We must reject the corrosive narrative that criminals are mere victims of circumstance. Every human being faces hardship, yet most navigate life without resorting to violence or theft. By refusing to indulge excuses and returning to clear standards of moral accountability, we can restore social trust and reduce crime.

To truly reduce crime, deterrence must mean more than empty rhetoric, a flurry of new unenforceable laws, or it must carry genuine, predictable consequences. When criminality becomes reliably painful, society once again becomes reliably safe.