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If we want to reduce criminality, we must first understand why it happens. Laws are created, not to tell you what you can't do, but the punishment for breaking what Emile Durkheim called the "collective conscious" of society or the mechanical bonds. If someone violates these rules, we as a society get offended and demand this person be punished. But what about when your society leads you to break the very bonds they dear? The way we as a society deal with criminals is extremely flawed and the solution needs to start with how we view prevention and rehabilitation.

The preventive measures we take in this country are laughable. There is a well established correlation between poverty and crime. This is not because poor people are morally inferior, but that their environments limit their choices. The obvious problem is that we are a capitalist country and as so will have a certain amount of stratification. This is unavoidable, however the way in which we view poverty is not. Americans believe in a meritocracy, that if we work hard enough we can achieve. It is the American dream and part of a long standing ethos. Many people do not want to come to grips with the fact that the meritocracy is a myth. Where you start affects where you end, and social mobility has been stagnating (Scott 2, 2005). The answer would seem to be to somehow raise the floor, even if you have to slightly lower the ceiling. Of course, this is easier said than done. To deny that would be to engage in intellectual dishonesty. The question is, is it worth it?

Is it worth it? That would seem to be the question at the heart at another issue of prevention, drug laws. Addiction is recognized as a medical issue, yet America treats it like an issue for the criminal justice system to handle. For generations there has been a wealth of propaganda on drugs, but it isn't back it by science. Is holding on to your beliefs that using drugs is wrong worth locking people up for what is described as a medical ailment? Is it truly worth it? Or is it time for a sensible drug policy? Is it time for drug offenders to be offered treatment and not prison? Now, often in order to counter the argument for a more liberal drug policy people often cite the violence of the drug trade. This was very much prevalent in the coverage of the crack epidemic. However, the violence of the drug trade is due to the fact that these drugs are illegal. What is going on with gangs is the same thing that happened

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