Prior Attempts to Assess Harm and the Challenges They Have Encountered

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter reviews previous attempts to work with “harm” as an analytical device, either through empirical assessments of the harms of particular criminal activities or by spelling out what harm means and for whom. Identifying few attempts in the literature on crime, it takes a broader perspective and also considers analytical frameworks and empirical studies focusing on drug-related harm, public perceptions of the seriousness of crime, the impact of criminal victimization, and the cost of crime. Reflecting on these studies, the chapter discusses the conceptual and technical challenges of assessing harm and argues that these challenges almost certainly have played a part in hindering progress toward assessing the harms of crime. The chapter points to the achievements and deficits of previous analytical efforts, the underlying obstacles to harm assessment, and the value of the new framework.