Cost of crime in Ukraine: an empirical analysis
| Date | 28 February 2020 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-10-2019-0065 |
| Published date | 28 February 2020 |
| Pages | 97-109 |
| Author | Nataliia Volodumurivna Smetanina,Kateryna Dmitryevna Kulyk |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology |
Cost of crime in Ukraine: an
empirical analysis
Nataliia Volodumurivna Smetanina and Kateryna Dmitryevna Kulyk
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to analyze the cost of crime as understood in Ukrainian and foreign
criminology,investigating both the direct andindirect damage caused by crime, itssocial consequences
and Ukrainians’attitudes toward its costs.
Design/methodology/approach –From January2018 to May 2019, data were gathered using an online
questionnairefrom 717 respondents between14 and 65 years of age residing in all regions of Ukraine.
Findings –Results suggest a high level of concern among Ukrainian citizens regarding security and
crime. Latent criminality,crime rates and mistrust of law enforcement are high in Ukraine.It was found
that the total cost of crime to the respondents (losses from crimes) reachedUAH2m, and 69.3 per cent
reported fear of becoming a victim of crime, with 26.2 per cent indicating that they had already been
victims.
Practical implications –The knowledge of the cost of crime obtained in this study is vital for
understandingcrime in Ukraine. The results could be effectively leveragedto develop effective and cost-
efficient means of combatingcrime. They could also be used to forecast crime rates,and thus, optimize
futureresponses to the challenges of crime.
Originality/value –This is the first comprehensivestudy of the cost of crime in Ukraine and it indicates
both the tangible and intangible costs of the damage it inflicts. Notwithstanding the country-specific
case-study context,the results could inform discussions and decisions at a broaderinternational scale,
subjectto the usual caveats.
Keywords Crime, Public opinion, Cost of crime, Damage reparations, Direct damage,
Indirect damage, Social consequences
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
In contemporary society, crime is one of the most pressing and important problems. The
diverse and complex nature of crime is fundamental to a wide range of issues in
criminology, including the definition and analysis of its costs, the direct and indirect
damage it causes, its social consequences and, above all, public attitudestoward its costs.
Robustly determining the cost of crime requires Ukrainian criminologists to develop a new
criminological understanding, rejecting simplified approaches to it, and it also requires
more rigorous study of the literature, including publications outside Ukraine. Aspects of the
problem have been considered by several researchers (Anderson, 2011;Antonyan, 2012;
Borger, 2007;Brand and Price, 2000;Cohen et al.,1994;Demmert, 1979;Dolan and
Peasgood, 2007;Dolotov, 2012;Gray, 1979;Hann, 1972;Holina, 2013;Inshakov, 2012;
Kondratjuk and Ovchinskij,2012;Luneev, 2009;Rizzo, 1979;Roman, 2009).
2. Costs of crime
Crime has long-term consequences it generates shadow economies, victimizes the
population, leads to distrust of law enforcement and damages the social climate. It is a
Nataliia Volodumurivna
Smetanina and
Kateryna Dmitryevna Kulyk
are both based at the
Department of Criminology
and Penitentiary Law,
Yaroslav Mudryi National
Law University, Kharkiv,
Ukraine.
Received 30 October 2019
Revised 7 December 2019
29 December 2019
20 January 2020
Accepted 20 January 2020
DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-10-2019-0065 VOL. 6 NO. 2 2020, pp. 97-109, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841 jJOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE jPAGE 97
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