In my work, I have seen clients be robbed, defrauded and harmed in other ways. My observations over the last 50 or so years of professional life say that crime has risen. This is borne out by modern crime statistics especially in big metropolitan areas like Chicago, NYC, Los Angeles, Atlanta and more.
I am hardly a sociologist, criminologist or anything more than a Citizen observer of our society, but it strikes me that crimes must have some reason(s) behind them. What motivates a person to commit a crime?
I found this definition of crime:
1: an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government especially : a gross violation of law. 2 : a grave offense especially against morality. 3 : criminal activity efforts to fight crime.
OK, but there is a common aspect of crime in the sense of taking what doesn't belong to you. Those who commit such crimes are taking shortcuts. In other words, they are not putting in the work but short cutting it by stealing another's work in the form of their just rewards. Even taking a life can be seen in this way.
So why? I copied one answer found:
Social root causes of crime are: inequality, not sharing power, lack of support to families and neighborhoods, real or perceived inaccessibility to services, lack of leadership in communities, low value placed on children and individual well-being, the overexposure to television as a means of recreation.
OK, I suppose these are present in some but in my opinion the rise in crime is most closely associated with the destruction of the nuclear family. A Father, a Mother, Grandparents, Aunts & Uncles, cousins and of course their own children act as a group that feeds all other groups and is the first and most important school for life learning. It is in the family that children see the examples of being good, productive, kind, respectful and so much more. It is where the commonality of family pleasure, heart break and yes Love reside and is fostered as the natural motivation. It is where a work ethic is instilled, and where the results of ones labor can be seen as a benefit to all. It is where society is built toward a better future.
Even our tax code has some support for families by including child rearing tax credits and and the Married Filing Jointly status. This could go further if the school tuition voucher became law and additional education at any level were to be tax deductible.
In my own family, we had loving grandparents, my Nono and Nona, who were every bit as influential as our parents. We got to see some of the ugly stuff too and in that were able to make discerning opinions about how we wanted to be in life. Admittedly, my brothers and I were little shits and lots of trouble. But we came through it always returning to our family's orientation and love. We have a true debt to our parents and grandparents.
I just want to say that supporting the nuclear family is about the best single thing we can do to reduce crime. Maybe there is such a thing as the criminal mind, maybe not. Maybe there are brain deficiencies that lean one to commit crimes. But maybe there is also something in what I say.
The single best weapon against crime is the Family. Support yours and that of others.
Best,
Donn Marier
DM-Your Own CFO