Cost of Crime in France in 1976 and 1977

• NCJ Number: 70192
• Author(s): T Godefroy; B Laffargue
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 90 pages
• Corporate Author: Ministere de la Justice Direction des Affaires Criminelles et de Graces
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: French
• Country: France
• Note: Deviance et controle social N. 27 (Deviance and Social Control N. 27)

Annotation

The costs of crime and of measures to repress and prevent crimes in France during 1976 and 1977 are estimated by the Service for Penal and Criminological Studies.

Abstract

Costs considered are public expenses for repression (i.e., police, gendarmie, the public prosecutor, penitentiary administration, supervised education of deliquent minors); Expenses for collecting fines, legal expenses, and expenses for correctional workers; and public expenses for correctional workers; and public expenses for prevention, (i.e., police, gendarmie, judicial protection of minors at risk, administrative protection of minors, clubs, housing for socially maladjusted juveniles, and scientific research). Also covered are costs of various types of crimes including murders and attempted murders, arson, various kinds of theft, checks written with insufficient funds, armed violence, counterfeiting, prostitution, drug offenses, customs fraud, and various economic crimes; and costs for protection such as alarm systems, safes, bullet-proof gLass, guarding and transport of funds, security in department stores, and lawyers for legal matters. According to estimates, public expenses for crime amount to between 52,089 and 55,942 million francs in 1976 and between 59,089 and 55,942 million francs in 1976 and between 59,084 and 63,481 million francs in 1977. Controlling crime costs 31,563 million francs in 1976 and 17,744 million francs in 1977. Total costs are estimated at 54,335 million francs in 1976 and 62,459 million francs in 1977. These expenses make up to 15 percent of the national budget in 1977. Between 83 and 91 percent of offenses are committed at public expense in in the period 1970 to 1977. The cost of crime in terms of human life is most affected by traffic offenses, and crime profits are highest for financial fraud. The importance of financial crimes is obscured by some control agencies but becomes apparent in cost studies such as this one. Tables, notes, and a bibilography are supplied. --in French.