When he innocently asked about the cost of custody, I told him the cheapest cost - about 50,000 per young person per year - and he was gobsmacked.
This kind of debate has become something of a broken record. People are surprised to hear that our most expensive community-based intervention costs a quarter of the cheapest custodial alternative - with at least marginally better outcomes. Some may recall the American Head Start programme, based on the idea that for every dollar invested in the under-fives, you save seven dollars of public money further down the track. This is the basis for the Government's commitment to Sure Start.
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