NCJ Number
122892
Date Published
1988
Length
65 pages
Annotation
In England, the costs of crime imposed upon society's victims and the whole community can be considerable.
Abstract
The total amount of the cost of crime expressed in monetary terms is very large, amounting to billions of British pounds sterling a year. Any realistic assessment of the costs of crime must take full account of the personal and social damage which it causes. Those who have not themselves been attacked, or had their possessions stolen or damaged, bear their share of the costs of dealing with offenders and of taking preventive measures; they suffer as consumers from the loss of corporate resources which results from crime against organizations of all kinds. Progress towards reducing the costs of crime requires a concerted effort by the whole community in crime management. Crime management is seen as an important concept which goes wider than crime prevention and criminal justice, but which supports and embraces both. It is recommended that there should be one nationally recognized organization that could keep track of all crime prevention developments. This organization could serve as a clearinghouse for those interested in crime prevention by simply collating brief details and relaying these details to others. Also recommended are further development of "victim concerns," and the regular publication of national figures concerning the costs of crime to victims and of crime management. 28 notes and references.