The True Cost of Crime to Society

THE COST OF CRIME

When criminals commit their crimes they naturally do not think about the potential damage they cause and the expense involved.

Few people may realize the actual cost of crime since some costs are hidden and are not readily apparent. Just so you know, here are some additional costs that you may not be aware of but here they are:

The actual cost of theft of any kind
Whether it’s a few groceries, a stolen bicycle, a car that may never be recovered or be damaged costing a lot to repair or jewelries in a home robbery, all have a potential high price tag as the owners may have to replace what was stolen or damaged

The damage done in the process like destroying a store or any property
If a store has been robbed, usually there is lots of damage, which can be costly to repair and even may entail closure of the business and the potential loss of income from sales.

Potential injuries to people that got in the way, like a store owner
The clerk or store owner or a homeowner that has been hurt in a home robbery may have potential expenses for medical treatment that could be costly, especially if they do not have sufficient insurance. Not to mention the damage to the store or home. In addition there may be loss of income if the injured is hurt and cannot work for some time.

Loss of income to injured people, especially during street robberies or car jacking.
During a robbery the robbed person may get injured, especially if they try to put up a fight or try the thief from taking their property, which in most cases is not a good idea and often results in injuries. During car jacking the potential for violence is even greater not to mention potential injuries if the car criminal takes off while the owner is somehow caught on pat of the car and gets dragged along for a time.

Cost of repairing any damage done to a store or property
There is no way of knowing what sums of money homeowners, store owners and insurance companies for repairing or replacement of property, have spent.

Medial cost & expenses for injured people
After a crime has been committed there rarely is a follow up so often it’s not known who was injured and what the ultimate expense is for these unfortunate people.

Cost of law enforcement called to the crime scene
Cities in which crimes occur usually food the bill, which often can be enormous
Depending how many officers are dispatched to the scene, how long the total involvement takes and if any officers are injured needing treatment and potentially lose time off work.

Cost of any potential trial that can last a very long time
The criminal and court system is grossly overloaded and often it can take a very long time for such a case to come to trial involving a litany of expenses. Lawyers as we all know, present perhaps the highest expenses. especially if a trial takes a long time with several extensions. Court costs; witnesses and special “experts” usually add much money to the overall bill.

Expense of imprisonment of the criminal/s
As we all know, prisons are expensive, especially since the US per capita has the most people in prison from any developed country. What does that say about our system and the people that commit the crimes think about it. Constantly we hear about over crowded prisons and you may know that the cost of building them is soaring.