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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, it seems like you’re advocating a “get tough on crime” stance. This has been a popular approach with the electorate over the last 30 years.

Jail and prison sentences do work to keep criminals out of society, but they aren’t deterrent. So they only work for as long as you can keep someone locked up. What’s a reasonable sentence for leaving a syringe on the street? Public defecation? Nor does incarceration rehabilitate such behaviors. So, after the revolving door of jail, people become homeless addicts again.

A lot of decidedly conservative folks, like lifelong police officers, have turned against tough on crime policies, not because they want to be “soft” or liberal toward anti-social behavior; they want to find something that works better and costs society less. Incarceration costs us $31k to $60k per inmate per year. It also uses police resources to bust up homeless encampments and patrol for vagrancy rather than focus on crimes that are an immediate threat to public safety. Even in SF, we can provide group housing and rehabilitation to people for less than $2500 to $5000 per month. The issue is that no one wants to pay for it politically.

You may also want to consider that, as income inequality grows, people get angrier. They may, in fact, be contributing to their own issues. However, public defection is often tied to anger disorders. As class issues and resentment grow, expect to see more poo where it doesn’t belong.

The issue isn’t that SF is lawless. The issue is that the social contract is broken. You don’t see the same types of problems in places with greater equality. [/quote]

At the root of the issue is drug addiction. Without a rehab program in the prison system, it is indeed a revolving door. It's not even that expensive and certainly would be worth the cost in terms of recovering a broken city. SF pols want to call it a 'homeless' problem instead of a 'drug addiction' problem. Solving the drug problem will take care of the property crime and homelessness. SF needs to get tough on the drug dealers.[/quote]

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