Bennett, William J., John J. DiIulio, Jr., and John P. Walters: Moral Poverty Theory

Jennifer Tanner

In their book Body Count: Moral Poverty … and How to Win America's War Against Crime and Drugs , William J. Bennett, John J. DiIulio, Jr., and John P. Walters introduce their moral poverty theory. They define moral poverty, discuss its influence on violent crime and drugs in America, and offer solutions to the problem of moral poverty. The following sections examine the major points of moral poverty theory presented in Body Count . The crime rates in the United States consistently increased from the 1960s to the 1990s. However, more important to the arguments made in Body Count was that there was a dramatic escalation in juvenile crime during the late 1980s and 1990s. Along with the rise in juvenile crime, there was an increase in drug use (especially crack-cocaine) and gangs. Bennett and his co-authors contend that the main cause of this increase in crime and drug Moral ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.