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IPS129 Claudia V. et al.
• Intangible costs: Intangible costs result from negative effects of crime, but
the effects do not have directly observed market values. Such costs from crime
include lost quality of life as a result of victimization, fear in the community, or
avoidance behaviors to reduce the likelihood of being victimized.
• Timing of the cost in relation to the crime: While the most recognized costs
of crime are those that occur as a direct consequence of the crime, such as the
cost to recover from crime-related injuries, researchers consider secondary
consequences of crime as well. Such consequences may occur before or after
a particular crime occurs. For example, some costs of crime occur in
anticipation of crime, for instance to avoid victimization. Other costs occur as
a response to crime, such as the cost of judicial proceedings or the costs to
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incarcerate offenders
• Who bears the cost: Crime costs can be borne by individuals, such as the
victim or the victim’s family, employers or businesses, and broader society,
such as when public property is destroyed. Societal costs can also take the
form of taxpayer funds for crime prevention or criminal justice system
expenses. Cost estimates may also include not only victims’ costs, but also
costs to potential victims (such as costs associated with the fear of crime),
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future victims, offenders, and offenders’ families .
Aim of the present work is to individuate different profiles of fear of crime
perception, relating them to social decay indicators, behaviors and police work
citizens evaluation in order to describe the intangible cost of crimes with
available data. Another analysis will concentrate on economic loss of
victimized people for the tangible costs.
International research according that the victimization rate is strictly
correlate to the gender, age, social conditions, and that effects directly on
tangible costs in anticipation of crime.
In Italy the citizen security survey gives an overview of the crime
phenomenon through the point of view of the victims. This survey allows
having a "submerged" estimate for a large number of crimes not reported to
the police and to identify risk population groups; moreover the survey

8 Similar to this approach, researchers may categorize costs as ex ante or ex post, referring to if the cost
occurred before or after the crime occurred. In addition, researchers may consider whether a cost is a direct
result of a crime, including most costs borne by the victim. Or, researchers may consider whether a cost is
an indirect cost of crime, including fear in the community or some criminal justice costs, without necessarily
considering whether a cost is in anticipation of a crime or in response to crime. Studies may not necessarily
agree on whether a cost should fit into a particular category or if the studies should consider these
categories separately.
9 Researchers may refer to costs as either external or social costs, which to some extent focus on who bears
the cost. For instance, external costs are those imposed by one person onto another, where the affected
person does not voluntarily accept the negative consequences. Costs imposed on the victim, such as
medical bills, property damage, and lost quality of life are examples of external costs. Social costs are those
that reduce the aggregate well-being of society and may include not only victim costs, but also costs
considered to divert resources from socially productive uses. Researchers may not agree on which costs to
consider or which costs may be external versus social costs.
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