play a role

Looking into crime and violence in the United States is like opening the proverbial can of worms. So many different problems emerge from the can that you sometimes feel the more you know, the less you understand. What is very clear and indisputable, however, is that violent crime has increased greatly in the United States in recent decades. By violent crime, I mean crimes like robbery, assault, murder, and rape. The murder rate is twice as high as thirty years ago, and violent crime in general has increased twenty-three percent in the same period. What is also clear is that the general public is afraid—afraid of becoming victims of violent crime. Statistics are harder to come by for white-collar crime, crimes including embezzlement, bribery, political corruption, and corporate policies that endanger workers and the public. But many experts agree that there has been an increase in white-collar crime, too.
    As for solutions, I think most of us would agree that the family can play a role in reducing crime in the United States: through socialization, which leads children to respect themselves, others, and the values of their society. Moreover, I think society, in the form of government, has a role to play in reducing crime: by helping people to feel that they are part of the society instead of its victims. The government, in the form of the justice system, can also contribute to curbing crime by instilling fear of punishment in those who might become criminals.