“Disparity between the rich and the poor is 90% of the reason why we have crime”

Excerpt from Frank, a defendant at the Hall of Justice in San Jose in winter 2022

Frank: […] I’m always interested in people who are less fortunate than me.

Interviewer: Mm.

Frank: There are people who show up in court who don’t know what’s going on. They don’t know the system. They don’t have really—yes, people get in trouble but, you know, like if a guy stole some plywood, like one of the guys did, you know, you know what was he doing? He was trying to work. Keep in mind the big picture, folks.

Interviewer: Mm.

Frank: This this this this disparity between the rich and the poor is 90% of the reason why we have crime.

Interviewer: Mm.

Frank: And don’t lose sight of that, because people are not inherently evil. People are—I believe this—people are inherently good. So don’t you know, that’s—you know, try to find the good in people. Maybe even let that reflect in how you sentence people and how you—right? And then you know, uh, perhaps maybe some of these systems in, um, the drug rehab realm, alcohol, the way they help people who have problems like medical. And because that’s what alcoholism is: it’s a medical condition.

Interviewer: Mmhm.

Frank: It’s not a crime. Maybe those systems need a lot more of our attention and resources than any of the others. Because I believe there’s a component to um most crime that relates to mental health and uh addiction, which in itself is a mental health issue. It’s all tied together, baby.