A sign of the Times: More Home Break-ins Happening in Kzoo

According to the Kalamazoo Gazette:

"Home break-ins last year in the city increased 8.8 percent, to 876, compared to 805 in 2007. Also, the Public Safety Department has seen an increase in home break-ins this year compared to the same period last year, Lt. Scott Merlo said.

The total number of home break-ins reported by Kalamazoo city, Kalamazoo County, Kalamazoo Township and Portage police -- the four largest law-enforcement agencies in the county -- was up 6.5 percent, to 1,802, in 2008. That figure is nearly identical to the 1,797 break-ins reported by those agencies in 2006."

The Edison Neighboorhood had the highest number of home break-ins with 498. Vine Neighborhood ranked second with 417 break-ins.

I think there is a reason why break-ins occurred so heavily in these areas rather than others. I think one reason the high volume of apartments and low-income housing, preferable chosen by students, that occurs in especially in the Vine neighborhood. As recently being one, I know that students often have valuable items such as electronics and do not always protect their living spaces as dutifully as others. Hence, they become an easy target for crime in an area which is easily accessible from downtown. The houses there are old and not the most secure.

My other guess for Edison neighborhood could be associated with the poverty-rate, where I have learned through poverty simulations that persons in poverty are often vulnerable because they do not always have the time or resources to make their home environments safe and secure. They become easy victims for thieves, as one woman in the article was robbed 9 times in a 3 year span.

With economic activity stifled and prisons overcrowded, no wonder crime is on the rise. Once imprisoned, it is very difficult a person to find work in the community. Having a prison sentence is a stigma which deters employers from hiring. Unable to find any work, many resort back to committing the profitable crimes that landed them in prison the first time.

This is exactly why we must advocate for prisoner re-entry programs - job placement programs which give former inmates opportunities to earn a living wage. These type of programs are effective at deterring former law-breakers from repeating their crimes. Advocating for this program could potentially significantly lower crime such as break-ins in cities such as Kalamazoo.