Delvin Davis, senior policy analyst at Southern Poverty Law Center and author of the report, Only Young Once, said incarcerating a child also comes with a big price tag.

“Once the kid is incarcerated, it’s not just the kid that’s impacted, but it’s the parents, it’s the siblings, it’s everybody in that kid’s community as well,” Davis said. 

 According to the report, Georgia spends $217,000 annually to incarcerate a child in its system — or over eight times the cost of incarcerating an adult in state prisons. It’s also more than triple the cost of a full year attending the University of Georgia, Georgia Tech and K-12 public schools combined. 

 With that same investment, YES can help transform the lives of 20 youth, helping them reach their full potential and contribute positively to their communities.