“Controlling violent crime is largely the responsibility of state and local governments,” say Robert Moffit, Edwin Meese and Patrick Fagan of the Heritage Foundation. “State and local officials,” they argue, “should take the lead in identifying and targeting the most hardened criminals who commit the majority of crimes and implement strict policies to put them to death.” behind bars and keep them there. approach works. » Addressing the root causes of crime also makes sense, provided those causes are correctly identified. Poverty, for example, does not cause crime. “The real root cause of crime is the breakdown of the family,” say the three analysts. They point out that “children without fathers – regardless of their socioeconomic and racial background – are more likely to commit violent crimes as adolescents and adults. And, due to the increasing rate of illegitimacy in the United States, teen crime will continue to rise. economic range and so on... middle of document ...... e virtues and self-discipline necessary to succeed in society, rather than passively subsidizing ever-increasing levels of social pathology. " The rector emphasizes that "social welfare The reform has really affected only one program, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). The other 75-plus federal social programs, he observes, remain essentially unchanged. Rector recommends expanding AFDC reforms “to other programs as well, such as food stamps and public housing".."