. Identify and explain the challenges inherent to the task of estimating the costs of crime. How do you feel that the costs of crime could be measured? Support your response.
Crime generates substantial costs to society at individual, community, and national levels. The cost of crime is almost impossible to measure and to put a price tag on what it would cost would be a phenomenal amount. For example, the riots in Los Angeles in 1992 that broke out after the videotapes went public regarding the beating of Rodney King caused the deaths of fifty-three people, more than 2,000 were injured, and property damage was estimated at nearly $800 million and the losses at the nation’s savings and loan companies in the eighties and early nineties are estimated to have cost taxpayers $500 million.
In 1999, David Anderson wrote an article titled The Aggregate Burden of Crime in which he attempted to assess the total cost of crime by including the cost of the legal system and criminal justice agencies as well as opportunity costs of …show more content…
Many victims of crime require short-term or long-term treatment, medications, and/or counseling to cope with fear, mistrust a curtailing of public activity, and a decline in the quality of life. Some crime victims are permanently disabled as the result of a crime and may be immobile, blind, deaf, bedridden, or may lose a limb. This would also result in additional expenses. Considering there are many drug related crimes, intervention programs such as substance abuse treatment and facilities are costly to operate but have the potential to generate significant income benefits to society by reducing addiction related crime but also causes the expense total to
Crime generates substantial costs to society at individual, community, and national levels. The cost of crime is almost impossible to measure and to put a price tag on what it would cost would be a phenomenal amount. For example, the riots in Los Angeles in 1992 that broke out after the videotapes went public regarding the beating of Rodney King caused the deaths of fifty-three people, more than 2,000 were injured, and property damage was estimated at nearly $800 million and the losses at the nation’s savings and loan companies in the eighties and early nineties are estimated to have cost taxpayers $500 million.
In 1999, David Anderson wrote an article titled The Aggregate Burden of Crime in which he attempted to assess the total cost of crime by including the cost of the legal system and criminal justice agencies as well as opportunity costs of …show more content…
Many victims of crime require short-term or long-term treatment, medications, and/or counseling to cope with fear, mistrust a curtailing of public activity, and a decline in the quality of life. Some crime victims are permanently disabled as the result of a crime and may be immobile, blind, deaf, bedridden, or may lose a limb. This would also result in additional expenses. Considering there are many drug related crimes, intervention programs such as substance abuse treatment and facilities are costly to operate but have the potential to generate significant income benefits to society by reducing addiction related crime but also causes the expense total to