[Note: This posting, the previous several postings,
and at least the one to follow are a restatement of what has been addressed
previously in this blog. Some of the
sentences to come have been provided before but the concern is that other
information has been discovered and an update seems appropriate. The blog has not changed the overall message
– that civics education is seriously deficient – but some of the evidence
supporting that message needs updating.]
In this review, reporting on the effectiveness of civics
education in American classrooms, there is one last measure to consider: rates of criminality. Civics education, if successful, should lead
to a populace that is noted for its law-abiding behavior. One of this nation’s chief constitutional
principles is justice under the rule of law.
Civics should promote obeying the law.
Yes, one should engage in determining
what laws should be passed by our legislatures but, once passed, the laws
should be obeyed. One can cite instances
when it is good and just to engage in civil disobedience on rare occasions but
even then, such acts need to be justified and the participants need to be
willing to accept the consequences of those acts including jail time.
The last posting addressed this issue
in its description of extreme politics.
This blog argues that when injustices are the issue, then citizens are
addressing the basic condition under which the partnership agreement, the Constitution, is being abused or
threatened. Then, and only then, are
extreme politics in order. But other
than that, one should seek compromise and understand that being in a
partnership, within the bounds of the foundational agreement, consists of give
and take. And that process should obey
the ground rules; i.e., the law.
Why anyone would disobey the law can
be complicated. Reasons can range from
the level of severity of the offense – e.g., speeding a bit over the limit on
an expressway might not be considered criminal behavior – to the economic
realities in which an offender might find him/herself – being deprived of
necessities can be a strong motivator.
Some might see these types of conditions as excuses; others see them as
explanations. Yet others might argue
that citing these conditions are only rationalizations.
Regardless, the point here is that by
and large, one should obey the law. But
with any kind of factor one might think acceptable in justifying the breaking
of the law, one should remember that these conditions generally exist
everywhere. Poverty, in many places much
more extreme than here, exists everywhere.
Mental illness exists everywhere.
Dysfunctional families exist everywhere, and so on ...
Therefore, if one looks at
comparative statistics about lawlessness among countries, the information
should give one at least a sense of how well this nation lives by the
axiom: one should obey the law. In turn, the information should also give one
a sense of how well the nation’s schools are educating its populace in civics
and civic behavior as they relate to this concern.
To start, the US has over 7.3 million
people in prisons. It has 5% of the
world's population but has 25% of the world's prison population.[1] Comparing the US to a nation with which it
shares many cultural values, the United Kingdom has 150 out of 100,000 people
in prison. The US has 686 out of 100,000
people detained.[2]
While many factors contribute to any
comparison, such as a government's ability to prosecute its laws, its levels of
contributing factors, such as poverty, or over prosecution and punishment for
minor crimes – e.g., drug related prosecution – the US does not fare well in
comparisons regarding criminality. But one
might point out, as the media has recently, that a lot of this incarceration is
the result of over-zealous laws concerning drugs.
One good bit of information on this
front is a lowering crime rate. For
example, the rate of victims per 1,000 population has dropped in the US from
51.7 in 1979 to 15 in 2010.[3] Yet before one celebrates, there are other
relevant numbers.
Another statistical site offers the
following: Total persons brought into
formal contact with the police and/or criminal justice system, all crimes in
2011 (top ten nations)
United States 12,408,899
with a population of 322 million (38.58 per 1,000)
Germany 2,112,843
with a population of 81 million (26.08 per 1,000)
France
1,172,547 with a population of 67 million (17.5 per 1,000)
Russian Fed. 1,041,340
with a population of 147 million (7.08 per 1,000)
Italy 900,870
with a population of 61 million (14.77 per 1,000)
Canada 688,920
with a population of 36 million (19.14 per 1,000)
Chile 611,322
with a population of 18 million (33.96 per 1,000)
Poland 521,942
with a population of 38 million (13.74 per 1,000)
Spain 377,965
with a population of 46 million (8.22 per 1,000)
Netherlands 372,305 with
a population of 17 million (21.9 per 1,000)[4]
Whether one is looking at total numbers or rates, the US does
not fare well when compared to other countries.
There is no reason to believe the intervening years – since 2011 – have
meaningfully altered this listing.
One should keep in mind that the
above listed countries vary in terms of reported freedom as opposed to
repression. Whether a nation is ruled by
a liberal regime as opposed to an authoritarian regime is relevant to how
levels of criminality are measured, and policing is administered. So, while these other countries might or
might not have as extensive a list of drug laws, the US beats them all in terms
of its crime rate.
The closest country in terms of rate
is Chile. Chile, a Latin-American
country, exemplifies what Daniel Elazar describes as having a culture that
harbors an anarchistic individualism.[5] This
account can only speculate as to the explanatory value of such an observation. This blog argues that the US started out with
a more federalist sense of individualism, one that “recognized the subtle bonds
of partnership linking individuals even as they preserve their individual
integrities...”[6]
It also argues that the US,
especially since World War II, has abandoned a federalist view, at least as a
prominent perspective of governance and politics, and has shifted to a natural
rights view. This latter construct is
noted for its individualism. These
numbers are but one indicator of how far that shift has made itself known.
The next posting will end this updating series of postings on the effectiveness of the nation's current efforts in civics education.
[1] “Study: 7.3
Million in U. S. Prison System in ’07,” CNN
news, March 2, 2009, accessed May 15, 2019, http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/03/02/record.prison.population/.
[2] Roy Walmsley, “World Prison List,” World Prison
Brief, n. d., accessed May 16, 2019, http://www.prisonstudies.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/world_prison_population_list_11th_edition_0.pdf
.
[3] “Crime Rates in US over Time,” Google Search, n. d., accessed May 16, 2019, https://www.google.com/search?q=crime+rates+in+US+over+time&espv=2&biw=1093&bih=514&tbm=isch&imgil=P4g2P-obB-jlRM%253A%253BcPni19546Kal8M%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.gallup.com%25252Fpoll%25252F150464%25252Famericans-believe-crime-worsening.aspx&source=iu&pf=m&fir=P4g2P-obB-jlRM%253A%252CcPni19546Kal8M%252C_&usg=__zxIEm18APlIHiED8D3gsYadxZL4%3D&ved=0CCcQyjdqFQoTCJeJut67-ccCFcY8PgodmAwJGA&ei=NUj4VdeaD8b5-AGYmaTAAQ#imgrc=P4g2P-obB-jlRM%3A&usg=__zxIEm18APlIHiED8D3gsYadxZL4%3D . Of course,
this reflects reported crime events.
Whether people in general are more prone to report crime is an
interesting question. I do not know the
answer to that question. There is an array
of statistical information readily available supporting this overall picture of
a falling crime rate. Such information
in form of charts and other statistical information can be seen by accessing
Google Search, crime, charts and statistics.
[4] “Top Ten Countries with Highest Reported Crime
Rates,” Maps of the World, n. d.,
accessed May 16, 2019, www.mapsofworld.com/world-top-ten/countries-with-highest-reported-crime-rates.html .
[5] Daniel J. Elazar, “How Federal Is the Constitution?
Thoroughly,” in a booklet of readings, Readings
for Classes Taught by Professor Elazar, prepared for a National Endowment
for the Humanities Institute (conducted in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, 1994),
1-30.
[6] Ibid., 10-11.
No comments:
Post a Comment