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None of that is an excuse to commit violent crimes. But, it should help you understand why people might do so. ... At a certain point, people will become desperate and do anything to survive.
No, I don't understand and no, it still doesn't help me understand the link between unemployment and VIOLENCE. You seem to be equating desperation with violence and for the life of me I can't figure out why. Putting aside the fact that people went to prison almost exclusively of their own bad choices, there are still many opportunities out there for those with prison records. Residential and commercial contractors will hire ANYONE -- they just want them to show up every day. One can acquire skills on the job and end up starting their own business. Or they can branch off and go become an electrician or plumber. At that point, it doesn't matter what your past is because if you do good work and are reliable, people will hire you without checking you out thoroughly. The same can be said of more white collar type jobs -- they just may not exist in South Dallas, and an interviewer may expect someone to shave, dress appropriately, pull his pants up, and have a good attitude rather than a chip on his shoulder about his self-inflicted plight.
This isn't about survival. There are umpteen government programs out there. You may have to move in with family or do things you really don't want to do, but guess what? I've had to do both, and I never committed a crime. 2008-9 was a pretty bad time fo me. My law partner left the firm and my employees took other jobs. My revenue dropped to the point where I couldn't replace them, so I was forced to do their jobs in addition to my own. My marketing efforts suffered and even though I was working 70 hour weeks to keep up, at least at first, my client list was dwindling and my income suffered tremendously. Many months I had enough for overhead and that was it. I no longer had enough portable business to go to another firm and I was overqualified for the few associate positions that did come open, so I was more or less stuck until things changed. They did, but slowly. Even now, I still do things on the side -- no so much for money but since I spend too damn much time at a desk -- but at least I'm prepared if things ever went south again. The thought of committing a crime, much less committing violence, never once entered my mind.
I can't believe you're still arguing the point. It is almost like you're trying to lead me down some rabbit hole and set me up for something.