# Has anyone counted the cost of crime?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-counted-the-cost-of-crime/477381>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 16, 2008, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-counted-the-cost-of-crime/477381 "2008-12-16T11:53:36Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-counted-the-cost-of-crime/477381/1 "2008-12-16T11:53:36Z")

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I wonder if any one, or an organization, has ever figured out the cost of crime. I do not mean just the cost of jails, police, etc. I mean from the smallest stealing of a few cent article from a store, but what the cost is in our paying more for lawyers, more insurance to cover arson etc. The cost added on by stores to the paying consumers, and all other costs.Like families that suffer because of the crime of one of it’s members.

I feel that if we started to teach our children that if they do a wrong they will also end up paying for it one way or another,

I can’t help feeling that honesty is as important( if not more) than teaching reading , writing ,etc. If they are not honest in their school work all society suffers in one way if they are not educated as they should be. Such as a doctor who cheats his way through med. school.

With out crime I think we could afford to give a college education and health benifits to every one in the country.

Monavis

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**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\
**Post date:** [December 16, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-counted-the-cost-of-crime/477381/2 "2008-12-16T13:21:55Z")

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That’s an awfully broad question, but there certainly are some studies on the costs of theft from retail stores.

[From MSNBC](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19714916/):

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> Theft cost retailers $41.6 billion last year, according to an annual survey by the National Retail Federation and the University of Florida.

And this 2006 story [from Business Wire](http://www.allbusiness.com/sales/3960519-1.html):

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> “The dollar losses are staggering as the average shoplifting case value ($126.87) jumped an amazing 21.5% over 2004, while the average dishonest employee case value ($724.15) increased 5.72% over the prior year.” Mr. Jack Hayes added, “Theft losses experienced by retailers are a much greater problem than most people realize. Retail theft drives consumer prices higher, hurts our economy, and even forces some retailers to close their stores and go out of business.”

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**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-counted-the-cost-of-crime/477381/3 "2008-12-18T12:37:50Z")

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Thanks for your replies. I guess it would take years to figure the actual cost of crime,petty or large.

Monavis