Prevention is better than cure – or prisons

The improving power of cost-benefit analysis, for example in persuading the Washington state legislature to build fewer new prisons and invest instead in prevention, was explained to children’s services staff in Birmingham UK yesterday.

Steve Aos who heads the Washington State Institute for Public Policy is one of a number of leaders of the new science.
 
He was visiting the UK's second city as it plans and implements its Brighter Futures strategy - a £41m investment in prevention and early intervention activity. 
 
The Washington Institute’s work, which has already been highly influential in shaping the Birmingham investment plan, is freely available from their website. Reports focus on particular topics, for example, child welfare, and compare programmes from around the world for their effectiveness. Analysis of their cost to benefit ratio establishes whether they are a good investment.