Download or read book An Introduction to Economic Analysis in Crime Prevention [electronic Resource] written by Cameron N. McIntosh and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although evidence-based crime prevention has been identified as a priority in Canada's political and policy settings, very little is known about the economic efficiency of crime prevention programs in the Canadian context. This is an important issue given current fiscal constraints in this country and around the world. To that end, the objective of the following report is to provide an overview of two of the most widely-used economic approaches to assessing the costs and/or financial benefits of crime prevention programs. Cost-effectiveness analysis links program outcomes (e.g., crime reduction) to investment costs in order to estimate the per-outcome expense of a crime prevention project. Cost-benefit analysis takes this a step further and attaches monetary values to program outcomes, which are then compared to program costs in order to provide an estimate of the financial return on investment. Issues and challenges associated with each type of economic analysis approach are discussed, as well as recommendations for next steps.