Benefit Analysis in Criminal Justice : An Example Application to a Statewide Drug Treatment System

Collins employed cost-benefit methods to estimate the economic costs and benefits associated with the provision of substance abuse treatment in Idaho. To lend context to the cost-benefit findings, his work illustrated utilizes theoretical concepts from the fields of public policy and criminal justice/criminology. Specifically, he details the impact that the network, collaborative capacity, and wicked problem concepts have on the criminal justice and substance abuse treatment fields. His findings indicate a positive relationship between collaborative capacity and social support and an inverse relationship between increased social support and costs associated with criminal activity - namely, activities related to illegal substance use and abuse.