The War on Terror or The War on Crime?.
In the wake of the events of September 11th, 2001 the United States government has made its main goal to defend the United States from terrorist threats. Meanwhile, almost every state, and the federal government, are faced with massive budget deficits. To make matters worse, the economy has been slipping further and further into a recession, which has had a detrimental effect on the unemployment rate. The most heavily effected group of Americans, ages 16-24, have had an increase in joblessness of over 12 percent since 2000. Due to the budget crisis, many states are cutting back programs to help the jobless, homeless, mentally ill, and drug abusers. This lack of support for our underprivileged Americans will ultimately result in an increase in the crime rate across the United States. The governing body of the United States needs to take a hard look at the problems here at home and infuse more resources into programs that help the mentally ill, the jobless, the homeless, and the drug abusers whom can be just as large a threat to national security as terrorism.
"The presence of risk factors means that there is a higher probability for the development of problematic behavior like delinquency, drug use, and adult criminality." There are many factors, such as stressors, coping, and vulnerability that can add to the probability that an individual may be more statistically prone to crime. Risk factors occur in the environment that the person is subjected to and can alter the ability to adapt to that environment. For example, one who has lived with drug abusing families is more vulnerable to become a drug abuser themselves if they cannot properly cope with the situation. .
In the article entitled "Young, Jobless, Hopeless," Bob Herbert talks about the rising percentage of young Americans who may have no job and no place to call home. These young adults, ages 16-18, are introduced to a number of risk factors that may make them more likely to commit crimes.