It has been said: "Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time," which on the surface, at best, appears sensible, but underneath the surface is one of those inane quotes and sentiments that demonstrates total hypocrisy, and is in its entirety, of no value to society, and certainly of no real value to those considering committing crimes. The very first problem with this sentiment is the fact that, unless a given individual has a law degree and thereupon knows all of the law in their particular field, as well as somehow knows all of the law in all the other fields that are not germane to that individual's particular course of study, as well as also having the experience and knowhow to well understand how the law is actually applied in the real world, is the fact that in a significant amount of cases, many people do not know that they are actually committing a crime, even when there are statues on the books, dusty or not, that reflect this.
While it is true, that people intuitively know that it is wrong to steal, to hurt another person, as well as other commonplace crimes, most of those people committing such, really have little idea of what the real consequences of doing this particular crime actually involves, the charges that will be brought, or how the wheels of justice actually work, in addition to the most salient fact that in the heat of the moment, none of that has a lot of relevancy to them, as their lack of self-control or impulsiveness in general, was bound to get them in some sort of trouble, at some point, anyway.
If, anyone believes that the above mentioned quote is sensible in some way, then this government, needs to make it their point to teach specific courses in all of their public schools, that address the criminal and civil codes in as much detail and with as much comprehension as possible in order to provide to those students, the living maxim that those that are properly forewarned are properly forearmed. In other words, if the reasonable knowledge of our criminal code somehow will reduce crime, because all sensible people that cannot do the time will thereupon commit no criminal acts, then go to it. To not do so, would signify the truth of the matter, which is that the criminal code in America is selectively and unfairly enforced, and is in almost every aspect, never just, though such is conducted in a court of justice.
Rather, the reason that there is so much crime in America comes down to a lot of very visible reasons, of which inequality, injustice, ill-education, unfairness, discrimination, hypocrisy, and greed are the main contributors to such. What is a real shame, though, is that the biggest criminals aren't really those that commit street crimes; but rather those that under the sanction and auspices of government approval, poison our environment, grossly cheat the system, and wantonly muscle their way into the affairs of sovereign foreign governments, and will harm, hurt, and kill all those that get in their way, without compunction, and do so, all under the flag of the red, white, and blue.