WILLINGNESS-TO-PAY FOR CRIME CONTROL PROGRAMS

WILLINGNESS-TO-PAY FOR CRIME CONTROL PROGRAMS

This paper reports on a new methodology to estimate the “cost of crime.” It is adapted from the contingent valuation method used in the environmental economics literature and is itself used to estimate the public's willingness to pay for crime control programs. In a nationally representative sa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Criminology (Beverly Hills) Vol. 42; no. 1; pp. 89 - 110
Main Authors: COHEN, MARK A., RUST, ROLAND T., STEEN, SARA, TIDD, SIMON T.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-02-2004
American Society of Criminology
Subjects:
Benefit cost analysis
Community
Cost benefit analysis
cost of crime
Crime
Crime prevention
Criminal justice
Criminology
Public opinion
public perception
Social costs
Surveys
U.S.A
Willingness-to-pay
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Summary:This paper reports on a new methodology to estimate the “cost of crime.” It is adapted from the contingent valuation method used in the environmental economics literature and is itself used to estimate the public's willingness to pay for crime control programs. In a nationally representative sample of 1,300 U.S. residents, we found that the typical household would be willing to pay between $100 and $150 per year for programs that reduced specific crimes by 10 percent in their communities. This willingness amounts, collectively, to approximately $25,000 per burglary, $70,000 per serious assault, $232,000 per armed
Bibliography:ark:/67375/WNG-7P59LH3Z-T
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ArticleID:CRIM89
This project was supported by Grant No. 1999-CE-VX-0001, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. We are grateful for comments and suggestions received from Glen Blomquist, Phil Cook, Debra Faulkner, Gary Jensen, Colin Loftin, Jens Ludwig, Daniel Nagin, Brian Ostrom, William J. Vaughan, Mark Warr, participants in a seminar at the University of York (UK), workshops at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology and the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management, and three anonymous referees. Special thanks to the survey team at Roper Starch: Kevin Bray, Project Director; Kathleen Barringer, Project Manager; Robert Benford; and Nicolas A. Holt, PhD. Additional research assistance was provided by Gabrielle Chapman, Achintya Ray and Mihir Shah.
Contact author: Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203; phone (615) 322–6814.
This project was supported by Grant No. 1999‐CE‐VX‐0001, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. We are grateful for comments and suggestions received from Glen Blomquist, Phil Cook, Debra Faulkner, Gary Jensen, Colin Loftin, Jens Ludwig, Daniel Nagin, Brian Ostrom, William J. Vaughan, Mark Warr, participants in a seminar at the University of York (UK), workshops at the annual meetings of the American Society of Criminology and the Association of Public Policy Analysis and Management, and three anonymous referees. Special thanks to the survey team at Roper Starch: Kevin Bray, Project Director; Kathleen Barringer, Project Manager; Robert Benford; and Nicolas A. Holt, PhD. Additional research assistance was provided by Gabrielle Chapman, Achintya Ray and Mihir Shah.
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ISSN:0011-1384
1745-9125
DOI:10.1111/j.1745-9125.2004.tb00514.x