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The 80-20 Rule and Crime
American Greatness ^ | March 22, 2023 | John Conlin

Posted on 03/24/2023 3:00:52 AM PDT by grundle

The solution to escalating crime is very straightforward. There is no philosophy to it. No “root causes” B.S. Just mathematics.

Maybe you have heard of the 80-20 rule. It’s a pretty basic concept that states 80 percent of all outcomes are derived from 20 percent of causes. It even has a name, the Pareto principle or Pareto distribution.

In my consulting business, I was always amazed at how closely the 80-20 rule would describe reality. Eighty percent of your sales come from the top 20 percent of your customers. This was true in every company for which I ever worked. It might be 75- 25 or 85-15 but if you want a good estimation of most things, 80-20 is a good place to start.

Eighty percent of all chocolate is consumed by 20 percent of consumers. Eighty percent of all booze is consumed by the top 20 percent of consumers. Eighty percent of all auto accidents are caused by 20 percent of the drivers. It’s just the way it works.

So if you want to have the maximum impact with the least effort, you focus on those 20 percent.

One area where this concept falls apart is crime, especially violent crime. If violent crime followed the same pattern, 20 percent of the criminals would commit 80 percent of the crimes.

But it is far more skewed than that. It’s more like five percent of criminals committing 95 percent of the violent crimes. From a crime fighting perspective this is actually good news. By focusing on this five percent—and taking them off the streets—a huge reduction in violent crime is possible. It’s really quite simple.

You would weep—then spit and curse—when realizing how small a slice of the population commit the vast majority of all rapes. All these women’s lifelong pain, anguish, and fear can be traced to a miniscule percentage of criminals.

And although it is anecdotal, it seems more and more liberals are tired of having their street-parked cars broken into. In many of these neighborhoods, it seems it is a 100 percent probability and one that will be burgled over and over again. Again, these victims would weep—then curse—if they knew how small of a group of criminals are committing almost all of this mayhem.

But the solution is very straightforward. There is no philosophy to it. No “root causes” B.S. Just mathematics.

If you want to reduce crime, take the 5 percent off the streets and it is a certainty that crime will fall by a tremendous amount.

It’s no more complicated than that. If politicians don’t take this surefire, science-bound way to reduce crime and protect citizens, one must ask them what their true goals are—because reducing crime and protecting the vulnerable certainly isn’t one of them.


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1 posted on 03/24/2023 3:00:52 AM PDT by grundle
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To: grundle

Fox Butterfield, it that you?


2 posted on 03/24/2023 3:07:34 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.)
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To: grundle

The increase in incarceration in the 90s was a direct cause of the halving of the crime and murder rates in this country.

The reversal of that....the “decarceration” movement has led directly to rime and murder rates rising again in the last few years.

The solution in this as in most things is obvious. Do exactly the opposite of what Leftists advocate.


3 posted on 03/24/2023 3:25:06 AM PDT by FLT-bird
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To: grundle

That is an interesting and compelling statistic ... for crime, instead of 20/80, the Pareto rule skews to 5/95. 95% of violent crime is committed by 5% of criminals. In a normal society without “woke” prosecutors, when one of the 5% is arrested, the prosecutor and the judge would see his lengthy “rap sheet” and make sure he is put away. But no ... It’s way too complicated when we consider diversity, racism and fairness.

Good article.


4 posted on 03/24/2023 3:25:23 AM PDT by JohnEBoy
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To: Lonesome in Massachussets

Had to look that one up. My memory is....


5 posted on 03/24/2023 3:28:28 AM PDT by ComputerGuy (Heavily-medicated for your protection)
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To: ComputerGuy

Adam Bragg, who is engaged in a pointless and unlawful Ahab-like pursuit of Donald Trump, charged elderly bodega clerk Jose Alba with murder for defending himself from a violent assault. But that’s okay with Joyless Behar. After all, the old man should have taken a beat down he deserved for trying to make a few bucks working night shift in bodega. Why didn’t he get a nice cushy safe f***ing job like Joyless Behar?


6 posted on 03/24/2023 3:36:46 AM PDT by Lonesome in Massachussets (Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit.)
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To: grundle

80% of everything is carp

Never sit next to statistician or commit a social science.


7 posted on 03/24/2023 3:44:21 AM PDT by john316 (JOSHUA 24:15 ...choose you this day whom ye will serve...)
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To: grundle

For congress 80% of the problems are caused by 80% of the idiots elected. Reducing that 80% is pretty simple.


8 posted on 03/24/2023 3:46:10 AM PDT by EQAndyBuzz (“Racist” is the new “Nazi”.)
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To: grundle

Bookmark for later.


9 posted on 03/24/2023 3:46:11 AM PDT by airborne (Thank you Rush for helping me find FreeRepublic!)
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To: grundle

80/20?
Let’s see...why is it that the BLM movement support group is by and large responsible for the vast majority of homicides?
When you review the numbers the results are obviously skewed by these “Americans”.
The solution lays in education of the LBJ louts.


10 posted on 03/24/2023 3:47:18 AM PDT by himno hero (had'nff)
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To: grundle
It’s more like five percent of criminals committing 95 percent of the violent crimes.

But it is racist to concentrate on that 5%.
11 posted on 03/24/2023 3:59:16 AM PDT by where's_the_Outrage? (Drain the Swamp. Build the Wall.)
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To: grundle

Should have three strikes and you out at both federal and state. Those strikes should be against person or property and include selling drugs. A crime against the government would not be a strike. To limit abuse.
On the positive side: put morality back in schools.


12 posted on 03/24/2023 4:07:02 AM PDT by Revolutionary ("Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition!")
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To: grundle

I use the 80-20 rule when shopping for ground beef.


13 posted on 03/24/2023 4:13:16 AM PDT by Fester Chugabrew (/s)
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To: grundle

Unfortunately, in terms of violent crime in America the 80/20 proportion (88/12 to be more precise) is uniquely off limits to discussion.


14 posted on 03/24/2023 4:42:59 AM PDT by katana
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To: grundle

Take them off the street via capital punishment.


15 posted on 03/24/2023 4:46:21 AM PDT by ConservativeMind (Trump: Befuddling Democrats, Republicans, and the Media for the benefit of the US and all mankind.)
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To: grundle

Consider how many robberies, muggings, thefts, etc a professional criminal would have to do per week, in order to support himself through crime.

Get these professional criminals off the streets and you reduce crime enormously.

Make it visibly unprofitable to be a professional criminal, and you reduce crime even more.


16 posted on 03/24/2023 4:48:36 AM PDT by SauronOfMordor (The rot of all principle begins with a single compromise.)
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To: grundle

Interesting that Conlin doesn’t have the guts to state the conclusion that his argument is framing and pointing to. Tell us John, who is it you think are the 5%?


17 posted on 03/24/2023 5:23:06 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (You can never have enough clamps. Thanks Ben.)
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To: grundle

“ But the solution is very straightforward. There is no philosophy to it. No “root causes” B.S. Just mathematics. If you want to reduce crime, take the 5 percent off the streets and it is a certainty that crime will fall by a tremendous amount.”

Yes, but then it would be called racist. Bet on it.


18 posted on 03/24/2023 5:24:38 AM PDT by bk1000 (Banned from Breitbart)
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To: Revolutionary

Three strikes and off to the hog farm. Pigs gotta eat!


19 posted on 03/24/2023 5:39:08 AM PDT by pingman (It's a Clown World, and we're paying for it.)
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To: grundle

but in the name of equity

you make sure there are equal outcomes

no matter the behavior


20 posted on 03/24/2023 5:57:10 AM PDT by joshua c (to disrupt the system, we must disrupt our lives, cut the cable tv)
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