The most common sense approach to preventing crime is to make sure that crime doesn't pay. In other words, make sure the punishment exceeds any possible benefit from committing the crime. Humans are rational creatures. When given a choice between an easy way and a hard way, we take the easy way.
Children learn from example. They learn from what they see around them. A few years ago, in Washington, D.C., a teen-ager was shot at a local high school. The student charged with the offense was released into the custody of his mother. The next day, this student was back in school. The 500 other students at the high school learned a powerful lession that day. The message sent by our criminal justice system was loud and clear. Society doesn't think shooting someone is that big of a deal. If you shoot someone, a day later, you can be back in school like nothing ever happened.
Children growing up in high-crime areas get a first hand education of how our criminal justice system really works. After a shooting, they see the gunman back on the street like nothing has happened. They hear people bragging about having done time in prison. The people they know who have committed crimes aren't remorseful or sorry. The message many children in America get today is that crime is exciting, it sometimes pays a little money, and that to society, it's not that big of a deal.
Enforcing our current laws and having the punishment match the crime will send the right message to America's youth. Society does care. Life is valuable and when you take a life, it is a big deal. If you hurt someone, there is a price to pay. There are millions of good kids who get tempted by the allure of crime. With a strong message, our criminal justice system can steer these kids away from crime.
