An Estimation of the Economic Impact of Violent Victimization in Canada, 2009

Highlights

Victimizations of five violent crimes are analyzed in this report: assault, criminal harassment, homicide, robbery, and sexual assault and other sexual offences. Only incidents that occurred in 2009, that involved adult victims, and that involved no spousal relationship between the offender and victim are included.

Self-reported data show that there were 1,418,794 incidents of assault, 668,088 criminal harassment victims (data only allows for a victim count), 143,421 incidents of robbery, and 561,807 incidents of sexual assault and other sexual offences in 2009; 62% of assaults were directed against male victims, 74% of criminal harassment victims were female, 56% of robbery incidents were against male victims, and 68% of sexual assault and other sexual offences incidents were directed against female victims.

There were 160,027 incidents of assault, 69,742 incidents of criminal harassment, 453 incidents of homicide, 20,067 incidents of robbery, and 8,777 incidents of sexual assault and other sexual offences reported to the police in 2009; 58% of assaults were directed against male victims, 82% of homicides were directed against male victims, 92% of sexual assaults and other offences were directed against female victims.

The total cost associated with victimization of these five crimes occurred in 2009 is estimated to be $12.7 billion, or $376 per Canadian. Assault victimization cost $2.1 billion; criminal harassment victimization cost $0.5 billion; homicide victimization cost $3.7 billion; robbery victimization cost $1.6 billion; sexual assault and other sexual offences victimization cost $4.8 billion. Note that these figures are not annual costs, and they capture all the associated costs resulted from the victimization in 2009.

This report analyzes costs attributed to the party that bears the impact, not the actual monetary loss for three cost categories for each crime: justice system costs, victim costs, and third-party costs. Across all five crimes, justice system costs were $1.9 billion, victim costs were $10.6 billion, and third-party costs were $0.2 billion.

The report also provides a breakdown by tangible and intangible costs. Tangible costs accounted for 26% of all costs ($3.3 billion); intangible costs accounted for 74% of all costs ($9.4 billion), mostly due to pain and suffering costs for assault, robbery, and sexual assault and other sexual offences ($5.9 billion) and loss of life costs for homicide ($3.5 billion).

Tangible costs are also further analyzed by who actually paid and bore the monetary burden: the state paid for 64% ($2.1 billion), individuals (including victims) paid for 33% ($1.1 billion), and businesses paid for 4% ($116 million).