NCJ Number
79201
Journal
Journal of Legal Studies Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1981) Pages: 363-380
Date Published
1981
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This essay presents a statistical model which evaluates the distribution of resources among branches of the criminal justice system and the cost benefits of incarceration by comparing the sum of damages from major felonies with the costs of control.
Abstract
In this study, damages were determined by both the severity and supply of offenses while costs of control were specified in terms of imprisonments, time served, and employees in police, corrections, and other services. Empirical analysis of data from 32 States indicated that police and corrections personnel were complementary inputs with very inelastic factor demands in the production of crime control, while prosecutors and judges were substitutes with a unitary elastic demand curve. These findings suggest a lack of coordination between branches of the criminal justice system which results in a wasteful allocation of resources. Close examination of this data revealed that 8 larger States in the sample exhibited a ratio of imprisonment to time served that was too high and led to excessive costs. The 24 States which produced an efficient mix of outputs had an average time served in prison of 2.33 years for the FBI 7 index felonies. The marginal cost of an additional year served per prisoner is estimated to be $29,500, and the average damage rate for the seven felonies, mostly larcenies and burglaries, is $323. A cost function formula shows that it would pay to keep a prisoner for an additional year only if he or she is expected to commit 92 or more crimes per year if released. Statistical formulas, tables, and 24 footnotes are included. (Author abstract modified)