Comments on: Violent Crime Prevention Most Effective

By: Nimmo

Nimmo — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:08:58 +0000

I work for a criminal attorney in San Diego, and I can tell you that from experience prevention is way better than ‘rehabilitating’ or punishing someone after the fact. We see criminals come in and out of jail for the same offense or worse. It’s very cyclical. I also notice that the criminals tend to all have broken family or childhood upbringing. Having a complete, healthy and supportive family unit would cut down on crimes in my opinion.

By: Garrrett Guidinger

Garrrett Guidinger — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 07:12:12 +0000

I believe drugs should be legalized. They would definitely make billions of dollars in America’s economy! Also the wars on drugs and violence and crime rate an prisoners of drug possessions would cease to exist!

By: Joanne Factor

Joanne Factor — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 21:44:08 +0000

Prevention is WAY more cost-effective (physically, emotionally, socially AND financially) than is after-the-fact incarceration. Two main approaches can cover most issues.

First, much violence erupts when conflict escalates and communication fails. Teaching simple conflict resolution skills, beginning at early ages, really works.

Second, there are chunks of violence not connected to lack of education or poverty. While domestic violence is SLIGHTLY more prevalent among the poor, overall it cuts across class and education lines. I credit the stigma placed on the victim for it’s continued prevalence. Abusers continue abusing because they too often get what they want with too few negative consequences. The trick is balancing our rights and privacy with social accountability.

By: David DeAngelo

David DeAngelo — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 16:19:24 +0000

Prevention is better than cure. I think it has alot to do with a persons upbringing. If we have a society where the parent is made to be more responsible in teaching their child in ethics and values their will be less crime and violence in society. Locking up criminals with others could help them build up a network and stay in their way of thinking. However, I believe they still should be locked up and maybe even solitory confinement. Children and youths these days are getting more and more dangerous. In London this year, there has been many shootings and stabbing which left many teenagers dead. Our law here is letting them off too easily because of their age. They should be held responsible for their actions like any adult. However, the best long term plan is to teach and discipline them at a very young age.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 04:52:11 +0000

Megan,

Thanks for your great comments! I’ll assume your questions are rhetorical because I doubt I could answer them. I agree with your view of violence as systemic. I think we need to promote a culture of peacefulness and non-violence conflict resolution, and try to shed the culture of violence and vengeance.

You ask how we can help a would-be perpetrator before an incident occurs without restricting their liberty. I think we can do it with their consent. Most people want to help themselves. Psychologists often say that we can only help those who want to help themselves. Additionally, we can work to reduce the non-personal influences that systemically cause violent criminality, such as poverty and the previously discussed violent culture.

I hope to hear more from you!

Thanks,
Scott

By: Megan

Megan — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 12:47:03 +0000

Currently, I’m a seminary student and am researching the history of violence as it relates to women’s issues–specifically violence/violent language and images in the Bible…felt like you could use that background.

Anyway, it seems to me that part of the issue with responding to violence is that we’ve adopted the vocabulary of violence–we fight violence, combat violence, have a war on violence.

I agree that to truly end violence means to help a perpetrator before an incident occurs. How do you do this without violating someone’s rights and liberties? Perhaps the real issue is reframing what it means to educate people about the damages done by violence to the whole community. Violence is a systemic issue, and it seeps into some much of what we all say and do. What would it mean to think more deliberately about what we do and say? What would it mean to stop after we hear an offensive joke, a violent comment, or the like and talked to the person who said/did it?

What does it mean not simply to live without war but to be an active peace maker?