Southeast Tennessee and North Georgia, like other areas, have been confronted with a reality: There are those who are willing to take their God-given energies and devote them to a life of crime, deviancy and disruption rather than making the decision to devote themselves to hard work, honesty and contributing to their community.
Petty crime, gangs, sex trafficking and drug use all are drains on the rights of individuals and the health of every community. Individual property rights and the right of personhood are just two rights that any crime or act of deviance infringes upon. There is no defense for such behavior.
A 2010 study by researchers at Iowa State University based on data from 654 convicted killers estimated the cost of a single murder at $17.25 million based on "costs to victims, criminal justice system costs, lost productivity for both the criminal and victim, and estimates on the public's investment to prevent future violence." The same study determined the societal costs of incidents of rape ($448,532), armed robbery ($335,733), aggravated assault ($145,379) and theft ($42,288).
So, you ask, "How do we stop crime?"
In study after study, poverty is identified as a main contributing factor, along with a very hungry and profitable drug market.
So, what is the major contributing factor of poverty?
Research consistently shows that households with non-traditional structures, i.e. single parents or reconstituted families; those headed by a teenage parent; and those with a large number of children are more likely to be in poverty.
Law enforcement has to do the dangerous but much-appreciated job of removing those who make the decision to pursue crime versus a life of productivity. Social services must continue serving as safety nets and provide a path back to productivity, not a guarantee for generational sustenance.
Churches, families and friends, we all have to be brutally honest rather than offer excuses for and justify patterns of crime and deviance. The commitment to that which is right and decent in work, entertainment and education is never the easiest, but it must be taught in our homes, places of worship and, yes, our schools. Likewise, the decision to pursue crime and deviancy must be rejected and identified as completely inappropriate. Most call it "tough love."
The reputation and the existence of our community will be determined by our choices and actions.
We all make choices, then our choices make us.