Beyond the Box: Why Poverty, Not People, Fuels Crime

Introduction

The little box that asks about criminal history

shows up everywhere—job applications, housing forms, even volunteer paperwork. For most people, it’s just another checkbox. For those with records, it’s a locked door. And when doors keep shutting, poverty—not people—becomes the driver of crime.

The Bigger Problem

When willing workers can’t get jobs, their money never flows back into the community. Local stores don’t see it. Families don’t benefit. What could have been honest income turns into desperation, and desperation turns into survival choices. Too often, society responds with punishment instead of prevention.

A Real Example: The Break-In at INS

Not long ago, our community solutions store, INS, was broken into for an e-bike. The loss was costly for us, but what it revealed was bigger: someone was willing to risk everything for something they couldn’t afford. That isn’t just about crime—it’s about poverty, blocked opportunity, and a system that pushes punishment over solutions.

A Better Way Forward

At True Beginnings, we don't believe poor or formerly incarcerated people are the problem—systems are. That’s why we’re working on real alternatives and dismantling systems:

• Restorative justice that gives victims a voice and repair instead of automatic incarceration.

• Employment and training that provide meaningful opportunities, not exploitive solutions.

• Housing support that stabilizes families and strengthens communities.

• Advocacy to remove the barriers that make poverty a pipeline to prison.

  
  

Why It Matters

When people work toward healing and are given the chance to earn a living wage and rebuild, they don’t just survive—they thrive. Their wages cycle back into neighborhoods, their families stabilize, and their communities grow stronger. That’s the kind of lesson that changes lives—not punishment, but opportunity. Not division but unity. Not just wages, but equity!

Closing

The box isn’t just about reentry—it’s about whether we want a society that keeps dividing people, or one that invests in them. Poverty fuels crime. Opportunity fuels growth. At True Beginnings, we’re proving every day that when doors open, communities rise.

👉 What do you think—are we ready to replace punishment with opportunity? Share your thoughts below and join us in building true beginnings for all.