When offering Jobs Over Jail

There’s a persistent myth in public policy circles that throwing more government jobs at unemployed populations is somehow a solution to crime. But history, and basic economics, say otherwise. It’s not employment in general that deters criminal behaviour. It’s productive, accountable employment in the private sector.

When people have meaningful work, work that demands discipline, rewards output, and holds them accountable, they have less time, less energy, and far less incentive to engage in crime. But this only holds true when the job exists in a real market, where performance matters and consequences are clear.

The notion that government jobs can achieve the same effect ignores a brutal truth, bureaucracies become safe havens for the same dysfunctions they’re meant to address. In the public sector, incentives are distorted. Pay is decoupled from performance. Promotions are driven by compliance, not competence. And worst of all, failure is often rewarded with more funding.

Now imagine giving this environment to someone on the edge of criminality, no pressure to perform, no fear of being fired, and a culture that punishes accountability more than it punishes laziness. Instead of deterring crime, you’re teaching the offender that evasion, manipulation, and apathy are sustainable strategies.

In contrast, the private sector doesn’t tolerate drift. Employers have bottom lines to protect. Poor conduct gets noticed. Results matter. And for someone flirting with criminal behaviour, that kind of structure can become a lifeline. It doesn’t just offer a paycheck, it offers boundaries.

There’s no dignity in work that doesn’t expect anything of you. Real reform comes from jobs that require punctuality, effort, and contribution, not symbolic placements funded by taxpayers and run by middle managers more focused on social optics than social outcomes.

Those who romanticise state employment as a path to rehabilitation miss the point, dependency is not the antidote to delinquency. Self-reliance is. A job handed out like a welfare voucher does not replace the temptation of crime. If anything, it teaches that you can exploit a new system, legally.

The data is consistent across decades and borders, crime rates drop when individuals gain access to private sector employment opportunities, not government slots with vague duties and no consequences. Entrepreneurs, trades, small business hires, apprenticeships, entry-level logistics, labour-intensive roles, these are the jobs that demand transformation, not entitlement.

It is no coincidence that the most crime-resistant communities are those where private enterprise thrives, and the most violent ones are those where government dependency is generational. Because when people are hired by someone who needs results, not votes, they are forced to grow or go.

And yes, not everyone is immediately ready for that. But that doesn’t justify inventing fake jobs to avoid addressing the root issue, the absence of responsibility, not opportunity. We must stop pretending that placing offenders into bureaucracy teaches them structure. It doesn’t. It teaches them how to survive inside yet another system that rewards inertia.

Real employment deters crime not through compassion, but through competition. You want to keep the job? Show up. Work hard. Improve. That message, repeated across industries, is more powerful than any diversion program ever drafted in Canberra or a social worker’s office.

In the end, crime drops when people know that their time has value, and that wasting it has a cost. Only the private sector can teach that lesson. Government can subsidise it. But if it tries to replace it, it only grows the problem it claims to solve. From the author.

The opinions and statements are those of Sam Wilks and do not necessarily represent whom Sam Consults or contracts to. Sam Wilks is a skilled and experienced Security and Risk Consultant with 3 decades of expertise in the fields of Real estate, Security, and the hospitality/gaming industry. Sam has trained over 1,000 entry level security personnel, taught defensive tactics, weapons training and handcuffs to policing personnel and the public. His knowledge and practical experience have made him a valuable asset to many organisations looking to enhance their security measures and provide a safe and secure environment for their clients and staff.