Each time someone breaks into a car, the total cost is $43,288 per incident, according to researchers from Iowa State University. The researchers factored in all aspects of the outcome of a crime, not just damages, correctional costs, defense costs, lost labor and other charges frequently associated with crime. Less obvious costs from the money spent on extra police patrols, fancy alarms and even upgrades on insurance were also calculated. The purpose of the research was to pinpoint the real cost of crime, and to come up with a better solution on how money could be spent to cut the crime rate.
Researchers discovered that the more serious the crime, the higher the cost was to society. Aggravated assault cost $145,379,an armed robbery cost $335,733, and every rape cost $448,532.But the cost for each murder skyrocketed to an exorbitant $17,252,656. In 2009 that number translated to $263billion, a sum that rivals what the U.S. spends on Medicaid each year.
Matt Delisi, a sociologist who headed the research, and his team, polled people across the United States and asked them to put a price tag on how much they would spend to cut crime 10 percent in their area. The result determined that to stop a murder, people would dig deep into their pockets. That factor alone accounts for more than $12 million of the $17 million spent. Delisi gives an example of how Americans changed their behavior while the D.C. snipers were at large. Money was spent not only by law enforcement to amp up patrols and on overtime for detectives, but also by ordinary citizens who purchased weapons, alarms for cars and homes, insurance policies, and by businesses who hired extra security.
Click here to go to website
|
|
|
|
