The family and the criminal justice system

The breakdown of the family is our biggest domestic problem. Children need a married mother and father, and those without a solid family structure enter this world with a significant disadvantage. Heather MacDonald, an investigative journalist and reformed lawyer, has been chronicling this for some time and her new piece is worth a look. She wrote a summary here. And the New York Times has an informative article here. This breakdown affects crime and community cohesion in a big way. It is tragic that so many suffer, especially those trapped in terrorized inner city neighborhoods with little means of escape. The statistics are sobering and deeply depressing. We need leaders who will talk about the cultural crisis afflicting all segments of American society – but especially the African-American one, as less than ten percent of the population is convicted of more than half of violent crimes – openly and honestly, and who will use their stature and microphones to encourage the very foundation of a more cohesive, peaceful society.