REPORTING ON VIOLENCE

Basic Data

Cost of Violence

Cost of Violence Table of Contents
-General
-Hospitalization Costs
-Costs on a Case-by-Case Basis

The costs of violence include:

Costs to government
to operate the criminal justice system (police, prosecution, courts, probation, incarceration, parole)
Medical costs to individuals and government
due to injuries, including hospitalization and rehabilitation
Loss of productivity to society
because of death, medical and mental disabilities
Loss of work time
by victims and their families
Loss of property values
in neighborhoods with high rates of crime
Pain and suffering of crime victims,
their families, friends and communities, including families losing their homes, children going into foster care, changing schools, going on welfare because a victim or perpetrator loses a job
Loss of a productive citizen
when a juvenile offender is not rehabilitated and continues to commit crimes

GENERAL

In the United States, the lifetime costs for all persons who are injured due to rape, robbery, assault and arson and those who are murdered are estimated to be $325.3 billion. This includes:


The costs are based on 1996 U.S. incidence and are reported in 1997 dollars.

Definitions

Medical Care
includes payments for hospital and physician care, as well as emergency medical transport, rehabilitation, prescriptions, allied health services, medical devices, and insurance claims processing. For fatalities, also include coroner and premature burial costs.
Mental Health Care
includes payments for services by psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and pastoral counselors. Also includes insurance claims processing.
Future Earnings
includes wages, fringe benefits, school work, and house work lost by the injured. The estimate excludes earnings lost by family and friends caring for the injured.
Public Programs
include police, fire, paramedic, ambulance, and helicopter transport costs. Victim services and child protective service agencies costs are also included in this category. It excludes mental health service costs.
Property Damages and Loss
is the value of property damage and of property taken and not recovered.
Quality of Life
places a dollar value on pain, suffering and lost quality of life to the victim and their family. The value is computed from jury awards for pain, suffering, and lost quality of life due to physical injury and fear. For murders, this value is computed from the amount people routinely spend (in dollars and time) to reduce their risk of death.

In 1992-1993, California spent about $13.8 billion to fight crime, which included the costs for police, prosecution, courts, probation and incarceration.

HOSPITALIZATION COSTS FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS

In the United States, the average cost of hospitalization for a gunshot injury victim in 1985 has been estimated at $6,986.

In California, the average cost for hospitalized gunshot wound patients varies:
Los Angeles County trauma center $5,260 1986 and 19881
University of CA, Davis Medical Center $13,190 1984-19852
San Francisco General Hospital $6,915 19843

Individual hospital costs to treat firearm injuries in all these studies range from $559 to $494,152.

1 Klein SP, Kanno II, Gilmore DA, Wilson SE. "The socioeconomic impact of assault injuries on an urban trauma center." American Surgeon 57 (1991): 793-7.
2 Wintemute GJ, Wright, MA. "Initial and subsequent hospital costs of firearm injuries." Journal of Trauma 33, no. 4 (1992): 556-60.
3 Martin MJ, Hunt TK, Hulley SB. "The cost of hospitalization of firearm injuries." Journal of the American Medical Association 260, no. 20 (1988): 3,048-50.

Of the gunshot victims in the above-mentioned studies, most were unable to pay their bills because they had no health insurance or were too poor. In Los Angeles County, 81 percent were unable to pay their bills, 80 percent in Sacramento were unable to pay their bills, and 86 percent in San Francisco were unable to pay their bills. The costs were either paid by taxpayers or by overcharging trauma patients who had health insurance.

Costs of Violence

Costs on a Case-by-Case Basis

Expenses for local crimes can be calculated on a case-by-case basis by finding out how much it costs each local agency to respond to a violent incident. For example, in 1994 a Los Angeles Times reporter tracked the cost of the initial response and the first stage of hospitalization for a shooting incident in which police, fire and ambulances responded. The ambulances charged $6.85 per minute, for a total of $911. The fire department personnel's hours cost $4,324. The police response, just in terms of per hour salaries, cost $635. A forensic specialist cost $42. A pursuit helicopter cost $405. Detectives' cost, without overtime, amounted to $1,307. Total initial response: $7,624. Three people who were shot and hospitalized underwent surgery and spent several days recovering, for a total initial hospital bill of $34,794. [see table below]

Bob Sipchen, "Putting a Price Tag on Violence," Los Angeles Times, 5 June 1994, p. 1.

Los Angeles, 1994 Cost of the initial response and first stage of hospitalization for a shooting incident
Ambulance ($6.85 per minute)

$911
fire department personnel

4,324
police

635
forensic specialist

42
pursuite helicopter

405
detectives, without overtime

1,307
Total initial expenses

$7,624
Three people who were shot and hospitalized underwent surgery and spent several days recovering for a total initial hospital bill of:

$34,794