April 2007

According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics,in 2003 the United States spent a record $185 billion for police protection, corrections, and judicial and legal activities. Expenditures for operating the U.S. justice system increased from almost $36 billion in 1982 to over $185 billion in 2003, an increase of 18%. Local governments spent the most for the police function. Cover photographs by Vancouver Police Department, Michael Haslip, and U.S. Northern Command.