 kids. The national anti-crime organization FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS is sponsoring the event as part of a law enforcement campaign to promote support for high-quality early childhood education.
Citing a new research brief called “Pay Now or Pay Much More Later,” the law enforcement leaders said that investing in high-quality early care and education can help at-risk children in Oregon succeed, significantly reduce the likelihood that they will commit crimes and save taxpayer dollars from reduced prison costs.
“We’re never going to totally eliminate the need for tough corrections,” said Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree. “But we can make it a whole lot less expensive by getting kids on track early. Early learning gives us the opportunity to have more kids preparing for the college boards, instead of parole boards.”
While overall crime rates are decreasing in many jurisdictions, Oregon still spent $792 million in 2010 on corrections with over 14,000 adults locked up in either state or federal prisons on the first day of 2010. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Oregon’s corrections spending increased five times from 1982 to 2008.
Chief Ron Noble stated, “Our escalating prison costs are the price we pay for not making these early learning investments years ago. 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 youngest children.”
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. Because of their increased involvement in crime, the children who did not attend were 86 percent more likely to be sentenced to jail or prison by the age of 40.
The law enforcement leaders also agree that cutting funding for early childhood programs would be shortsighted and risky since quality early care and education programs actually save money in the long run. The Perry Preschool Program cut crime, welfare and other costs so much that it saved taxpayers an average of $180,000 for every child served, with the vast majority of the public savings coming from reduced crime costs alone.
Law enforcement leaders are urging policymakers to protect and strengthen early care and education programs. Crabtree and Noble are encouraging Oregon’s congressional members to maintain funding for early care and education programs. They also 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.
Even though Oregon has made substantial commitments to Head Start, nearly 6,000 at-risk 3- and 4-year olds remain without access to quality early childhood education programs. Oregon made a first-time state investment to Early Head Start in 2010, yet the program remains so underfunded that only 3% of the eligible children are served. Of the estimated 0-3 year-old populations, nearly 30,000 at-risk children are eligible for enrollment and remain unable to access services.
“Early childhood programs such as this one here in McMinnville are smart investments,” said Martha Brooks, State Director of Fight Crime: Invest In Kids. “Either we pay now or pay more later. We can pay now by investing in early care and education for our youngest kids, or you pay much more later through unsafe communities and prison costs.”
Sheriff Crabtree and Chief Noble are members of FIGHT CRIME: INVEST IN KIDS, the national anti-crime organization of police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, attorneys general and violence survivors, with over 160 members in Oregon and over 5,000 members nationwide.
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