Researchers at New York’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice found that between 2010 and 2020, taxpayers shelled out at least $350 million to care for survivors of gun violence. The report also says taxpayers are paying more than 70% of hospital costs, with inpatient stays for injuries averaging eight days in the study.
A researcher at John Jay told the New York Post: “People should not delude themselves into thinking that if they live in a rural farm community, they don’t have to worry about urban gun violence—because they are paying for that.”
Putting a price tag on the city’s gun violence may help the problem get attention from communities less directly affected by the problem, Dr. Jeffrey Butts, head of the Research & Evaluation Center at John Jay, said.
While youth violence remains a concern, data on most crimes seem to have reached a plateau, though it’s too early to spot any clear trends. Academics noted that stable crime rates aren’t unusual after a period of decline, and cautioned that yearly numbers rarely point directly to the success or failure of city initiatives.
Report temporarily removed pending receipt of corrected data.
“Imagine a young person is shot and loses their ability to walk or work and then suddenly someone in that family has to stay home and lose their job to care for their loved one. All those economic consequences then could affect their ability to keep their housing, to put food on the table,” said Jeffrey Butts, a research professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
