ABSTRACT
Taxpayers provided a level of public funding for police and a criminal justice system that controlled property and violent crime, which in turn allowed this degree of relative safety. A level of crime was produced—the tradeoff between criminal activity and tax dollars spent for public safety. The resulting level of crime in the 1950s and early 1960s allowed much of the population to feel safe—this was, in effect, the social contract. Thirty years ago citizens paid taxes to support a police, legal, and incarceration system that provided for public safety. This public safety shield allowed most citizens ample degrees of freedom to live their daily lives without fear of violence. Growth in spending on safety does not include a dollar amount assigned to modification of life-styles or to fear, but the cost is large in terms of reduction in freedom.
