Bill Bennett – Racist Ignorant or Both?

Freakonomics that they make is that the declining crime rate you know they deal with this hypothesis that one of the reasons crime is down is that abortion is up. Well –
CALLER: Well, I don’t think that statistic is accurate.
BENNETT: Well I don’t think it is either I don’t think it is either because first of all there is just too much that you don’t know. But I do know that it’s true that if you wanted to reduce crime you could — if that were your sole purpose you could abort every black baby in this country and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible ridiculous and morally reprehensible thing to do but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out these far-reaching extensive extrapolations are I think tricky.

The caller was concerned about abortion in the context of population loss. No where in his comments were racial overtones discernable. Bill then took it upon himself to inject the stereotype of blacks being pre-disposed to criminal activity.

While it is true that black males have a much higher rate of incarceration and commit more violent crimes than their white counterparts, it is extremely important to find the reasons for said behavior as opposed to assuming a racial component.

The vast majority of violent crimes are committed by the socio-economically disadvantaged irrespective of race. For historic reasons (slavery, overt and covert racism) this applies to blacks at a much higher percentage. Additionally laws are written or implemented in manners that disproportionately punish blacks more harshly (crack cocaine convicts get harsher sentences than cocaine convicts; blacks get harsher sentences for comparable crimes).

Entry into the justice system is generally through the first responders the police. Many studies in many states have shown that police are predisposed to stereotype black males. Moreover black males do not get the breaks that white males get for minor indiscretions. In my predominantly white upper middle class neighborhood it is customary for police to escort teenage boys home for drunk driving bad behavior illegal drinking or fights. In most black neighborhoods the resolution is the immediate teenager’s entry into the justice system. That one event changes the entire outcome of that black teenager’s life and his outlook on the rest of life. He now has nothing to lose.

Bill Bennett type conservatives believe in simplistic solutions without analyzing the real causes for our country’s problem in general and crime in particular. They believe that law and order on black boys is a major part of the solution. That simplistic approach only fills prisons with a large quantity of angry black males that upon release will effect their wrath from the criminal knowledge acquired in prison.

Crime must be punished. Excuses must not be made for any criminal, black or white. It is important however to solve underlying problems that predisposes people to commit crimes. Laws must be written equitably. First responders must be educated on the negative effects of stereotyping and must be punished when such stereotyping can be proved.