How Much Does Crime Cost?
Posted on November 29, 2017
Burglary, murder, identity theft—all crimes have costs for victims and society. The Department of Justice reported that federal, state, and local governments spent more than $280 billion in 2012 on criminal justice, including police protection, the court system, and prisons.
However, there are many other costs that researchers consider when estimating the total cost of crime in the United States. These can include tangible costs like replacing damaged property, and intangible costs like victims’ pain and suffering.
Today’s WatchBlog takes a look at our recent report on how researchers calculate these costs—and why these costs matter.
Estimating costs
We found that there is no commonly used approach to estimating the costs of crime. Researchers have estimated varying annual costs of crime in the United States that range from $690 billion to $3.41 trillion. One reason that developing an accurate estimate is challenging is the difficulty of determining the intangible costs of crime.
(Excerpted from GAO-17-732)
(Excerpted from GAO-17-732)
(Excerpted from GAO-17-732)
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