• Violence costs Americans, both directly and indirectly, $425 billion each year. (1) The $425 billion estimate breaks down as follows:
  
  
• Criminal Justice--$90 billion on police, courts and prisons;
  
  
• Private Protection--$65 billion on alarms, private guards, and security systems;
  
  
• Urban Decay--$50 billion on lost jobs and fleeing residents;
  
  
• Property Loss--$45 billion on stolen and damaged goods;
  
  
• Medical Care--$5 billion on the cost of treating crime victims;
  
  
• Shattered Lives--$170 billion on the costs of productivity losses and lost quality of life (1)
  
  
• For persons age twelve and older who are injured due to rape, robbery, assault, arson and murder the lifetime costs in any single year are estimated to be $178 billion. (2) The $178 billion estimate is as follows:
  
  
• Total Monetary $23.8 billion
  
  
• Medical--$2.3 billion
  
  
• Emergency Services--$219 million
  
  
• Productivity--$20.6 billion
  
  
• Administrative--$730 million
  
  
• Total Mental Health $76.6 billion
  
  
• Mental Health Medical--$7.2 billion
  
  
• Mental Health Productivity--$2.7 billion
  
  
• Quality of Life Lost to Psychological Injury--$66.8 billion
  
  
• Quality of Life $77.9 billion (3)
  
  

(1) Farrell, C., The Economics of Crime. Business Week. December 13, 1993. Pp. 72 – 80.

(2) Miller, T.R., Cohen, M.A., Rossman, S.B., Victim Costs of Violence Crime and Resulting Injuries. Health Affairs. 1993. 12 (4); 195 – 197.

(3) Ibid.