From: Jim Rosenfield <[j n r] at [igc.apc.org]>
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
Date: 24 Mar 93 08:02 PST
Subject: Cost of the War on Drugs (rev.1)
/* Written 8:02 am Mar 24, 1993 by jnr in igc:alt.drugs */
/* ---------- "Cost of the War on Drugs (rev.1)" ---------- */
Save Our Liberties
Sunnyvale CA
(415) 964-3655
We have asked Milton Friedman, who recently came out for major revision
of the punishment oriented drug policies to review these statistics
and to make recommendations. E-mail messages to me have expressed some
doubts as to the veracity of the stats and the dangers of publicizing
"fantastic" numbers. As a first cut at this subject, I think these numbers
are pretty good. Your input and criticism is cheerfully requested.
I believe this chart may provide one of the most powerful tools we
have to support overturning the existing policies.
Cost of the War on Drugs
$s Billions
Year `89 `90 `91 `92 `93 `94
---------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Stolen 148 154 160 168 176 184
2 Incarceration 73 80 88 96 104 112
3 Lost taxes 41 43 45 47 49 51
4 Construction 20 21 23 25 25 25
5 Federal War 7 10 12 13 20 25
6 Extra Welfare 13 14 15 16 17 18
7 Harrassment 10 11 12 13 14 15
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals 312 333 355 378 405 430
Reagan's 8 years: $1.860 Trillion Bush's 4 years: $1.378 Trillion
Explanation
1. Value of goods stolen. Most of these goods are probably later replaced
at additional cost by owner or insurance. Some people just take the
loss. The dollar value stolen approximately equals the street value
of the drug sales. "Marijuana, the New Prohibition", Pocketbooks,
Kaplan, John, Prof Law, Stanford U.
2. Total for additional police, judges, courtrooms, prosecutors, court
costs, maintenance of jails, guards, probation personnel, and the
entire police, justice and prison system required to deal with the WoD.
Cost of one individual incarceration in California is $42,000. San
Jose Mercury News, May 9, '91 "Corrections Program Called Utter
Failure", Chairperson of Legislature Criminal Justice Committee John
Burton, Assemblyman Bill Lockyer(Senate Judicary Committee), . Prison
Population reaching 100,000 in CA. National is 10X that (about 1
million in 1991, 1.3 million now. Department of Justice Figures).
Police and Court costs are estimated at an additional $35,000.
3. Taxes lost on the sale of drugs: Estimate of $160 Billion in sales of
illicit drugs. Suppose, if legal, price of drugs would be 1% of that
or less. The remaining 99% would then be spent on other licit goods
raising tax revenues about one-third the retail value.
4. Construction of new jails and other facilities to deal with burgeoning
case load. This figure is derived from projected bond sales already ont
he books.
5. Federal WoD consists of arming and paying interdiction forces along
with international efforts to stem flow of drugs. Congressional
allocations. Election of Clinton may moderate future expenditures.
6. Extra welfare needed to support families of drug offenders while they
are in prison. Estimate by authors.
7. Harrassment: costs for society from people who don't go through jail
but are arrested and released, such as lost wages, taxes on wages,
increased welfare, loss of job, Estimate by authors.
1994 figures are projected, of course.
Other costs which could be added to this chart:
Lost productivity of perpetrators.
Because families are distressed, development of children of the offenders
and their future productivity (or cost) to society will suffer. Carnegie
institute says one-quarter of all children are seriously at risk of not
reaching productive adulthood.. SF Chron, 3/10/93. How much worse for
children of imprisoned offenders?
Cost of lives lost to drug associated crime, plus productivity and taxes
associated with those lives. We estimate 2,000 innocent lives (1989,
Cato Institute #121 "Thinking About Legalization") 1680