(don't read fine print)
"Crime spike linked to Proposition 36;
Researcher links crime to Prop 36"
This from Saturday's Ventura County Star (10/18/08), Local Section.
"UCLA's most recent report, issued earlier this week, does not cite Proposition 36 as the reason. But Urada said there probably is a link between the initiative and the rising number of arrests."
Probably a link? That's a little different than an actual link. The data analyzed was from 2001-2005, and noted a slight increase in property crime, a slight decrease in violent crime, and large increases in drug crime arrests.
There was no mention of the economy. Analyzing arrests is probably a better indicator of law enforcement priorities than actual crime rates. The DPA sponsored report, "
The Vortex" illustrates that although drug use is consistent throughout all racial breakdowns, arrests are much higher for minorities than for whites. That doesn't mean race causes different drug usage rates, it means that there is a different law enforcement priority.
I fail to see the link that the Ventura Star so prominently displays as their headline. Further, towards the end of the article: "Since voters passed the initiative in 2000, the program has shown some marked successes, Urada said." Now there's some paradox. How can you have marked successes and still be increasing the crime rate?
That's a couple of links short of a full chain of thought. Ventura Star: try again. This time, with feeling
and some rationale.
Posted by Malakkar Vohryzek