Calculation of Standardized Unit Costs of Mental Health in the Criminal justice Sector - Results of the PECUNIA Project for Germany

Aim Health economic evaluations conducted from a societal perspective currently do not consider inter-sectoral unit costs (UC) of the German Criminal Justice Sector.Methods UCwere calculated according to the pre-defined measurement parameters from the PECUNIA questionnaire by means of literature and internet research, or direct correspondence with the institution. If UC could not be identified, proxies were used.Results UC were calculated for police, fire brigade, vandalism, prison, police custody, simple and serious theft, minor and serious vandalism of real estate, and legal fees in court.Conclusion The lack of UC for services in the criminal justice sector in Germany makes this work important for health economic evaluations from a societal perspective. The usability of the developed UC outside of health economics, such as forensic psychiatry, emphasizes the relevance of this work