The Cost Of Crime In Atlantic County

Crime and punishment consume a huge chunk of Atlantic County taxpayer funds.

The $33 million Public Safety Department is the county’s costliest in its $201 million 2015 budget.

And the Division of Adult Detention, which runs the Gerard L. Gormley Justice Facility — the official name for the jail — eats up about $26 million of that for staff and big-ticket items, such as inmate medical care and food.

The rest pays for the juvenile detention facility Harborfields in Egg Harbor City, the Medical Examiner’s Office and emergency management services.

The county lists the County Prosecutor’s Office, which has a budget of more than $13 million this year; and the Sheriff’s Office, with a budget of more than $8 million this year, under Constitutional Officers. That is because they are state-mandated offices.

But their work is also concerned with public safety. With their budgets included, it swells county spending on dealing with and preventing crime to more than a quarter of all county spending — $53 million of the $201 million budget.
Entire article at
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/crime/crime-takes-bite-out-of-atlantic-county-budget/article_072385d2-f1f5-11e4-81df-7f29ad514dcc.html