Cost of the criminal justice system
- Canada spends about $13 billion each year for police and other criminal justice services (JustResearch, 2003).
- The number of sworn police officers in Canada per 100,000 population has stayed in a similar range for the last twenty years. In 2007, there were more than 64,000 police officers and almost 25,000 civilians (Beattie & Mole, 2007).
- In 2006, expenditures on policing totaled $9.9 billion, up 4.4% from 2005 after adjusting for inflation, and was the 10th year in a row that spending increased. The $9.9 billion translates into a cost of $300 per Canadian (Beattie & Mole, 2007).
Cost of crime in billions of dollars
Source: Department of Justice Canada, 2003.