NCJ Number
143210
Date Published
1992
Length
68 pages
Annotation
This study explores the impact of a proposed entertainment and casino complex to be developed in Chicago, on criminal justice system costs in terms of workloads and resource needs.
Abstract
The report offers a first, conservative, cost estimate, focusing only on Cook County index crime and cost impacts. Five future scenarios positing a range of potential increases in the number of index crimes in the region were developed using findings and assumptions derived from research on the crime impacts of both tourism and casino gambling as well as Chicago casino complex visitor projections. The cost implications of each scenario were assessed using current budget and criminal justice processing data from Chicago, Cook County, and relevant State criminal justice agencies. The two most probable scenarios suggest that the proposed casino complex would increase the annual number of Cook County index crimes between 2.4 percent and 5.8 percent, thereby generating additional justice system expenditures ranging from $42 million to $100 million annually. This analysis did not include non-index crimes including DUI, fraud, extortion, embezzlement, prostitution, and drug offenses, and did not estimate the costs to crime victims. Finally, the overall cost impact of any increases in organized crime activity resulting from casino operations cannot be quantified and cost estimates did not include any capital expenditures arising from the need to expand criminal justice system facilities to accommodate increased case flows or inmate populations. 4 appendixes