When youths pay for crime by being incarcerated, taxpayers, too, bear some of the burden. Locking up a juvenile costs states an average of $407.58 per person per day and $148,767 per person per year when the most expensive option is used, according to a new report by the Justice Policy Institute. As the country debates the cost-effectiveness of mass incarceration, the report notes that jailing youths carries its own exorbitant price tag.

The Justice Policy Institute surveyed 46 states, looking at what governments spent on confining young people.

