Chiefs: Invest in Early Ed Now, Spend Less on Prison Later

Did you know that quality early learning can save $175 million a year on corrections costs in Connecticut? Wouldn't that $175 million be better invested in preventing crime by investing in quality programs for children, rather than pay for incarceration? Seems more like a question of being proactive, rather than reactive.

In November, Chief Daryl Roberts of the Hartford Police Department and Chief James Cetran of the Wethersfield Police Department, both members of “Fight Crime, Invest in Kids,” an anti-crime organization led by 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, other law enforcement leaders and violence survivors nationwide, including 78 in Connecticut, urged Sen. Christopher Dodd to help champion new federal legislation to implement the proposed Early Learning Challenge Fund. That fund would provide $1 billion a year in grants to states to expand access to high-quality early childhood development initiatives. Roberts and Cetran also asked the state legislature to continue to support quality early education efforts at the state level.

The landmark High/Scope Perry Preschool study out of Michigan found that by the age of 40, kids left out of the program were 85% more likely to be sentenced to prison.

“More than half my life has been spent in law enforcement, and to this day, the most frustrating thing I can see continues to be a child slowly going down the wrong path,” said Chief Roberts. “I know where that path leads – it leads to lost hope, a life of crime, incarceration. As adults and leaders in our community and government, it is our responsibility to provide our children with the support they need that leads to a life of achievement and success.”

Roberts and Cetran also highlighted the cost savings that ECE offers, particularly when it comes to at-risk young children. Research shows that the investment helps cut crime and incarceration rates. Not only does it help with criminal justice savings, it also helps reduce education costs, such as remedial education and grade repeat reductions.

“When you compare the costs of early education or prison, the best choice is clear,” said Chief Cetran. “I would much rather see some of my tax dollars supporting preschool learners now than a whole lot more tax dollars supporting prison inmates later.”

Right now, Connecticut spends $696 million each year on incarcerated prisoners. High-quality early care and education will not only help cut crime, but it can help reduce that expense by a quarter or more – approximately $175 million. Over 22,000 adults are currently behind bars in the state, meaning that one in every 121 Connecticut adults are currently incarcerated. The cost is $90 per day, per prisoner, or $32,000 a year per prisoner. For some people, that is what they make in a yearly salary, and it is more than the cost of tuition, room and board at UConn, and that is what it costs to house just one inmate for a year.