D.A. John Cruezot’s price of Negligence
It is often said that one of the worst things that can happen to somebody faced with committing a crime is getting away with it...and evading the consequence. Society is all to understanding of the plight of the needy...where many feel as though there is no other option but to engage in crime because every other avenue is closed. At first they whisper to themselves...this isn’t for personal gain...its just what needed to be done to provide and to meet the cost of life and living. Shortcuts are found and forged...and calculated risks are taken for rewards that are would be otherwise unavailable to the perpetrator.
There is often an unseen consequence of taking a light handed approach to minor crime. The risk is that this is normalized and then relied upon within communities as “the cost of doing business”. And herein lies the problem of crime...is that these crimes are more often than not intracommunal in nature...which is why people have entirely too much to say about Black on Black crime. Then, unfortunately as time moves forward a small percentage of these petty thieves graduate into seasoned criminals...some of which eventually become hardened felons.
When Creuzot made the absolutely unnecessary announcement that he would not prosecute crimes that he concerned “petty”...this backfired on the difficult neighborhoods of Dallas...because now perpetrators had what they needed...a specific boundary to consider in their mission for illicit gain. So while one person won’t get away with stealing $750 dollars worth of bacon(theft for personal gain)...they could either work in tandem with other on smaller amounts or stretch that out over several petty crimes.
The larger question always looms, who is affected by the petty crime and who is really responsible? The idealist who demand for a “fairer” society, the District Attorney who enables the perpetrators to run rampant within a publicly specified periphery, or the petty criminal who gets away with it the first few times. Who picks up the tab when counseling and rehabilitation prove ineffectual? Nine times out of ten the burden falls on working families are left cheated.
Should these petty crimes of theft and necessity should be prosecuted with mandatory jail time? Absolutely not. There needs to be ample deterents for those who would participate in crime in these neighborhoods of color and culture which are at risk and have ongoing hurdles and impediments that keep them from prospering...and we need a bit more character, concern and nuance from the District Attorney in Dallas. It is not enough to trust the statistic that rehabilitation and counseling is sufficient for these petty crimes. Business owners should be aware at all times if someone engaging in perpetual theft for any reason is on their premises waiting for an avenue to exploit their business. If someone is found guilty of these kinds of crime more than three times then they should were an ankle bracelet for the extent of their probation.
It is also important to keep in mind that there are plenty of jobs available on the market regardless of their level of education, and part of their counseling and rehabilitiation should be mandatory attendance to job fairs so that these small time petty criminals are given each and every chance to pivot, turn a corner and take the steps needed to have a better life for them and their families.
Summer crime is on the uptick. Currently crime in Dallas is 83% higher than the national average. Within this narrow periphery of tolerance crime is perpetuated in difficult areas of Dallas while there are more affluent areas which are deemed safer and enjoy a higher quality of life. While vision of end mass incarceration has and ideological appeal to it, it should never be at the expense of the Black community.
