Are Crime and Violence Separate Things?

Malcolm Gladwell says crime and violence are two completely separate things. They involve different people, and they have different roots, different causes, and different cures. America is not a high crime society. By the standards of the Western world, America is a medium to low crime place. What sets America apart is violence.

Robbery, car theft, and a house broken into are the crimes he means. A car is far more likely to be stolen or broken into in Montreal than in New York City, and the gap is not even close. A home is much more likely to be broken into in Paris or London than in Chicago.

When politicians say they are going to get tough on crime, Gladwell says the question is what they mean. Crime, as criminologists understand it, does not need a crackdown. America is fine on that score. The particular American problem is violence.