Estimates of cost of crime : history, methodologies, and implications / Jacek Czabanski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Czabanski, Jacek.

Contributor:

Lipman Criminology Library Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Crime--Economic aspects.

Crime.

Crime prevention.

Crime prevention--Cost effectiveness.

Physical Description:

xi, 136 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; London : Springer, [2008]

Summary:

The enormous burden that crime imposes on societies, while intuitively obvious, for a long time eluded measurement. With the emergence and development of quantitative methods in economics and statistics, the exercise of calculating cost of crime became possible, although remains controversial.

This book presents the history of the cost of crime estimates, methodologies used, and possible applications. Cost of crime estimates may guide legislators when they draft criminal law provisions, regardless a theory of punishment they follow. The full advantages of using cost of crime estimates accrue, however, in their assessment and control power. Consistent use of cost of crime estimates helps public policy to stay in line with public preferences, and eliminates clearly unjustified projects.

Several applications of cost of crime estimates in cost-benefit analyses of different crime policies have proved the necessity of such estimates in any rational crime policy.

Contents:

1 Introduction 1

2 What Are Costs of Crime? 5

2.1 What is Crime 5

2.2 What is a Cost? 9

2.3 Categories of Costs 10

2.3.1 Costs of Crime Itself 10

2.3.2 Cost of Society's Response 16

2.3.3 Costs in Anticipation of Crime 17

2.4 Why Calculate Costs of Crime? 17

3 Costs of Crime Estimation Techniques 19

3.1 Total or Incremental Cost of Crime 19

3.2 Ex Ante and Ex Post Perspectives 21

3.3 A Short History of Costs of Crime 22

3.4 Property Prices 26

3.5 Jury Awards 31

3.6 Contingent Valuation 34

3.7 Fear of Crime and Shadow Pricing 39

3.8 Total Cost of Crime 40

3.9 Other Estimates 47

3.10 Discussion 48

3.10.1 Ex Ante and Ex Post Perspectives 48

3.10.2 Marginal and Total Cost of Crime 52

3.10.3 Lack of Categorization 53

3.10.4 Comprehensiveness 54

3.10.5 Recommendation 55

4 Implications for Criminal Policy 57

4.1 Costs Estimates and Theories of Punishment 57

4.1.1 Harm and Culpability 59

4.1.2 Retributivism 62

4.1.3 Consequentialism 76

4.2 Costs Estimates and Sentencing Policy 83

4.2.1 Social Perception of the Seriousness of Crime 86

4.2.2 Criminal Law and Public Opinion 89

4.2.3 Normative Seriousness of Crime 93

4.2.4 Judicial Perception of Seriousness of Crime 97

4.3 Crime Prevention 104

4.3.1 Cost-Benefit Analysis in Criminal Law 104

4.3.2 Benefits of Cost-Benefit Analysis 111

4.3.3 Cost of Crime Estimates in Assessing Crime Policies 115.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Lipman Criminology Library Fund.

ISBN:

9783540698036

3540698035

3540698051

9783540698050

OCLC:

233933203