Skip to main content skip navigation
  • Account
    • Login
    • Manage
  • Subscribe
    • JUSTINFO
    • Register
  • Shopping Cart
  • Contact Us
    • Email
    • Feedback
    • Chat
    • Phone or Mail
  • Site Help
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Office of Justice Programs header with links to bureaus/offices: BJA, BJS, NIJ, OJJDP, OVC, SMART Office of Justice Programs BJA BJS NIJ OJJDP OVC SMART Office of Justice Programs
Advanced Search  Search Help
    Browse By Topics  down arrow
  • A–Z Topics
  • Corrections
  • Courts
  • Crime
  • Crime Prevention
  • Drugs
  • Justice System
  • Juvenile Justice
  • Law Enforcement
  • Victims
CrimeSolutions
Add your conference to our Justice Events calendar
  • ABOUT NCJRS
  • OJP PUBLICATIONS
  • LIBRARY
  • SEARCH Q & A
  • GRANTS & FUNDING
  • JUSTICE EVENTS
Home / Publications / NCJRS Abstract

PUBLICATIONS

Register for Latest Research

Stay Informed
Register with NCJRS to receive NCJRS's biweekly e-newsletter JUSTINFO and additional periodic emails from NCJRS and the NCJRS federal sponsors that highlight the latest research published or sponsored by the Office of Justice Programs.

NCJRS Abstract

The document referenced below is part of the NCJRS Virtual Library collection. To conduct further searches of the collection, visit the Virtual Library. See the Obtain Documents page for direction on how to access resources online, via mail, through interlibrary loans, or in a local library.

1 record(s) found

 

NCJ Number: 205889 Add to Shopping cart Find in a Library
Title: Willingness-To-Pay for Crime Control Programs
Dataset: DATASET 1
Journal: Criminology  Volume:42  Issue:1  Dated:February 2004  Pages:89-109
Author(s): Mark A. Cohen; Roland R. Rust; Sara Steen; Simon T. Tidd
Date Published: February 2004
Annotation: This paper reports on a new approach to valuing crime based on the "willingness-to-pay" (WTP) concept, using the "contingent valuation" (CV) methodology developed in the environmental economics literature.
Abstract: The CV methodology has been used extensively to place dollar values on nonmarket goods such as improvements in air quality, saving endangered species, and reducing the risk of early death. The survey questionnaire, which was developed through a panel of experts and focus groups, asked respondents if they would be willing to vote for a proposal that required each household in their community to pay a certain amount to be used to prevent 1 in 10 crimes. They were then randomly given three of five crimes; the order of the questions was randomized to avoid any systematic bias associated with "anchoring" to the first crime. The questionnaire thus attempted to measure individual willingness to pay based on actual levels of fear of particular crimes and concern about crime in general in the community. Telephone interviews were conducted with a sample representative of the entire U.S. population of adults (age 18 or older). Of 2,228 households contacted, 1,300 completed interviews. Data were weighted to adjust for probabilities of selection and to adjust for nonresponse on age, sex, education, and race. Results of this study can be projected to the English-speaking population 18 years old or older living in households in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. The study found that the typical household would be willing to pay between $100 and $150 per year for crime prevention programs that reduced specific crimes by 10 percent in their communities, with the amount increasing with crime seriousness. In the aggregate, these amounts imply a marginal WTP to prevent crime of about $25,000 per burglary, $70,000 per serious assault, $232,000 per armed robbery, $237,000 per rape and sexual assault, and $9.7 million per murder. Based on the WTP approach, these figures are between 1.5 and 10 times higher than prior estimates of the cost of crime to victims. The results of this pilot study of WTP provide support for continuing this research method. Preliminary estimates of the cost per crime appear to be reasonable and considerably higher than previous estimates that focused primarily on victim costs while excluding other costs to the community. 4 tables and 21 references
Main Term(s): Community crime prevention programs
Index Term(s): Aggravated assault; Armed robbery; Burglary; Community involvement; Cost/Benefit Analysis; Murder; NIJ grant-related documents; Public Opinion of Crime; Sexual assault
Grant Number: 1999-CE-VX-0001
Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
Washington, DC 20531
Page Count: 21
Format: Article
Type: Report (Study/Research) ; Survey
Language: English
Country: United States of America
Note: Dataset may be archived by the NIJ Data Resources Program at the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data
To cite this abstract, use the following link:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=205889

*A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents not available online, a link to the publisher's website is provided. Tell us how you use the NCJRS Library and Abstracts Database - send us your feedback.




Find in a Library

You have clicked Find in a Library. A title search of WorldCat, the world's largest library network, will start when you click "Continue." Here you will be able to learn if libraries in your community have the document you need. The results will open in a new browser and your NCJRS session will remain active for 30 minutes. Learn More.

You have selected:

This article appears in

In WorldCat, verify that the library you select has the specific journal volume and issue in which the article appears. Learn How.

Continue to WorldCat

You are about to access WorldCat, NCJRS takes no responsibility for and exercises no control over the WorldCat site.

 
Office of Justice Programs Facebook Page  Twitter Page
  • Bureau of Justice Assistance Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics Twitter Page
  • National Institute of Justice Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office for Victims of Crime Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking Facebook Page Twitter Page
Contact Us | Feedback | Site Map
Freedom of Information Act | Privacy Statement | Legal Policies and Disclaimers
USA.gov | CrimeSolutions
Department of Justice | Office of Justice Programs