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>One of the answers is money. It would be convenient if it were true, but I don't think money is a great explanation. I come from a rural area in the Midwest,

>One of the answers is money. It would be convenient if it were true, but I don't think money is a great explanation. I come from a rural area in the Midwest, the people are very poor (even poorer than the urban poor) but have a lot of guns. Despite being poor and armed, the gun homicide rates are very low (the suicide rates are unfortunately not that low). Can you help me understand why poor farmers in the midwest don't commit as many murders as similarly poor and armed Mexicans?

Green_man 8y ago
I understand you are helping to differentiate between political and social stability and the easy metric "money", however, poor means something very different in Mexico and central America than it does in the Midwest. I agree with you- there's more going on than just money. But your example isn't convincing to me, because there is a huge difference in the financial capability and stability of the very poor in america, and the very poor of our southern neighbors. Also, just because someone in america is very poor doesn't mean they don't benefit from the wealth of our country in other ways- stronger prisons, often better schools and police, though that does vary a bit by community.
Cyph0n 8y ago
The answer to your question was in the comment: > for policing, for prisons, for making sure corruption and taking bribes from crime is less of an attractive choice Does this rural Midwest area have an active police presence? How well policed do you think a rural area in Mexico is?
- nradov 8y ago
  Most rural Midwest areas have very little law enforcement presence. There may be only a few sheriff's deputies on duty at a time to cover a large county. It can take a long time for help to arrive, so residents learn to take more responsibility for themselves.
- crowdpleaser 8y ago
  >Does this rural Midwest area have an active police presence? Not anything like you'd see in a more developed area. We had a county sheriff - I recall going months without seeing a law enforcement officer, I think we had a police to citizen ratio about 1/4th that of the nearest major city. Over the holidays, even getting emergency services can be really dicey. One time my neighbors were screaming and yelling at each other, we called the police and the dispatch told us that unless we heard it get physical, they wouldn't be able to send an officer out until the next day or the day after. >How well policed do you think a rural area in Mexico is? Probably equally as well, but the police in rural mexico are much more likely to be an extension of the cartels than police in the rural Midwest. If those cases, increasing patrols would actually increase cartel power. Until Mexico figures out their corruption issues, it's not clear how things can get better.
- jandrewrogers 8y ago
  The rural areas of much of the US effectively have no police presence. In these regions, the primary law enforcement is the county sheriff (and a few deputies) and they may have responsibility for an area the size of a small European country. You generally don't see them unless you call them. Honestly, murder rates in many of these parts of the US are negligible and people tend to sort out their own issues -- the sheriff often acts as an arbitrator when neighbors can't. Sheriffs are typically elected, local, and have an enormous amount of autonomy within their jurisdiction. I've seen more "police" in rural Mexico than I have in many parts of the rural US.

Green_man 8y ago

I understand you are helping to differentiate between political and social stability and the easy metric "money", however, poor means something very different in Mexico and central America than it does in the Midwest. I agree with you- there's more going on than just money. But your example isn't convincing to me, because there is a huge difference in the financial capability and stability of the very poor in america, and the very poor of our southern neighbors. Also, just because someone in america is very poor doesn't mean they don't benefit from the wealth of our country in other ways- stronger prisons, often better schools and police, though that does vary a bit by community.

Cyph0n 8y ago

The answer to your question was in the comment: > for policing, for prisons, for making sure corruption and taking bribes from crime is less of an attractive choice Does this rural Midwest area have an active police presence? How well policed do you think a rural area in Mexico is?

nradov 8y ago
Most rural Midwest areas have very little law enforcement presence. There may be only a few sheriff's deputies on duty at a time to cover a large county. It can take a long time for help to arrive, so residents learn to take more responsibility for themselves.
crowdpleaser 8y ago
>Does this rural Midwest area have an active police presence? Not anything like you'd see in a more developed area. We had a county sheriff - I recall going months without seeing a law enforcement officer, I think we had a police to citizen ratio about 1/4th that of the nearest major city. Over the holidays, even getting emergency services can be really dicey. One time my neighbors were screaming and yelling at each other, we called the police and the dispatch told us that unless we heard it get physical, they wouldn't be able to send an officer out until the next day or the day after. >How well policed do you think a rural area in Mexico is? Probably equally as well, but the police in rural mexico are much more likely to be an extension of the cartels than police in the rural Midwest. If those cases, increasing patrols would actually increase cartel power. Until Mexico figures out their corruption issues, it's not clear how things can get better.
jandrewrogers 8y ago
The rural areas of much of the US effectively have no police presence. In these regions, the primary law enforcement is the county sheriff (and a few deputies) and they may have responsibility for an area the size of a small European country. You generally don't see them unless you call them. Honestly, murder rates in many of these parts of the US are negligible and people tend to sort out their own issues -- the sheriff often acts as an arbitrator when neighbors can't. Sheriffs are typically elected, local, and have an enormous amount of autonomy within their jurisdiction. I've seen more "police" in rural Mexico than I have in many parts of the rural US.