A better way for Democrats to talk about rising crime

Progressives talk a lot about addressing the root causes of crime, but they forgot that one of the most important is human nature. We are selfish and greedy beings, and if crime is rewarding, or disorder tolerated, some people will engage in antisocial behaviors even if all their material needs are met. It is the job of the criminal justice system to deter that.

Unfortunately, the hardest-to-deter people are often those from disadvantaged backgrounds and neighborhoods, in part because they have less to lose from getting caught. Progressives are understandably reluctant to hurt those folks. But of course, the victims of their crimes are disproportionately other disadvantaged people. For that matter, these offenders are often their own worst victims: A life of crime isn’t something to wish for anyone.

But if progressives are wrong about the problem, conservatives are wrong about the solution; too often, they try to deter crime through ever-harsher punishment. Yet crime and public disorder are generally the product of people who have poor impulse control and short time horizons, often because of underlying mental illness or substance abuse problems.