[62951413]

Tell it to former USSR citizens (btw with the exception of education your list describes that country perfectly). Everyone was poor but it didn't make everyone a criminal. Millions of suddenly impoverished middle class people in the 90s didn't turn to crime either. Normal people are normal people and criminals are are criminals regardless of external circumstances.

But you are right, war on crime makes no sense. It should be on _criminals_. Basically, if they have strength left to exercise in prisons they are clearly too well fed and not worked hard enough.

[dh2022]

I would my home country of Romania to your example. Life was miserable through 80s but there hardly any visible crime. Certainly no shoplifting and no vagabonds. We used to have a saying "te bate ca la militie" to describe the consequences of being hauled to the local police (back then called militia) station for "questioning".