NCJ Number
120902
Date Published
1989
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Official statistics from all 102 Illinois counties, excluding Cook County, and all Illinois municipalities with populations greater than 5,000 formed the basis of this analysis of changes in county and municipal criminal justice expenditures from 1972 to 1986.
Abstract
Data categories included public safety, corrections, and the courts and judiciary. Findings showed that counties are increasing the amount of funds directed at criminal justice activities, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of total county expenditures. Much of this increase relates to the substantial increase in spending for county jails. In contrast, municipal expenditures for police departments are increasing considerably less than expenditures for other municipal activities. In addition, the decline in government receipts in the 1980's has slowed the growth in criminal justice expenditures. Controlling for population, the increased expenditures have been greater than the growth in population except in Chicago, where expenditures decreased more than the population did. Overall, county and municipal expenditures for criminal justice are increasing as a proportion of total expenditures. Tables.