NCJ Number
164567
Date Published
1995
Length
69 pages
Annotation
This book surveys recent research on the economics of crime, reviews international crime statistics, analyzes crime figures in England and Wales where recent trends indicate recorded crime is decreasing, and offers suggestions for action.
Abstract
Costs of crime and outcomes of the criminal justice system are discussed, with particular emphasis on crime clearance rates and prison population changes. Theoretical work and econometric tests of theories about deterrence are examined, and support is offered for the view that crimes are deterred by increases in both the likelihood and severity of punishment. The work of several economists on punishment is considered, for example, how penalties for less serious offenses should relate to those for more serious offenses and how penalties for crime attempts should relate to penalties for completed crimes. The just deserts principle is criticized because it does not minimize social costs of crime and crime control. The author looks at various forms of privatization in crime prevention, policing, and prisons. He concludes that crime and crime control impose considerable costs on society, that criminal justice policy is an economic problem, that available evidence supports economic models of criminal participation, that the goal of punishment should be to minimize crime and crime control costs, that individuals and groups should purchase protection for their own neighborhoods since public policing has largely failed to prevent crime, that individuals should be given greater financial incentives to protect their property, and that alternatives to prison should be pursued. References, footnotes, tables, and figures