NCJ Number
134480
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Data on the direct cost of crime from the United Nations World Crime Surveys are presented for developing and developed countries for the period between 1975 and 1990.
Abstract
Developed nations employed more police personnel than the developing nations except for 1975. The levels of policing for developed countries steadily increased concomitant with an increase in crime rates; whereas, the level of policing in developing countries varied inversely with the crime rates. The differences are probably due to specific types of crimes, or the quality of reported data as well as political, social, and economic stability. Regarding the cost of prison, there has been an increased allocation of personnel to prison for both developing and developed countries, together with an increase in provision of beds in developed countries, but a decrease in prison beds in developing countries. Provision of space may be an important indicator of the cost of prisons. A comparison analysis of expenditure on education, defense, and criminal justice showed that a much larger proportion of money went for defense purposes than for criminal justice. Education spending was in between the other two categories.