Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) sparked controversy Wednesday after suggesting poverty makes people more likely to commit crimes.
In an interview on the Grounded podcast, Crockett said many offenders act “because they literally are trying to survive” and questioned the value of prosecuting certain crimes she described as acts of desperation.
“Just because you are impoverished does not mean that you will be a criminal,” Crockett noted. “But I do want to be clear that there is a direct link between poverty and susceptibility to having to engage in certain things.” She added: “And this is something that I know up close and personal as a public defender.”
Crockett also cited Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, who has made similar arguments in the past. She acknowledged he probably should not have said the quiet part out loud but ultimately backed his lenient approach to prosecution.
“In fact, my elected prosecutor in Dallas County, he kind of caused some flak because — he probably shouldn’t have said it out loud, but — he specifically said, ‘If I’m getting people that are getting charged with a low-level misdemeanor for going and stealing food, diapers, like, basic necessities … I’m not locking you up.'”
Crockett endorsed Creuzot’s approach, saying “there is no good point” in prosecuting crimes she views as driven by necessity or desperation.
“Granted, there is no good point in doing it because a decent defense attorney would have a defense,” she said. “I want people to understand that there are crimes that are committed, not because people are criminals, but because they literally are trying to survive.”
