Costs attributable to criminal justice involvement in injuries: a systematic review

Abstract

ContextCosts related to criminal justice are an important component of the economic burden of injuries; such costs could include police involvement, judicial and corrections costs, among others. If the literature has sufficient information on the criminal justice costs related to injury, it could be added to existing estimates of the economic burden of injury.ObjectiveTo examine research on injury-related criminal justice costs, and what extent cost information is available by type of injury.Data sourcesMedline, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts ProQuest, EconLit and National Criminal Justice Reference Service were searched from 1998 to 2021.Data extractionPreferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses was followed for data reporting.ResultsOverall, 29 studies reported criminal justice costs and the costs of crime vary considerably.ConclusionsThis study illustrates possible touchpoints for cost inputs and outputs in the criminal justice pathway, providing a useful conceptualisation for better estimating criminal justice costs of injury in the future. However, better understanding of all criminal justice costs for injury-related crimes may provide justification for prevention efforts and potentially for groups who are disproportionately affected. Future research may focus on criminal justice cost estimates from injuries by demographics to better understand the impact these costs have on particular populations.