Controlling Crime

Strategies and Tradeoffs

Cook Philip J., Ludwig Jens, McCrary Justin

Criminal justice expenditures have more than doubled since the 1980s, dramatically increasing costs to the public. With state and local revenue shortfalls resulting from the recent recession, the question of whether crime control can be accomplished either with fewer resources or by investing those resources in areas other than the criminal justice system is all the more relevant.

"Controlling Crime" considers alternative ways to reduce crime that do not sacrifice public safety. Among the topics considered here are criminal justice system reform, social policy, and government policies affecting alcohol abuse, drugs, and private crime prevention. Particular attention is paid to the respective roles of both the private sector and government agencies. Through a broad conceptual framework and a careful review of the relevant literature, this volume provides insight into the important trends and patterns of some of the interventions that may be effective in reducing crime.

About the Author

Philip J. Cook is the ITT/Terry Sanford Professor of Public Policy at Duke University, where he is also senior dean for faculty and research. He is a research associate of the NBER.

Jens Ludwig is the McCormick Foundation Professor of Social Service Administration, Law, and Public Policy at the University of Chicago, director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab, and a research associate of the NBER.

Justin McCrary is professor of law at the University of California, Berkeley, and a faculty research fellow of the NBER.

All three editors codirect the Working Group on the Economics of Crime at the NBER.

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