An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts

This study will examine the economic issues surrounding crime and reintegration measures aimed at prisoners, particularly but not exclusively in Germany. To do so it will be necessary to give an overview about the crime and crime-fighting situation in Germany. The focus is on violent and street crim...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Strohmeier, Peter
Other Authors: Kauppakorkeakoulu, School of Business and Economics, Taloustieteet, Business and Economics, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän yliopisto
Format: Master's thesis
Language:eng
Published: 2010
Subjects:
Online Access: https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/25766
_version_ 1826225764622663680
author Strohmeier, Peter
author2 Kauppakorkeakoulu School of Business and Economics Taloustieteet Business and Economics University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto
author_facet Strohmeier, Peter Kauppakorkeakoulu School of Business and Economics Taloustieteet Business and Economics University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto Strohmeier, Peter Kauppakorkeakoulu School of Business and Economics Taloustieteet Business and Economics University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto
author_sort Strohmeier, Peter
datasource_str_mv jyx
description This study will examine the economic issues surrounding crime and reintegration measures aimed at prisoners, particularly but not exclusively in Germany. To do so it will be necessary to give an overview about the crime and crime-fighting situation in Germany. The focus is on violent and street crime. White collar crime will be mentioned only briefly. The starting point will be to examine the cost of crime and the problems concerning its measurement. These include for example the economic costs of murder or the largely ignored cost of rehabilitating the victims of crimes such as rape. They often suffer from severe trauma. Further it will prove necessary to add the indirect, immaterial costs of crime and the private expenditure on security to the direct costs of crime such as public security expenditure on police and prisons. In order to provide an economic framework for the understanding of crime use will be made of the Becker model of crime. It basically regards crime as a consequence of rational agents reacting to illegal activities yielding higher expected returns than legal ones. One of its main predictions being that a high likelihood of detection and conviction is a major deterrent. The explanatory power of the Becker model (and its limits) will be explored by looking at various aspects of crime and by looking at crimes that provide the offenders with a utility level that no legal alternative can provide from the offenders' perspective. Further, an overview over various crime related topics such as guns and drugs will be provided. A short excursion looks at the role psychology and happiness play in Becker's theory. This model is tested by looking at commonly encountered criminological facts. Also its implications for crime reduction efforts in prevention, deterrence and rehabilitation will be outlined. The special focus will be on volunteers and their link to the economic model of crime. The conclusion stresses three main aspects: Firstly the importance of further research to improve the estimates of the costs of crime; secondly the role Becker's theory can play in informing crime reducing activities by the police, the legal system as well as the labour market and education policies; and thirdly the necessity to establish a nationwide, longterm data bank for recidivism. Such a data bank is a crucial precondition for any meaningful cost-benefit analysis of reintegration and prevention measures.
first_indexed 2024-09-11T08:51:27Z
format Pro gradu
free_online_boolean 1
fullrecord [{"key": "dc.contributor.author", "value": "Strohmeier, Peter", "language": null, "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "author", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.date.accessioned", "value": "2011-01-10T09:28:43Z", "language": null, "element": "date", "qualifier": "accessioned", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.date.available", "value": "2011-01-10T09:28:43Z", "language": null, "element": "date", "qualifier": "available", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.date.issued", "value": "2010", "language": null, "element": "date", "qualifier": "issued", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.identifier.other", "value": "oai:jykdok.linneanet.fi:1145881", "language": null, "element": "identifier", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.identifier.uri", "value": "https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/25766", "language": null, "element": "identifier", "qualifier": "uri", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.description.abstract", "value": "This study will examine the economic issues surrounding crime and reintegration\nmeasures aimed at prisoners, particularly but not exclusively in Germany. To do so it will be necessary to give an overview about the crime and crime-fighting situation in Germany. The focus is on violent and street crime. White collar crime will be mentioned only briefly.\nThe starting point will be to examine the cost of crime and the problems concerning its measurement. These include for example the economic costs of murder or the largely ignored cost of rehabilitating the victims of crimes such as rape. They often suffer from severe trauma. Further it will prove necessary to add the indirect, immaterial costs of crime and the private expenditure on security to the direct costs of crime such as public security expenditure on police and prisons.\nIn order to provide an economic framework for the understanding of crime use will be made of the Becker model of crime. It basically regards crime as a consequence of rational agents reacting to illegal activities yielding higher expected returns than legal ones. One of its main predictions being that a high likelihood of detection and conviction is a major deterrent.\nThe explanatory power of the Becker model (and its limits) will be explored by looking at various aspects of crime and by looking at crimes that provide the offenders with a utility level that no legal alternative can provide from the offenders' perspective. Further, an overview over various crime related topics such as guns and drugs will be provided. A short excursion looks at the role psychology and happiness play in Becker's theory. This model is tested by looking at commonly encountered criminological facts. Also its implications for crime reduction efforts in prevention, deterrence and rehabilitation will be outlined. The special focus will be on volunteers and their link to the economic model\nof crime.\nThe conclusion stresses three main aspects: Firstly the importance of further research to improve the estimates of the costs of crime; secondly the role Becker's theory can play in informing crime reducing activities by the police, the legal system as well as the labour market and education policies; and thirdly the necessity to establish a nationwide, longterm data bank for recidivism. Such a data bank is a crucial precondition for any meaningful cost-benefit analysis of reintegration and prevention measures.", "language": "", "element": "description", "qualifier": "abstract", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.description.provenance", "value": "Submitted using Plone Publishing form by Peter Strohmeier (pestrohm) on 2011-01-10 09:28:41.436590. Form: Master's Thesis publishing form (1 author) (https://kirjasto.jyu.fi/publish-and-buy/publishing-forms/masters-thesis-publishing-form-1-author). JyX data:", "language": "en", "element": "description", "qualifier": "provenance", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.description.provenance", "value": "Submitted by jyx lomake-julkaisija (jyx-julkaisija@noreply.fi) on 2011-01-10T09:28:43Z\nNo. of bitstreams: 2\nURN:NBN:fi:jyu-201101101010.pdf: 695266 bytes, checksum: 22b3e74e16246c63d45ffabae14c4c2f (MD5)\nlicense.html: 4293 bytes, checksum: a6258687afdfaa7649403f3f8bc67624 (MD5)", "language": "en", "element": "description", "qualifier": "provenance", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.description.provenance", "value": "Made available in DSpace on 2011-01-10T09:28:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2\nURN:NBN:fi:jyu-201101101010.pdf: 695266 bytes, checksum: 22b3e74e16246c63d45ffabae14c4c2f (MD5)\nlicense.html: 4293 bytes, checksum: a6258687afdfaa7649403f3f8bc67624 (MD5)\n Previous issue date: 2010", "language": "en", "element": "description", "qualifier": "provenance", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.format.extent", "value": "113 sivua", "language": null, "element": "format", "qualifier": "extent", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.format.mimetype", "value": "application/pdf", "language": null, "element": "format", "qualifier": "mimetype", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.language.iso", "value": "eng", "language": null, "element": "language", "qualifier": "iso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.rights", "value": "In Copyright", "language": "en", "element": "rights", "qualifier": null, "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Becker", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Costs of Crime", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Crime", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Deterrence", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Ehrlich", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Human Capital", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Prevention", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Rehabilitation", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Volunteers", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.other", "value": "Volunteering", "language": "", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "other", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.title", "value": "An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts", "language": null, "element": "title", "qualifier": null, "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type", "value": "master thesis", "language": null, "element": "type", "qualifier": null, "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.identifier.urn", "value": "URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201101101010", "language": null, "element": "identifier", "qualifier": "urn", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.dcmitype", "value": "Text", "language": "en", "element": "type", "qualifier": "dcmitype", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.ontasot", "value": "Pro gradu -tutkielma", "language": "fi", "element": "type", "qualifier": "ontasot", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.ontasot", "value": "Master\u2019s thesis", "language": "en", "element": "type", "qualifier": "ontasot", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.faculty", "value": "Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 University School of Business and Economics", "language": "en", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "faculty", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.faculty", "value": "Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4n yliopiston kauppakorkeakoulu", "language": "fi", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "faculty", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.department", "value": "Taloustieteet", "language": "fi", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "department", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.department", "value": "Business and Economics", "language": "en", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "department", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.organization", "value": "University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4", "language": "en", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "organization", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.contributor.organization", "value": "Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4n yliopisto", "language": "fi", "element": "contributor", "qualifier": "organization", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.discipline", "value": "Kansantaloustiede", "language": "fi", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "discipline", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.discipline", "value": "Economics", "language": "en", "element": "subject", "qualifier": "discipline", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.coar", "value": "http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_bdcc", "language": null, "element": "type", "qualifier": "coar", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.rights.accesslevel", "value": "openAccess", "language": "fi", "element": "rights", "qualifier": "accesslevel", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.publication", "value": "masterThesis", "language": null, "element": "type", "qualifier": "publication", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.oppiainekoodi", "value": "2041", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "oppiainekoodi", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "rikokset", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "henkinen p\u00e4\u00e4oma", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "ennaltaehk\u00e4isy", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "kustannukset", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.subject.yso", "value": "kuntoutus", "language": null, "element": "subject", "qualifier": "yso", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.format.content", "value": "fulltext", "language": null, "element": "format", "qualifier": "content", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.rights.url", "value": "https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/", "language": null, "element": "rights", "qualifier": "url", "schema": "dc"}, {"key": "dc.type.okm", "value": "G2", "language": null, "element": "type", "qualifier": "okm", "schema": "dc"}]
id jyx.123456789_25766
language eng
last_indexed 2025-02-18T10:56:39Z
main_date 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z
main_date_str 2010
online_boolean 1
online_urls_str_mv {"url":"https:\/\/jyx.jyu.fi\/bitstreams\/149777b5-faf4-40e2-952a-62a2612a7272\/download","text":"URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201101101010.pdf","source":"jyx","mediaType":"application\/pdf"}
publishDate 2010
record_format qdc
source_str_mv jyx
spellingShingle Strohmeier, Peter An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts Becker Costs of Crime Crime Deterrence Ehrlich Human Capital Prevention Rehabilitation Volunteers Volunteering Kansantaloustiede Economics 2041 rikokset henkinen pääoma ennaltaehkäisy kustannukset kuntoutus
title An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts
title_full An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts
title_fullStr An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts
title_full_unstemmed An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts
title_short An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts
title_sort economic perspective on crime its costs crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts
title_txtP An economic perspective on crime, its costs, crime fighting and rehabilitation efforts
topic Becker Costs of Crime Crime Deterrence Ehrlich Human Capital Prevention Rehabilitation Volunteers Volunteering Kansantaloustiede Economics 2041 rikokset henkinen pääoma ennaltaehkäisy kustannukset kuntoutus
topic_facet 2041 Becker Costs of Crime Crime Deterrence Economics Ehrlich Human Capital Kansantaloustiede Prevention Rehabilitation Volunteering Volunteers ennaltaehkäisy henkinen pääoma kuntoutus kustannukset rikokset
url https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/25766 http://www.urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201101101010
work_keys_str_mv AT strohmeierpeter aneconomicperspectiveoncrimeitscostscrimefightingandrehabilitationefforts AT strohmeierpeter economicperspectiveoncrimeitscostscrimefightingandrehabilitationefforts