Crime has increased dramatically in the past two years in America’s large cities and is spilling over to the suburbs and towns. In order to stop the increase and even reverse it, we must understand what is causing it. Politicians say it’s the frustration caused by the Covid pandemic: others look at where the crime is occurring and the policies being pursued in those localities and conclude it stems from bad policies that were enacted in the past year that encouraged crime. This post attempts to find the root causes of our crime-wave in order to offer viable solutions.
To begin, we need to see just how much crime there was in prior years to determine if it’s as bad as the press says it is. Of the sixteen American cities where homicides have vastly escalated, 15 are run by Democrat mayors and city councils. This is important because those policies affecting the criminal justice system in 15 are very similar and therefore may be the cause of the very large spike in homicides. The policies we’re referring to are: 1) defunding the police, 2) not prosecuting robberies where the dollar amount of the stolen merchandise is under a specified amount, 3) city district attorneys not requiring cash bail for criminals who are then let free until their court date, 4) double standards for not prosecuting crimes against some groups (BLM, Antifa), 5) etc.
The aforementioned policies are absurd, however, for those that believe they are good, I submit the following:
- Defunding the police does not make police more careful about not violating civil rights. Prosecuting bad policemen is part of the answer. Training is another part. Less police mean less enforcement. Less enforcement means more crime.
- Not prosecuting robberies of under a certain cost inevitably leads to many more robberies because criminals know that will get away with it.
- District attorneys not requiring cash bail leads to many more criminals being free and on the street until their court dates.
- When some groups (BLM, Antifa) get away with rioting and destruction of businesses, but other groups are held to a much higher standard (January 6 protesters), faith in the fairness of American Justice is lost (and tells people on the Left that they can get away with arson, looting, and mugging).
All of the above seem self-evident…it’s not rocket science to conclude what I concluded. Therefore, why would such policies ever be adopted? There are some people that believe our justice system is unfair to minorities and the poor; however, courts offer free legal representation to anyone who can’t afford it. While it may not be ideal, it does significantly help. The criminal justice system policies being advocated and used by the Far-left have unintended consequences for law-abiding citizens that are intolerable. Politicians and District Attorneys that advocate such policies need to be voted out of office and their destructive policies reversed.
