Issues Under Fire: When Broken Windows Ignores Empty Refrigerators
As Americans continue raging against racial profiling and police brutality throughout the nation, it might be time to interject the economic component into this crisis. While racism and the fear that feeds it are the usual suspects in cases like this, the lack of economic and educational opportunity is more likely to be the true culprit hiding behind the scenes. To ignore a root cause of crime, while trying to enforce the law, is like ignoring someone playing with matches while trying to put out a wildfire.
Current debates in more conservative spaces feel high crime areas require more attention, and they're right. However, that attentions needs to come from a variety of sources and not just law enforcement. If one understands the undeniable link between crime and poverty, one can better respond to crime with proportional punishment. Adopting singleminded and shortsighted policing policies like New York city's "Broken Windows" and "Zero Tolerance", have only exacerbated problems for poor and minority communities.
When difficult economic times become a way of life in some communities, one can expect shadow economies to develop. Sex, drugs and stolen property become viable commodities to be bought and sold for cash to survive. Because certain communities have been historically relegated to the bottom tier of America's economic strata, those communities are more likely to experience and tolerate higher levels of crime.
In communities that rely on public education, public housing and public assistance, generally, many in those communities end up relying on public defenders too. Hence, one shouldn't be surprised to find many in "those communities" with public criminal records. If one doubts this theory, one need only compare the above described demographic with the demographic protesting across the nation for a living wage. The overlap tells the story.
When a single mother is facing the utilities being turned off in the winter, no food in the fridge, no lunch money for the little ones and daddy is nowhere to be found, sometimes she'll look the other way. If her eldest son, who's skipping school, comes home with a thousand dollars cash, in many homes like this, there will be no questions. Once that son gets a taste of fast money, crime is not a choice, crime is a necessity. Once that son is caught, charged, prosecuted and serves time for the offense, crime becomes a career., because there's no turning back.
Bottom line: Forward thinkers would always anticipate a rise in crime when times get tough. Forward thinkers would know that difficult economic times is when investments in education and social programs are needed most. Forward thinkers would know that investing in law enforcement to crackdown on crime with the "just lock-em all up" attitude will only create the illusion of a solution. Forward thinkers know that the results of policies like "Broken Windows" and Zero Tolerance" will only lead to the creation of a permanent criminal class. Podcast Below!
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