The Dept. for Economics, Business and Regulation of the University of Sassari joined forces with the Dept. of Economics of the "Parthenope" University in Naples to investigate the costs of the Judiciary machinery (Naples) and criminal activity (Sassari), following the footsteps of the UK Home Office Paper "The economic and social costs of Crime". Gauging the costs associated with crimes and public resources associated with crime prevention and punishment  is a key element for evaluating the success and costs of public security policies.