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COST OF CRIME

  • In 2007, for crimes both reported and not reported, the total economic loss to victims was $2 billion for violent crime and $16 billion for property crime.[1]
  • In 2007, 15 percent of violent crimes and 94 percent of property crimes resulted in economic losses from theft or damage.[2]
  • In 2008, an estimated $581 million worth of property was stolen during robberies reported to the police. The average dollar value of property stolen per robbery offense was $1,315.[3]
  • Two-thirds of property crimes reported in 2008 were larceny-thefts, with the value of stolen property averaging $925 per offense. The total value of stolen property was an estimated $6.1 billion. [4]
  • In 2008, the average dollar loss due to arson was $16,015 per offense.[5]
  • An estimated 30,500 fires were intentionally set to structures in 2008, a decrease of 6 percent from 2007. These fires resulted in 315 civilian deaths and $866 million in property loss (an increase of 18 percent from 2007).[6]
  • Approximately 17,500 fires were intentionally set to vehicles in 2008, resulting in $139 million in property damage, a 4 percent decrease from 2007.[7]
  • In 2008, the average dollar loss per burglary offense was $2,079. The total amount lost to burglaries was an estimated $4.6 billion.[8]
  • Victim compensation programs distributed $461 million in 2008. This amount is an increase over the $453 million paid in 2007 and $444 million paid in 2006.[9]
  • Victim compensation programs paid $29 million for forensic sexual assault exams in 2008, a 28 percent increase from 2007.[10]
  • Victims of child abuse constituted 19 percent of the recipients of crime victim compensation in 2008.[11]
  • In 2008, domestic violence victims made up 22 percent of all adult victims compensated by victim compensation programs; 35 percent of all assault claims were paid to domestic violence victims.[12]
  • In 2008, medical expenses constituted 52 percent of all victim compensation payments; economic support for lost wages for injured victims and for lost support in homicides made up 16 percent of the total; 11 percent of total payments were for funeral bills; and 8 percent went toward mental health counseling for crime victims.[13]
  • In 2008, the total amount of money lost from all cases of Internet fraud referred to law enforcement for investigation was $264.6 million, with a median dollar loss of $931 per complaint. This amount is up from $239.1 million with a median dollar loss of $680 per complaint in 2007.[14]
  • In 2007, the two most common types of telemarketing fraud were fake check scams (average loss of $3,855) and false prizes or sweepstakes (average loss of $6,601), together accounting for 72 percent of telemarketing fraud complaints.[15]
  • Fake check scams were also the most common type of Internet fraud in 2007, constituting 29 percent of complaints, with an average loss of $3,311. The second most common type of Internet fraud was non-auction general merchandise sales (goods never delivered or misrepresented).[16]
  • In 2007, consumers reporting fraud to the Federal Trade Commission lost a total of more than 1.2 billion dollars.[17]
  • In 2006, the United States (at federal, state, and local levels) spent $214 billion for police protection, corrections, and judicial and legal activities.[18]
  • The direct cost of child abuse and neglect in the United States totals more than $33 billion annually. When factoring in indirect costs, the figure rises to more than $103 billion annually.[19]

[1] Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Criminal Victimization in the United States, 2007: Statistical Tables," (soon to be published), Table 81.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Crime in the United States 2008: Robbery," (Washington, DC: GPO, 2009), http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/offenses/violent_crime/robbery.html (accessed October 6, 2009).

[4] Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Crime in the United States 2008: Larceny-Theft," (Washington, DC: GPO, 2009) http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/offenses/property_crime/larceny-theft.html (accessed October 5, 2009).

[5] Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Crime in the United States 2008: Arson," (Washington, DC: GPO, 2009), http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/offenses/property_crime/arson.html (accessed October 5, 2009).

[6] Michael J. Karter, Jr., "Fire Loss in the United States 2008," (Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association, 2009), iii, http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/PDF/OS.fireloss.pdf (accessed October 5, 2009).

[7] Ibid.

[8] Federal Bureau of Investigation, "Crime in the United States 2008: Burglary," (Washington, DC: GPO, 2009), http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/offenses/property_crime/burglary.html (accessed October 5, 2009).

[9] National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards, "Crime Victim Compensation Helps Victims," (Alexandria, VA: NACVCB, 2009), http://www.nacvcb.org (accessed October 5, 2009).

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] Ibid.

[14] National White Collar Crime Center, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Bureau of Justice Assistance, "IC3 2008 Internet Crime Report: January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008," (Washington, DC: GPO, 2009), 1, http://www.ic3.gov/media/annualreport/2008_IC3Report.pdf (accessed August 24, 2009). 

[15] National Fraud Information Center, "2007 Top Ten Telemarketing Scams," (Washington, DC: National Consumers League, 2008), http://www.fraud.org/telemarketing/2007telemarketing.pdf (accessed October 5, 2009).

[16] National Fraud Information Center, "2007 Top Ten Internet Scams," (Washington, DC: National Consumers League, 2008), http://www.fraud.org/internet/207internet.pdf (accessed October 5, 2009).

[17] Federal Trade Commission, "Consumer Fraud and Identity Theft Complaint Data January – December 2007," (Washington, DC: FTC, 2008), 2, http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2008/02/fraud.pdf (accessed October 5, 2009).

[18] Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Justice Expenditure and Employment Extracts," (Washington, DC: GPO), http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/eande.htm (accessed October 5, 2009).

[19] Ching-Tung Wang and John Holton, "Total Estimated Cost of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States," (Washington, DC: Prevent Child Abuse America, 2007), 4, 5, http://www.preventchildabuse.org/about_us/media_releases/pcaa_pew_economic_impact_study_final.pdf (accessed October 5, 2009).
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