“Consider two towns, of about the same population. One is named Coventry, the other Chester. Coventry hasn’t had a murder this year. Neither has Chester. Coventry hasn’t had a break-in this year. Neither has Chester. No felonies have been committed in Coventry this year. None in Chester, either.
“There were drunken and disorderly incidents in both towns. In Coventry, a couple of teenagers threw a rock through a drug store window, apparently on a dare. In Chester, a couple of teenagers were rounded up for setting up a corn-mash still up by the dam.
“So far, we could say that Coventry is a safe place to live, and so is Chester. The crime rate is about the same, and is negligible. Law and order reign in both towns. Or do they?”
In a recent commentary, Anthony Esolen (a writer and lecturer at Providence College) reflected on law as a deterrence from crime and as a teaching tool.
To access Professor Esolen’s complete post, please visit:
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