Cost to victims
It is difficult to estimate the cost of lives lost to murder, or the pain and suffering due to rape or child abuse, or the cost to communities due to violence and illegal drug use. However, some facts are known:
- The Department of Justice estimates the cost of crime to victims to be $47 billion annually (JustResearch, 2003). This includes the value of property stolen or damaged, pain and suffering, lost productivity, and health services.
- The costs of violence against women are at least $4.2 billion. This includes costs associated with medical and criminal justice services, lost productivity, shelters and other services (Greaves et al., 1995). About $200 million is spent on operating shelters for abused women annually (Code, 2003).
- The economic cost of child abuse to victims and adult survivors is estimated to be $15 billion with $11 billion associated with lost earnings alone (Bowlus et el., 2003).
- Abuse of illegal drugs cost Canadians $8.2 billion in 2002. This includes costs associated with lost productivity, health care, law enforcement and other costs (Rehm et al., 2006).
- The Department of Justice estimates the cost of pain and suffering from non-fatal violent crimes to be $20.4 billion (Leung, 2004).