3 ms·

Or we could address the root problem behind the vast majority of crime; systemic poverty.

tick_tock_tick 6y ago
I'm not convinced that systemic poverty is the cause. Plenty of poorer counties and non urban, but just a poor, areas in the USA don't have these high violent crime rates.
- Misdicorl 6y ago
  Poverty includes more than just household income. In particular, many of the comparative areas you mention provide: safe schools, libraries, extended family resources. Population density is also a huge driver of violent crime rates. Of course poverty isn't the only factor. But it's a hugely important one.
  - MuffinFlavored 6y ago
    higher household income would mean the households are worth more aka more property taxes aka more money for education and police to keep everybody safe
    - Misdicorl 6y ago
      The point is that people construct these comparison classes which are poor but not impoverished. And then draw all sorts of faulty conclusions
- genoapol 6y ago
  Most of the poor countries you mention don't have an intentionally created underclass. The economic background and the tremendous intentional income/wealth inequality in the US adds a bit more complexity. In most countries, you won't end up in jail because you make less than $X, the US penalizes being poor. The US jail population as a % of the world's total jailed population is a clear indicator. Also its quite interesting that American whites commit crime at a higher rate than UK blacks. There is something systemic at work here. It seems the few decades of gutting social safety nets compounded with the trend of shutting down schools to make funds available for policing and jail building created a pipeline directly to jail for the newly undereducated and poor. A pipeline with perverse incentives that helped corporations and the US government exploit almost free ($0.25/hr) domestic prison slave labor for weapons, defense, and general manufacturing.
  - tick_tock_tick 6y ago
    That's a really really weird view if everyone is equally as poor people don't murder?
    - adamsea 6y ago
      Kind of ... https://hbr.org/2016/01/income-inequality-makes-whole-countries-less-happy https://hbr.org/2016/01/income-inequality-makes-whole-countr...
MuffinFlavored 6y ago
how many children raised in poor neighborhoods by young single poor mothers should have been aborted?

I'm not convinced that systemic poverty is the cause. Plenty of poorer counties and non urban, but just a poor, areas in the USA don't have these high violent crime rates.

Misdicorl 6y ago
Poverty includes more than just household income. In particular, many of the comparative areas you mention provide: safe schools, libraries, extended family resources. Population density is also a huge driver of violent crime rates. Of course poverty isn't the only factor. But it's a hugely important one.
- MuffinFlavored 6y ago
  higher household income would mean the households are worth more aka more property taxes aka more money for education and police to keep everybody safe
  - Misdicorl 6y ago
    The point is that people construct these comparison classes which are poor but not impoverished. And then draw all sorts of faulty conclusions
genoapol 6y ago
Most of the poor countries you mention don't have an intentionally created underclass. The economic background and the tremendous intentional income/wealth inequality in the US adds a bit more complexity. In most countries, you won't end up in jail because you make less than $X, the US penalizes being poor. The US jail population as a % of the world's total jailed population is a clear indicator. Also its quite interesting that American whites commit crime at a higher rate than UK blacks. There is something systemic at work here. It seems the few decades of gutting social safety nets compounded with the trend of shutting down schools to make funds available for policing and jail building created a pipeline directly to jail for the newly undereducated and poor. A pipeline with perverse incentives that helped corporations and the US government exploit almost free ($0.25/hr) domestic prison slave labor for weapons, defense, and general manufacturing.
- tick_tock_tick 6y ago
  That's a really really weird view if everyone is equally as poor people don't murder?
  - adamsea 6y ago
    Kind of ... https://hbr.org/2016/01/income-inequality-makes-whole-countries-less-happy https://hbr.org/2016/01/income-inequality-makes-whole-countr...

MuffinFlavored 6y ago

how many children raised in poor neighborhoods by young single poor mothers should have been aborted?