COSTING CRIME

This research paper by Cheryl Frank evaluates the utility of crime-costing studies for policy making, specifically within the South African context. The author argues that while simple accounting exercises that total the monetary cost of crime are often flawed and offer little policy value, comparative cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness studies can provide meaningful data for operational management and strategic investment. The paper emphasizes that costing should be an integrated part of a structured policy development process and must be balanced against human rights imperatives to ensure that the cheapest option is not chosen over the most effective one.

• Accounting studies that attempt to represent the total monetary costs of crime to a specific group or area are fraught with methodological difficulties, particularly regarding the reliability of baseline data and the inability to quantify intangible costs such as emotional trauma.
• Simple accounting studies of crime costs in South Africa are likely to produce shocking figures that merely restate the problem rather than provide solutions, making their utility questionable and potentially open to misuse by opportunistic actors.
• Cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness studies are more valuable for policy making because they compare the costs of inputs against outputs or outcomes, allowing decision-makers to measure the impact of specific interventions.
• Projecting the costs of draft policies and legislation, such as the Child Justice Bill, is a useful tool for determining the viability of policy choices and enabling the progressive realization of services in poorer countries.
• There is a risk that focusing on cost may lead policy makers to prioritize the cheapest option over the most effective one, necessitating a policy process rooted in a strong human rights paradigm.
• South Africa has not conducted a comprehensive national costing of crime; most significant work has occurred in the public health sector estimating injury costs, though these studies largely ignore indirect and intangible costs.
• Current crime-costing methodologies fail to capture the 'criminal economy', including the impact of 'hidden crimes' like corruption and fraud, as well as the costs associated with the criminal justice system's impact on offenders and their families.

APA

Frank, C. (2005). COSTING CRIME. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/01-mar-2005-sacq-no-11/costing-crime

Chicago

Frank, Cheryl. COSTING CRIME. Institute for Security Studies, 2005. https://issafrica.org/01-mar-2005-sacq-no-11/costing-crime.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Frank |first1=Cheryl |title=COSTING CRIME |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=1 March 2005 |url=https://issafrica.org/01-mar-2005-sacq-no-11/costing-crime |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{frank2005costing, author = {Frank, Cheryl}, title = {{COSTING CRIME}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2005}, month = mar, url = {https://issafrica.org/01-mar-2005-sacq-no-11/costing-crime}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }