Intelligence · evidence scatter
The 380:1 ratio.
Every verified youth justice program in Australia, plotted by cost and evidence strength. The most expensive option, detention at $1330K a year, is the red line. Most programs sit far below it.
Programs with cost data
532
of 1000 total
Median cost
$5K
vs $1.3M detention · ROGS 17A.20
Cheapest Effective-rated
$4K
380:1 against detention · costs under $500/yr excluded
Implausible cost records
19
under $500/yr, held out as data errors
Cost vs evidence
Evidence breakdown
| Evidence level | Programs | With cost data | Avg cost/year | Median cost/year | Median gap to detention |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proven | 1 | 1 | $5K | $5K | $1.3M |
| Effective | 25 | 25 | $7K | $5K | $1.3M |
| Promising | 230 | 230 | $18K | $5K | $1.3M |
| Indigenous-led | 36 | 36 | $8K | $5K | $1.3M |
| Untested | 697 | 240 | $12K | $6K | $1.3M |
Lowest-cost programs rated Effective or Proven
cost per young person per year · costs under $500/yr held out as data errors
Aboriginal Family Violence Legal Service
Djirra (VIC) · Indigenous-led
$4K/yr
380:1 vs detention
The Deadly Matters Program
The Deadly Matters Program · Indigenous-led
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
Driver Licensing Initiative
MARANGUKA LIMITED (NSW) · Indigenous-led
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
Peacemaker Program
Anindilyakwa Land Council (NT) · Indigenous-led
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
Local Decision-Making Agreement
Anindilyakwa Land Council (NT) · Indigenous-led
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
Young Luv
Djirra (VIC) · Indigenous-led
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
Oochiumpa Youth Services
Oochiumpa Youth Services
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
Schools as Community Hubs — Wrap-Around Model
Our Place (Colman Foundation) (VIC)
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
Youth Yarnz After Dark
Youth Yarnz After Dark
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
headspace Mount Druitt
headspace Mount Druitt (NSW)
$5K/yr
266:1 vs detention
Methodology
Data sourced from the Australian Living Map of Alternatives. 1,000 verified interventions, 532 with cost-per-young-person data. Machine-generated records rejected in review are excluded.
Detention cost benchmark of $1.33M/year sourced from Productivity Commission Report on Government Services (ROGS) 2024-25, Table 17A.20.
Funding is deliberately not shown on this page. The linked funding records mix measurement bases that cannot honestly be summed per organisation, and the previous version of this page displayed "$0 funded" flags that were artefacts of a truncated query rather than facts about programs. Money lives on the money surfaces, where every figure names its basis.
Cost-per-young-person values under $500/year (19 records) are held out of rankings as presumed data errors and remain visible in the scatter.
Evidence levels assigned through systematic review: Proven (RCT with replication), Effective (strong evaluation), Promising (community-endorsed), Indigenous-led (culturally grounded), Untested (pilot/theory stage).