NCJ Number
141619
Journal
Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1993) Pages: 1-11
Date Published
1993
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Based on the United Nations Third Survey of Crime and Criminal Justice (1987), this article presents data on criminal justice expenditures in 93 countries, compared to crime and prosecution statistics.
Abstract
The overall trend in criminal justice expenditures globally has been upward from 1982 to 1986. The 93 countries, with few exceptions, reported an increase in all areas of criminal justice expenditure during this period. Globally, the median percentage increase in expenditure between 1982 and 1986 was 42 percent for the police, 30 percent for prosecutions, 38 percent for courts and prisons, and 21 percent for noninstitutional correction measures. Three conclusions are drawn from the analysis. First, the global pattern to criminal justice expenditure indicates that the resourcing of different system elements are related. Second, the changes in criminal justice expenditure show that, in general, systems are uncoordinated. There are no relationships between expenditure and outcomes; expenditure apparently is independent of inputs and outcomes. Thirdly, the data suggest that the aim of expenditure is to achieve short-term goals and that these goals are politically driven to meet momentary concerns. The general conclusion of the analysis is that criminal justice systems have a voracious appetite for resources and yet they are not required to guarantee that the aims for which they are resourced can be readily achieved. 5 tables, 3 notes, and 8 references