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In Fort Myers, Florida, the juvenile-crime rate has dropped 27% since the start-up three years ago of STARS, an academic and recreation program targeted at youths. Moreover, where only 25% of the city's youths had higher than a C average four years ago, today 75% are getting C's or better. While it would cost $15,000 to send a miscreant youth to boot camp for a year, STARS spends just $158 a child to provide music and dance lessons, sports and tutoring. When youths participate in such programs, says Wilbur Smith III, the city's mayor, they "start experiencing activities that reward them intellectually and emotionally, and that instills hope. You don't get that from punishment."
While all this seems obvious to people who work closely with youths, preventive solutions remain a hard sell -- especially after Republican cries of "pork" led to a $2 billion cut in the federal crime bill's proposed $8.9 billion in prevention measures. Victor Ashe, however, is one Republican who remains undeterred. Since becoming mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1988, he has raised his parks and recreation budget more than 60%. And as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he champions prevention as the most cost- effective weapon against crime: "If you commit a crime, you ought to be punished. But if a crime is prevented, that's better."