NCJ Number
60628
Journal
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN BUSINESS REVIEW Volume: 30 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1978) Pages: 27-32
Date Published
1978
Length
6 pages
Annotation
THE COST EFFECTIVENESS OF ADDED INVESTMENTS IN THE POLICE PROCESS COMPARED TO POTENTIAL EXPECTED RETURNS IN TERMS OF REDUCTIONS IN THE COST OF CRIME TO SOCIETY ARE DISCUSSED.
Abstract
ACCORDING TO THE CRIME INDEX RATE, CRIMINAL ACTIVITY HAS INCREASED GREATLY WITHIN THE LAST 5 YEARS. THIS PAPER FOCUSES UPON THE SECONDARY FACTORS, THE SHORT-TERM MECHANISMS UTILIZED IN CRIMINAL DETERRENCE, RATHER THAN THE ERADICATION OF PRIMARY CRIME CAUSES SUCH AS POVERTY AND UNEMPLOYMENT. BY FOCUSING ON THE POLICE PROCESS AND THE POTENTIAL DETERRENT EFFECTS OF ADDED INVESTMENT IN THAT PROCESS, IT IS ASSUMED THAT CRIMINAL APPREHENSION AND PUNISHMENT ARE THE MEANS OF ATTAINING AN END, AND THAT DETERRENCE PER SE DOES WORK. FOR DETERRENCE TO WORK, THE POTENTIAL CRIMINAL MUST MAKE A CHOICE; HE CANNOT BE VIEWED AS AN UNTHINKING, IGNORANT CREATURE. THIS RATIONAL ECONOMIC OFFENDER CALCULATES, BASICALLY, THE AMOUNT OF INCOME OFFERED BY ILLEGAL OPPORTUNITIES AS WEIGHED AGAINST THE PROBABILITY OF BEING ARRESTED AND THE PROBABILITY OF PUNISHMENT, IF APPREHENDED. THE POLICE PROCESS MAY BE VIEWED IN ISOLATION THROUGH ANALYSIS OF DATA DERIVED FROM THE REPORTED OFFENSES, LAW ENFORCEMENT PERSONNEL AND SUPPORT EXPENDITURES. THE DATA SHOW THAT AS THE INVESTMENT IN THE POLICE PROCESS INCREASES, THE CRIME LEVEL SHOULD DECREASE; AS THE CRIME LEVEL INCREASES, SOCIETAL INJURY INCREASES; AND THE TOTAL SOCIETAL COST OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IS THE SUM OF THE INVESTMENT IN THE POLICE PROCESS AND THE SOCIETAL INJURY FROM CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. A TOTAL COST FUNCTION MODEL MAY THUS BE DEVELOPED, AS EXPRESSED IN DIAGRAMS. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE FUTURE ROLE OF THE ECONOMIST IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM NEED BE TO DETERMINED AND MEASURE THE MARGINAL ELASTICITIES OF THESE DETERRENT MECHANISMS SO THAT OPTIMUM RESOURCE ALLOCATION MAY BE ACHIEVED. ONLY BY RELATING THE RELATIVE OPPORTUNITY COST FUNCTIONS MAY A TRUE COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF INCREMENTAL INVESTMENT IN THE POLICE PROCESS BE MADE. FOOTNOTE REFERENCES AND FIGURES ARE PROVIDED IN THE ARTICLE. (LWM)