Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/DanielPMears

Agricultural crime, including theft of farming-related commodities, supplies, and equipment, causes billions of dollars of losses each year to farmers, insurers, and consumers. Drawing on analyses of law enforcement, farm survey, site visit, and interview data, the Urban Institute and Florida State University evaluated the theory and impacts of a promising initiative in California—the Agricultural Crime, Technology, Information, and Operations Network (ACTION) project (www.agcrime.net)—aimed at addressing this problem. ACTION collects and analyzes agricultural crime data; encourages and enables information-sharing among law enforcement agencies and prosecutors within and across counties; educates the public and farmers about agricultural crime and how to combat it; marks equipment with owner applied numbers (OANs); and promotes aggressive law enforcement and prosecution. This policy brief describes the application of cost-benefit analysis to agricultural crime prevention programs, and shows that ACTION contributed to farmers investing more to protect their property.

Agricultural crime, including theft of farming-related commodities, supplies, and equipment, causes billions of dollars of losses each year to farmers, insurers, and consumers. Drawing on analyses of law enforcement, farm survey, site visit, and interview data, the Urban Institute and Florida State University evaluated the theory and impacts of a promising initiative in California—the Agricultural Crime, Technology, Information, and Operations Network (ACTION) project—aimed at addressing this problem. ACTION collects and analyzes agricultural crime data; encourages and enables information-sharing among law enforcement agencies and prosecutors within and across counties; educates the public and farmers about agricultural crime and how to combat it; marks equipment with owner applied numbers (OANs); and promotes aggressive law enforcement and prosecution. ACTION's activities appear to have reduced victimization and to have increased agricultural crime arrests and prosecutions, recovery of stolen property, and farmers' investment in crime prevention. This policy brief summarizes the study's key findings and its policy, theory, and research recommendations.

Agricultural crime, including theft of farming-related commodities, supplies, and equipment, causes billions of dollars of losses each year to farmers, insurers, and consumers. Drawing on analyses of law enforcement, farm survey, site visit, and interview data, the Urban Institute and Florida State University evaluated the theory and impacts of a promising initiative in California—the Agricultural Crime, Technology, Information, and Operations Network (ACTION) project—aimed at addressing this problem. ACTION collects and analyzes agricultural crime data; encourages and enables information-sharing among law enforcement agencies and prosecutors within and across counties; educates the public and farmers about agricultural crime and how to combat it; marks equipment with owner applied numbers (OANs); and promotes aggressive law enforcement and prosecution. ACTION's activities appear to have reduced victimization and to have increased agricultural crime arrests and prosecutions, recovery of stolen property, and farmers' investment in crime prevention. This report describes the study and findings in detail.

During the past 20 years, super-maximum-security prisons have become a common feature of the corrections landscape in America. Yet little is known about the goals or unintended effects associated with these prisons. Even less is known about their causal logic--that is, how they achieve particular goals and impacts. The Urban Institute study involved a comprehensive review of literature, correctional agency documents, and media accounts; site visits to three states; interviews with 60 practitioners and policymakers; and a national survey of state prison wardens. This report summarizes the findings and their implications.

[San Jose Mercury News] Nearly 2,000 children in need of mental health treatment are languishing in America's jails. A Congressional report reveals that in two-thirds of all states, mentally ill youth are locked up, often without charges, simply because no local treatment is available. Despite such sobering facts, many states are cutting back services for mentally ill youth. To break this vicious cycle, better mental health assessment at the justice system's front door is needed and the juvenile justice system and communities need to provide a range of services, including coordinated cross-agency case management of mentally ill youth.

This policy brief provides an introduction to benefit-cost analysis and how it can assist policymakers and corrections officials in determining whether investing in supermax security facilities constitutes an appropriate and effective allocation of resources. The brief provides examples of practical applications of benefit-cost analysis, introduces the logic of this analytic tool, describes the specific steps involved in conducting a benefit-cost analysis, and then shows how these steps apply to supermax prisons. The brief emphasizes the critical role that informed judgments and assumptions play, along with empirical research, in affecting the results of benefit-cost analyses.

[TheHill.com] In this opinion piece, Dan Mears argues that prison abuse, such as that committed in Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison, is not solely the fault of the guards. Research on American super-maximum prisons shows how the situation in Iraq could have been avoided.

Approximately 200,000 juveniles and young adults age 24 and under leave secure juvenile correctional facilities or state and federal prisons and return home each year--a process that we call youth reentry. The unprecedented growth in incarceration means that communities across the country increasingly must confront the challenges of integrating ever-growing numbers of young people who have been in adult prisons or prison-like settings operated by the juvenile justice system. Youth may face numerous obstacles, including family dysfunction, poverty, drug abuse, and inadequate education, treatment, and services, all of which may not only contribute to criminal behavior but also to their success during reentry in avoiding crime and becoming a contributing member of society. This report, which summarizes the insights of participants in the Urban Institute's Youth Reentry Roundtable, examines these issues and provides policy and research recommendations.

This report summarizes and assesses the state of knowledge about children and youth with disabilities who are at risk of delinquency and involvement in the juvenile justice system or have already entered it. Topics include (1) laws and philosophical frameworks affecting this population of youth; (2) causal relationships between disability, delinquency, and justice system involvement; (3) factors affecting disability and delinquency; (4) current and anticipated programming; (5) the effectiveness of prevention, intervention and treatment, and management strategies; (6) barriers and facilitators to implementing effective strategies; and (7) recommended "next steps" for increasing knowledge and effective practice. By highlighting what is known about addressing delinquency and the diverse needs among this population, it aims to inform policy discussions among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.

[United Press International] Up to 20 percent of the estimated 100,000 youth in incarceration have serious mental disorders, 20 to 50 percent have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, 12 percent are mentally retarded, and 30 percent or more have specific learning disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) entitles these youth, like all youth with disabilities, to receive an education in regular classrooms and to receive disability-related services. As Congress debates the renewal of IDEA, the goal of the juvenile justice system—to help youth make a successful transition into adulthood—should be kept in mind.

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