Many people in America don’t seem to understand that there is a conflict in the political scene over the purpose of law enforcement.
On the one side is the traditional view that law enforcement officers are there to catch and punish people who violate the law in order to make the area safer. The other view is the newer, “progressive” view that crime is caused by poverty and/or acting out childhood trauma, so law enforcement should either disappear in favor of community therapists, or law enforcement should become therapists themselves.
I may be exaggerating the progressive viewpoint a bit. But not much.
The thing is, one of those views works to reduce crime, and the other view, despite what its supporters say, increases crime.
And now we have proof of that coming from a state that tried to force the progressive viewpoint on everyone first. J.T. Young writes,
In 2014, Democrats convinced Californians that their problems were the result of a broken justice system — one that incarcerated too many people and created “unconstitutional prison overcrowding.”
They sold Proposition 47 as the fix. The measure downgraded “certain low-level offenses, such as drug possession and thefts of property under $950, from potential felonies to misdemeanors.”
Californians bought it, passing Proposition 47 with 60% support. They paid for it dearly over the next decade.
Those “low-level offenses” became high-level problems. Shoplifting surged. Fewer drug prosecutions meant less mandatory recovery treatment, leaving addicts on the street, fueling homelessness.
By 2024, Californians had finally had enough. Proposition 36 was written to undo Proposition 47. Despite Democrat opposition, Proposition 36 passed with 71% support — and overwhelmingly in all 58 counties.
The result?
Since implementation, Prop. 36 has led to more than 3,000 felony arrests. Eighty percent of those had prior felony convictions, and 25% had convictions for violent felonies.
It doesn’t take a mental giant to realize that punishing law breakers leads to less breaking of laws. Just like more armed citizens leads to decreases in gun violence because those who would initiate violence are afraid of getting shot for initiating violence.
Enforcing laws work, and implementing the Second Amendment without limits works, too, and we should push for both of these ideas.