I’m often asked why America has such an intractable problem with violence. Criminologists have tried to answer this question for decades without a definitive answer.

But it could be the lack of accountability for people who commit criminal acts. If you escape apprehension for murder or rape or robbery, what’s to stop you from committing more?

Big city mayors are calling for more arrests and a greater percentage of crimes solved yet both are declining. Those under correctional supervision are at record lows. Police response times are compromised.

Progressive critics will immediately launch into all the reasons why declining arrests and diminishing correctional populations are in society’s best interest. We are too heavy-handed, they say. Too many minorities are caught up in arrests and prosecution. Families are destroyed through incarceration. And yes, there are major groups and prominent people (i.e. Biden) calling for prison populations to be cut in half.