Controlling Crime: Strategies and Tradeoffs
Philip J. Cook, Jens Ludwig, and Justin McCrary
Abstract
Criminal justice expenditures have more than doubled since the 1980s, dramatically increasing costs to the public. With state and local revenue shortfalls resulting from the recent recession, the question of whether crime control can be accomplished either with fewer resources or by investing those resources in areas other than the criminal justice system is all the more relevant. This book considers alternative ways to reduce crime that do not sacrifice public safety. Among the topics considered here are criminal justice system reform, social policy, and government policies affecting alcohol ... More
Criminal justice expenditures have more than doubled since the 1980s, dramatically increasing costs to the public. With state and local revenue shortfalls resulting from the recent recession, the question of whether crime control can be accomplished either with fewer resources or by investing those resources in areas other than the criminal justice system is all the more relevant. This book considers alternative ways to reduce crime that do not sacrifice public safety. Among the topics considered here are criminal justice system reform, social policy, and government policies affecting alcohol abuse, drugs, and private crime prevention. Particular attention is paid to the respective roles of both the private sector and government agencies. Through a broad conceptual framework and a careful review of the relevant literature, the book provides insight into the important trends and patterns of some of the interventions that may be effective in reducing crime.
Keywords:
criminal justice expenditures,
revenue shortfalls,
recession,
crime control,
criminal justice system,
public safety,
social policy,
government policies,
alcohol abuse,
drugs
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2011 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780226115122 |
| Published to Chicago Scholarship Online: September 2013 |
DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226115139.001.0001 |
