Article June 8, 1992 Issue

Held hostage by crime?

Our prayers, and the pure quality of our lives, can make a difference in the prevention of crime.

Arno Preller

Is your community held hostage by crime? Are you? Many people are afraid to go out at night. In some areas, people are reluctant to go out even in broad daylight. Crime used to be a concern primarily in large metropolitan areas. Today, violent crime is not unknown in what were once considered peaceful, "sleepy" little towns. And there seems to be no relief in sight.

What are we doing about it? Politicians try to sound tough on crime. They tend to propose increased police protection, more prosecutions, and tougher prison sentences. But is that getting the job done? Of course, crime has to be punished, but are we paying enough attention to crime prevention?

To weed out criminal activity we have to get at the root of it. New York City Police Commissioner Lee Brown, who holds a Ph. D. in criminology, feels that if we are to develop a national crime-prevention strategy, we must confront the conditions that breed crime, such as alienation, frustration, and poverty in American inner cities.

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