Multisystemic Therapy-Family Integrated Transitions (MST-FIT) for youth in state institutions
Juvenile Justice
Benefit-cost methods last updated December 2023. Literature review updated February 2019.
Multisystemic Therapy-Family Integrated Transitions (MST-FIT) is a manualized adaptation of Multisystemic Therapy (MST) designed for youth with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who are returning to the community after confinement. MST-FIT aims for behavioral change in the youth’s home environment, emphasizing the strengths of family, peers, school, and neighborhoods to promote change. Youth receive intensive family and community-based treatment targeting serious antisocial behavior. MST-FIT incorporates the therapeutic principles from MST, Dialectical behavior therapy, and Motivational Enhancement Therapy for youth and includes parent skills training for a youth’s parent or guardian. The first phase of the program lasts two to three months while youth reside in a juvenile rehabilitation facility. The second phase occurs in the community for four to six months.
The study included in this analysis took place in Washington State. In this study, 29% of youth were people of color and 15% were female. Both the program and comparison group youth had access to usual services.
We exclude evaluations of Multisystemic Therapy-Substance Abuse, Multisystemic Therapy-Problem Sexual Behavior, and Multisystemic Therapy for court-involved youth from this analysis and analyze them separately.
Key Terms
Court-involved youth: Youth who are processed through the juvenile justice system but who are not ordered to a period of confinement in a residential or correctional facility. This includes populations of arrested youth, diverted youth, charged youth, adjudicated youth, and youth on probation or formal supervision.
Youth in state institutions: Youth who are confined in a residential or correctional facility when they participate in the program.
Youth post-release: Youth who are returning to the community following a period of confinement in a residential or correctional facility and who participate in the program after release to the community.
ALL |
BENEFIT-COST | META-ANALYSIS |
CITATIONS |
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For an overview of WSIPP's Benefit-Cost Model, please see this guide. The estimates shown are present value, life cycle benefits and costs. All dollars are expressed in the base year chosen for this analysis (2022). The chance the benefits exceed the costs are derived from a Monte Carlo risk analysis. The details on this, as well as the economic discount rates and other relevant parameters are described in our Technical Documentation.
Benefit-Cost Summary Statistics Per Participant |
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|
Taxpayers |
$5,089 |
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Benefits minus costs |
$2,413 |
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Participants |
$656 |
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Benefit to cost ratio |
$1.17 |
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Others |
$15,411 |
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Chance the program will produce |
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|
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Indirect |
($4,659) |
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benefits greater than the costs |
53% |
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Total benefits |
$16,496 |
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|
|
|
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Net program cost |
($14,083) |
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|
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Benefits minus cost |
$2,413 |
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|
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1In addition to the outcomes measured in the meta-analysis table, WSIPP measures benefits and costs estimated from other outcomes associated with those reported in the evaluation literature. For example, empirical research demonstrates that high school graduation leads to reduced crime. These associated measures provide a more complete picture of the detailed costs and benefits of the program.
2“Others” includes benefits to people other than taxpayers and participants. Depending on the program, it could include reductions in crime victimization, the economic benefits from a more educated workforce, and the benefits from employer-paid health insurance.
3“Indirect benefits” includes estimates of the net changes in the value of a statistical life and net changes in the deadweight costs of taxation.
Detailed Monetary Benefit Estimates Per Participant |
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|
Taxpayers |
Participants |
Others2 |
Indirect3 |
Total
|
|
Crime |
Criminal justice system |
$4,836 |
$0 |
$15,021 |
$2,418 |
$22,276 |
Labor market earnings associated with high school graduation |
$325 |
$765 |
$422 |
$0 |
$1,512 |
Costs of higher education |
($72) |
($109) |
($33) |
($36) |
($250) |
|
Program cost |
Adjustment for deadweight cost of program |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
($7,041) |
($7,041) |
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|
|
Totals |
|
$5,089 |
$656 |
$15,411 |
($4,659) |
$16,496 |
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Populations - Primary |
Crime |
Youth released from state institutions – high & moderate risk Youth released from a juvenile rehabilitation facility classified as high or moderate risk for recidivism as measured on a risk assessment instrument |
Education |
Youth involved in the juvenile justice system Youth who are currently or were previously involved in the juvenile justice system |
Earnings |
General population All people |
For more information on populations see the
Technical Documentation
Detailed Annual Cost Estimates Per Participant |
Program costs |
$11,938 |
2016 |
Present value of net program costs (in 2022 dollars) |
($14,083) |
Comparison costs |
$0 |
2016 |
Cost range (+ or -) |
10% |
The per-participant cost estimate reflects five months in Multisystemic Therapy-Family Integrated Transitions (MST-FIT), provided by C. Redman (personal communication, Washington State Juvenile Rehabilitation, April 16, 2019). This cost reflects estimates from Barnoski, R. (2009). Providing evidence-based programs with fidelity in Washington State juvenile courts: Cost analysis (Doc. No. 09-12-1201). Olympia: Washington State Institute for Public Policy.
The figures shown are estimates of the costs to implement programs in Washington. The comparison group costs reflect either no treatment or treatment as usual, depending on how effect sizes were calculated in the meta-analysis. The cost range reported above reflects potential variation or uncertainty in the cost estimate; more detail can be found in our Technical Documentation.
Benefits Minus Costs |
Benefits by Perspective |
Taxpayer Benefits by Source of Value |
Benefits Minus Costs Over Time (Cumulative Discounted Dollars) |
The graph above illustrates the estimated cumulative net benefits per-participant for the first fifty years beyond the initial investment in the program. We present these cash flows in discounted dollars. If the dollars are negative (bars below $0 line), the cumulative benefits do not outweigh the cost of the program up to that point in time. The program breaks even when the dollars reach $0. At this point, the total benefits to participants, taxpayers, and others, are equal to the cost of the program. If the dollars are above $0, the benefits of the program exceed the initial investment. |
Benefits by Perspective Over Time (Cumulative Discounted Dollars) |
The graph above illustrates the breakdown of the estimated cumulative benefits (not including program costs) per-participant for the first fifty years beyond the initial investment in the program. These cash flows provide a breakdown of the classification of dollars over time into four perspectives: taxpayer, participant, others, and indirect. “Taxpayers” includes expected savings to government and expected increases in tax revenue. “Participants” includes expected increases in earnings and expenditures for items such as health care and college tuition. “Others” includes benefits to people other than taxpayers and participants. Depending on the program, it could include reductions in crime victimization, the economic benefits from a more educated workforce, and the benefits from employer-paid health insurance. “Indirect benefits” includes estimates of the changes in the value of a statistical life and changes in the deadweight costs of taxation. If a section of the bar is below the $0 line, the program is creating a negative benefit, meaning a loss of value from that perspective. |
Taxpayer Benefits by Source of Value Over Time (Cumulative Discounted Dollars) |