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Photo: Richard Ross

Juvenile Justice: How to Calculate the Cost of Arrest Wednesday, January 9, 2013 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST. Photo: Richard Ross. Leads a national movement State-based juvenile justice coalitions and organizations (42 members in 33 states)

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Photo: Richard Ross

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  1. Juvenile Justice: How to Calculate the Cost of ArrestWednesday, January 9, 2013 2:00-3:00 p.m. EST Photo: Richard Ross

  2. Leads a national movement • State-based juvenile justice coalitions and organizations (42 members in 33 states) • Laws, policies and practices that are fair, equitable and developmentally appropriate for all children, youth and families

  3. NJJN Fiscal Policy Center Cathy ConlyDirector of the Fiscal Policy Center Julius ChaidezFiscal Policy Associate

  4. About the Fiscal Policy Center • The FPC provides reformers with fiscal tools and resources to improve juvenile justice policy in their own states. We offer the following types of assistance: • Technical assistance with state legislation and fiscal notes. • Trainings in budget analysis and related communications messaging. • Resources on developing issues in fiscal policy. • Toolkits and reports to master the latest challenges in juvenile justice funding.

  5. Calculating the Cost of Arrest • Budget shortfalls have intensified policymakers’ interest in crafting cost-effective policies for youth in trouble with the law. • Determining the costs at each stage of the juvenile justice process is a critical part of these efforts. • This toolkit focuses on calculating costs at the point of arrest, a youth’s first official contact with the justice system.

  6. Overview • Locate budget information. • Calculate an officer’s average hourly rate. • Determine the number of hours per arrest. • Estimate the cost of arrest.

  7. Step 1: Locate Budget Information Determine which law enforcement agency or agencies (i.e., state, county, or city) are responsible for making arrests in the jurisdiction under consideration.

  8. Search for the Budget Data

  9. Step 2: ID Law Enforcement Costs • Look for salaries, benefits, support, and overhead costs. • These costs make up the total personnel costs for calculating an officer’s average hourly rate. • Several budget categories—Actual, Estimated, Requested—may be shown.

  10. LA County Sheriff Budget: Total Costs

  11. Step 3: ID the # of Full-time Employees This information may be identified in the budget document as: • Budgeted Positions • Authorized Positions • FTEs (Full-Time Equivalents)

  12. The total number of full-time employees in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (18,347 in FY 2009-10) is listed at the bottom of the “Actual” budget column, next to “Budgeted Positions.”

  13. Step 4: Average Hours to Arrest a Youth • Contact your local law enforcement agency’s public information officer or community liaison officer. • Contact your state’s “juvenile justice specialist.” Go to http://www.juvjustice.org/states.html. • Contact your local public defender’s office. • Look at cost-benefit or program reports prepared by a state administering agency (e.g., Office of Accountability, Office of Operations) or non-profit/academic research institutions that might have gathered data on arrests in your state or locality.

  14. Step 5: Do the Math

  15. Start: Total Salaries & Budgeted Positions Select the “Gross Total” and “Budgeted Positions (FTEs)” line items from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s budget summary.(Recall that the “Gross Total” represents the sum of salaries, benefits, support costs and overhead costs.) Los Angeles Sheriff’s Budget Summary: Gross Total = $2,520,656,278 Budgeted Positions (FTEs) = 18,347

  16. Then: Calculate Average Yearly Salary Divide: Law Enforcement Salaries, Benefits, Support and Overhead Costs By Number of Budgeted Positions (FTEs) or $2,520,656,278 18,347 Equals: = $137,387 average yearly salary, with supports, for one officer

  17. Next: Calculate Average Hourly Wage Divide the average yearly salary by the number of work hours during the year to determine the average cost per hour of a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s officer’s time. Divide: Average Yearly Salary: $137,387 Hours in a Full-Time Year or $137,387 2,080 hours Equals: = $66.00 per hour

  18. Last: Calculate the Cost of Arrest Multiply: Officer’s Hourly Rate x Hour(s) to Process Arrest: $66.00 x 6 hours = $396 + Additional Routine Fees (e.g., Booking Fee, shown here) $500 $396 + $500 Equals: = $896 per arrest The final cost—$896­—represents the average cost of an arrest of one youth by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Multiply the officer’s hourly rate by the hour(s) needed to process an arrest. If applicable, add any additional processing fees, routine fees (e.g., fees for booking or lab tests). The final sum is the cost of an individual arrest.

  19. Conclusion Knowing the cost of arrest can help reformers demonstrate how wiser spending often goes hand-in-hand with more humane, effective, and developmentally appropriate responses to youth crime.

  20. Questions? Julius C. Chaidez 202-467-0864 x129 chaidez@juvjustice.org Cathy Conly 202-467-0864 x126 conly@juvjustice.org Fiscal Policy Center National Juvenile Justice Network 1319 F Street, NW, Suite 402 Washington, D.C. 20004 www.njjn.org

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