Spending on prisons is at an all time high in the United States. These costs are proving unsustainable, causing a substantial drain on state and local government budgets and diverting scarce resources from critical sectors like education, health, and welfare. Early prevention of delinquency and later offending represents a viable public policy option to the present focus on punishment, and some governments are beginning to take notice. This article reviews the highest-quality research on the economic benefits and costs of early prevention compared with imprisonment. It finds that there is a growing body of scientific research that shows that early prevention is an effective and worthwhile investment of public resources; a number of landmark, comprehensive economic studies demonstrate the value of early prevention and other alternatives compared to imprisonment; and a new crop of research studies are forging important insights on the economics of prison and alternative strategies. Implications for policy are discussed.
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