Invest in youth to boost economy

As political leaders grapple with the remnants of the worst economic decline since the Great Depression, they must balance the need for fiscal austerity with the question of who will carry the weight of future economic prosperity.

 Currently 20 percent of America's youth are at risk of disconnection from their schools, communities and families. What does America look like without 20 percent of our young people contributing to it? A failure.

These 14- to 24-year-olds typically arrive at the distinction of "at risk" through separate but, too often, dangerously intertwining paths: being precariously close to or dropping out of high school, involvement with the juvenile-justice system or placement in the foster-care system. Without skillful interventions, children who are grasping for stability will have a hard time succeeding as adults in the workplace.

We have a moral and fiscal responsibility to keep our children engaged in society. In these tough times, state and local governments must budget carefully and protect programs with proven, successful outcomes and a demonstrated ability to save taxpayer money.

If all school districts with at-risk youth conducted a full-court press toward graduation, it would reduce the financial drain that dropouts place on society. Over his or her working life, a high school dropout can cost taxpayers $319,000, compared with a high school graduate who contributes $261,000. Cumulatively and annually, high school dropouts cost society about $8 billion through benefits such as SNAP (formerly food stamps).

Keeping children out of the juvenile-justice system will save taxpayer dollars and make our communities safer. Youth detention is a slippery slope associated with leaving high school, re-arrest, substance abuse and difficulty finding a job.

Within the state of Florida, there is evidence of successful approaches. For example, Miami Dade County helps juvenile first-time misdemeanor offenders avoid this downward trajectory via civil citations. Rather than being subjected to detention, eligible children are sent to juvenile services, where they receive an assessment and appropriate, targeted interventions. Implemented on a larger scale, the cost savings of such an approach could have an enormous effect. While pre-arrest interventions can cost a few hundred dollars per child, an arrest costs several thousand dollars, and an adult in the prison system can cost $20,000 to $50,000 a year.

Locally, the Hillsborough County Juvenile Justice Task Force is examining how the use of civil citations as a pre-arrest diversion and intervention can create better outcomes for youth who may be at risk to enter the juvenile-justice system. Not only will this be a more productive outcome for our youth, but it should be quite cost-effective as well.

Every year, an estimated 30,000 young people "age out" of foster care without the financial or life skills needed to be self-sufficient. Youth transitioning from foster care suffer significantly higher rates of incarceration, homelessness, school drop-out, unemployment and unintended pregnancy. Efforts such as those of the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative and Connected by 25 Hillsborough County help these children become responsible and accountable by engaging youth in leadership and advocacy opportunities, building assets with matched savings accounts and finding ways to connect youth to families.

If our nation is to be competitive, every segment of the population needs to be productive and engaged. To contribute to society as adults, at-risk children need help now. These children need supportive and effective educational and foster-care systems. They need a juvenile-justice system intent on prevention. And they need clean police records and high school diplomas. They need these things so they can fill jobs, start small businesses or serve in the military and then add more tax dollars or services to society than they take away.

Legislators are now being called upon to do more with less and to ensure America's long-term fiscal recovery in the process. This cannot be done with 20 percent of our youth sitting on the sidelines. Programs for at-risk youth can dramatically improve lives and save taxpayer dollars; they must be budgeted for accordingly to create a better future for our nation and all of its children.