“…when Holmes was released from prison last year, officials in this city offered something unusual to try to keep him alive: money. They began paying Holmes as much as $1,000 a month not to commit another gun crime. Cities across the country, beginning with the District of Columbia, are moving to copy Richmond’s controversial approach because early indications show it has helped reduce homicide rates.”
– “Cities begin to challenge a bedrock of justice: They’re paying criminals not to kill” (The Washington Post, 03/26/16)
I’m really, really appalled by this – but probably not exactly for the same reason as other people.
On the surface, any vaguely law-abiding citizen says to themselves “what the Hell, I work hard for my money – and some of my hard-earned cash is taxed and redistributed to simply pay someone NOT to commit a crime?!” On its face its unfair. A thousand dollars a month isn’t enough to Live off of, it’d make a huge difference in MY Life, a change from struggling to survive to comfortably planning my eventual retirement, but in most cities it won’t even cover rent. And yet some portion of my taxes will be redistributed for this purpose. I manage to not commit gun crimes pretty regularly, and yet I’m paying for this. [yes I know that a) it’s not really this simple and b) I don’t Live in a city where this is happening, I’m speaking generally]
Now, group trips of opposing gang members to build bonds betwixt groups DOES sound intelligent, I’m a believer in that, but turning a blind eye to so much else is just… enabling. And beyond that, the thing that really, really angers me, is that this appears to be the utmost extension of capitalism. Not liberalism, not criminal rights activism – absolute, crass, straight-forward capitalist calculation.
The average cost of keeping someone in prison for a month in the United States is over $2000. (and in most urban settings, this is much higher). A funeral costs $6000. When the hospital fails and a bullet wound kills, that costs the hospital around $12,000 and the Chicago Tribune estimates that the cost of a non-fatal hospitalization and follow-up care for a gunshot injury is $35,367. Yeah, from a conservative capitalist point of view, you just do the math and it’s a no-brainer, right?
Yeah, but it’s not moral. It’s not fair. It’s not right. This is Flint, MI or Porter Ranch writ on a singular level. Go with the cheapest option and you teach one person not to [get caught] commit a gun crime, teach a whole community that once you DO, people may just turn a blind eye and pay you not to do it again. It’s why you invest in homeless shelters but don’t hand a $20 to the guy on the side of the road. It’s why a teacher teaches a classroom and doesn’t just adopt a kid.
Sigh. Happy Easter. I’m an atheist, but WWJD? He forgave Judas, but I doubt he would’ve paid him another 30 pieces of silver to keep him from doing it again.
