Sociology and Criminology-Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

La Vida de Juan: An Evaluation of Crime, Violence and Public Health Interventions for At-Risk Youth in Mexico

Roey Ringel*, Arturo Cervantes Trejo, Isaac Deneb Castaneda Alcantara, Isaac Baley Amiga and Nicole Terrein de La Cruz

Background: Crime and violence have hindered the development of the people, economy, and health of Mexico. In this study, we conducted an analysis of the compounding costs associated with neglecting the risk factors that lead young persons to violence and crime in Mexico.

Methods: We created a model of a typical male criminal offender in Mexico (Juan). Using data from public, private, and government sources, we calculated the cost of each stage of Juan’s life along with the total cost of crimes, violence, and events until the age of 37. These costs were compared to the costs of implementing interventions at key stages of development to calculate potential savings.

Results: Direct and indirect costs increased exponentially over time as violent actions and crimes became more severe. The stage where costs were lowest was infancy ($6,216 USD), while the costliest stage was adulthood ($1,034,847 USD). The total cost associated with the offender’s life was $1,752,501 USD, while the total estimated cost of implementing prevention programs in each stage of life was $144,254 USD.

Conclusion: Investing in programs at the earliest stages of life has been shown to have the greatest benefit in offsetting the compounding associated costs later in life. Our study shows that for every dollar invested on interventions to support Juan’s life, $12 are saved. This study can be used as an example for other countries in Latin America, which suffer from similar levels of violence and crime, and cultural and socioeconomic conditions.

Published Date: 2022-12-26; Received Date: 2022-11-21