Most persistent offenders acquire a criminal record, so one option is to increase the rate at which we imprison recidivist juvenile offenders.  Even the most optimistic research to date suggests that incapacitation is not a very cost-effective way of reducing juvenile crime.  The money we spend incarcerating juvenile offenders would, in many circumstances, be better spent treating or trying to rehabilitate them.  There is good evidence that treatment for drug dependence is an effective way of reducing re-offending.  There is also good evidence, despite earlier suggestions to the contrary, that it is possible to rehabilitate re-offenders using methods such as conferencing, cognitive behavioural therapy or training in basic life skills.