A rather harsh OpEd is in today's Pembroke Daily Observer -- see below -- dealing with the drop in crime. That said Goldstein has a point; crime is down from a few years ago but way up compared to the 1960's.
I suppose one response is to say we're going in the right direction (save on property crime).
That said, to my mind, the key is to deal with the crime that seems to be motivated by something other than greed. And our current system is based on the assumption crime is based on greed -- even sex crimes are seen as, generally, rational and merely a way of getting a benefit improperly.
In fact much crime is based on mental illness and irrational impulse. It is here that we should focus our attention.
The next time the 'hug-a-thug' crowd crows about lower crime rates;
Pembroke Daily Observer (ON)
Wed 06 Aug 2008
Page: 4
Section: Editorial/Opinion
Byline: LORRIE GOLDSTEIN
Column: Viewpoint
Today let's take a break from the BS we're being fed about global warming to examine the BS we're being fed about crime statistics.
Specifically, about how 'low' they are today compared to the past, how anyone who believes otherwise is paranoid and how the best way to make the crime rate even lower is to go even softer on criminals than we already are.
First, let's examine what the crime rate actually is compared to years ago, as opposed to what we've been told it is.
Here are some figures you probably didn't see widely quoted in the media earlier this month when Statistics Canada released its 2007 data on falling Canadian crime rates.
* First, violent crime is up 320 per cent since 1962, when modern records first started being kept.
* Second, property crime, which rights groups that crime has been going down for years?
See here:
http://www.fpinfomart.ca/img/aixpubs/pedb.gif
James Morton
1100 - 5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4
5 comments:
"In fact much crime is based on mental illness and irrational impulse. It is here that we should focus our attention."
Actually Morton, I think you're 100% wrong here.
Where is the evidence that "much crime is based on mental illness and irrational impulse."
Maybe "some" crime would be correct, but using the word "much" seems to be like calling it a "majority" of crime.
Very few criminals are mentally ill.
If you have the statistics to prove you're right, please give them to me to prove I'm wrong.
Crime up from the 60's.....so is the population.
Mr. Morton - johnathon is a "troll" who goes all over the blogosphere making challenges and more so "vile" bigoted remarks...most bloggers have filtered him or deleted him...suggest you do the same.
The link between mental health and crime is there -- but in truth most mentally ill people do not commit crimes. But some people (maybe most) who commit crimes are mentally ill:
http://www.schizophrenia.com/news/crime1.html
I think if you have to go back to the early 60's to make a point that "crime is actually rising despite what the trends say" then you are playing a deceptive game.
Not only records were just beginning to be required to be kept in 1962, but also the KKK still had massive political influence in the south and authorities everywhere had much greater autonomy and thus an unencumbered ability to conveniently "under-report" crimes. Not only is the population much higher today, but scrutiny of police records is much greater both internally and from outside agencies.
This "analysis" (if you can call it that - an editorial is NOT a study) assumes that in 1962 police districts across the nation instantly went from no required statistical reporting to 100% accuracy out of the shear nobility of their efforts.
The real world doesn't work that way. 1962, gee, nearly half a century ago. Might as well have been a different planet as well. You could make almost any dot connections you want using this basis.
Personally, I think the high levels of smoking then probably soothed the savage beast . . . I'll get right on my draft editorial to make the point that we should promote smoking to bring down the crime rate. I'm sure I can dig up some statistics on the web to "prove" my point in an editorial I'll knock out before noon.
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