NCJ Number
208559
Date Published
2004
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This paper presents a systematic empirical estimate of the direct cost of public expenditure on the global criminal justice system.
Abstract
Estimating the global criminal justice expenditure is one component of the costs of crime, which as of this report has not been estimated. Estimating the costs of crime is viewed as an increasingly important area of criminal justice research. This study examined the relationship between GDP or a country’s economic welfare and spending on criminal justice using data from 70 countries. To examine the extent to which GDP can be used to predict criminal justice expenditure, six, regression models were developed with the best model of the relationship identified for each of policing, prosecution, courts, and prisons. The models were then used to predict criminal justice expenditure in other countries which were then summed to produce a global estimate. A summary of the key findings include: (1) an estimated $360 billion was spent worldwide on criminal justice in 1997; and (2) of the total, 62 percent was spent on public policing, 3 percent on prosecutions, 18 percent on courts, and 17 percent on prisons. Criminal justice expenditure levels were found to be significantly tied to levels of available public monies as determined by the strength of a national economy. References and technical appendix