There's a lot of people imagining this crime to be Jean Val Jean stealing a loaf of bread to eat. It isn't; much of the crime is committed via organized retail

There's a lot of people imagining this crime to be Jean Val Jean stealing a loaf of bread to eat. It isn't; much of the crime is committed via organized retail theft. A relatively small handful are disproportionately abusing the system. The NYPD released some stats awhile back- one of the highest rates of recidivism for an individual in NYC was an offender with 101 arrests, 88 of which were since 2020. Another farther down the list was with 87 total arrests, 25 since 2020, 9 of which include a robbery charge. Those are just the numbers for two individuals who happen to actually get caught. Most retail theft doesn't end in an arrest. So long as it is profitable to do, and easier than working a job, people will keep doing it. Building more "projects" isn't going to change that.