Costs of Juvenile Crime in Urban Areas: A Longitudinal Perspective

• NCJ Number: 221009
• Journal: Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2008 Pages: 3-27
• Author(s): Brandon C. Welsh; Rolf Loeber; Bradley R. Stevens; Magda Stouthamer-Loeber; Mark A. Cohen; David P. Farrington
• Date Published: January 2008
• Length: 25 pages
• Grant Number(s): 96-MU-FX-0012; 50778; 411018
• Contract Number(s): 70099-005
• Sponsoring Agency: National Ctr for Juvenile Justice; Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP); National Institute on Drug Abuse; National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Previously published estimates of the financial costs to victims of a number of violent and property crimes were used to assess the monetary costs to society of self-reported male juvenile offending in urban areas, based on the criminal activity of a cohort of 503 boys (ages 7-17) who composed the youngest sample of the Pittsburgh Youth Study.

Abstract

Using a conservative estimate, the study found that the cohort caused significant financial harm due to their crimes, which ranged from a low estimate of $89 million to a high of $110 million. From an early age, the cohort was responsible for substantial victim losses. These losses mounted in the offending during teen years. Between the ages of 7 and 17, the sample self-reported approximately 12,500 of the 7 types of serious crimes considered in the study. More than two-thirds (69.1 percent) of the crimes were assaults. Larceny was the second most frequent crime, accounting for 25.1 percent of all self-reported crimes. More cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness analyses are needed in assessing the independent and comparative value of early crime prevention, youth development, and juvenile justice programs. 10 tables, 1 figure, and 70 references