NCJ Number
180670
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 27 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2000 Pages: 115-133
Editor(s)
Curt R. Bartol
Date Published
2000
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article examines the contributions, both methodological and empirical, of cost-benefit analyses of correctional interventions designed to reduce re-offending in the community.
Abstract
The literature review indicates that seven published studies have presented information on monetary costs and benefits. These studies identify benefits as costs avoided to the criminal justice system and crime victims, increased employment earnings, and savings to public health care and welfare. They also suggest that benefits of correctional interventions outweigh their costs, but they are not clear about what type of treatment is more economically efficient or whether it is more economically efficient to administer treatment in an institutional or a community setting. Methodological problems associated with the studies are noted. The authors recommend future cost-benefit research on correctional interventions focus on standardizing the measurement of costs and benefits, especially in well-designed studies comparing experimental control groups with before and after measures of offending. A standard list of monetary costs and benefits that should be measured in all studies is needed. 47 references, 3 notes, and 1 table