Lasting Crime Solution Starts at Home

Click here to read the opinion column by Cal Thomas.

By Donald (Don) Evons

Founder & CEO, Ethics-4-Kids

In response to the September 2nd Opinion commentary on youth crime from Cal Thomas, "The real solution for high crime rates," I wholeheartedly agree that solutions begin at home. But what if the home doesn’t know right from wrong?

Children from fatherless households are four times more likely to live in poverty, abuse drugs, or engage in delinquent behavior. Add to this the heartbreaking fact that 25 young people die every single day from violence or suicide, and the picture becomes clear: policing neighborhoods, incarceration, or gun control are not lasting answers. Real solutions must be long-term.

As the commentary noted, instilling reverence for higher values—not fear of punishment—offers a better path. But values don’t appear by accident; they must be taught. Our schools do well with academics, but they rarely prioritize ethics. Imagine if empathy, integrity, perseverance, and courage were taught with the same seriousness as math or reading.

At Ethics-4-Kids, the nonprofit I founded, we designed K–3 curricula based on timeless principles. We began with a faith-based theme: “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do.” Schools objected, so we reframed it for all backgrounds: “How can we blame them when they don’t know any better?” That single shift revealed the heart of the issue: if children are never taught right from wrong, how can we expect them to live it?

“Your success as a family—our success as a society—depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house.” - Barbara Bush

Former First Lady Barbara Bush said during a 1990 commencement speech at Wellesley College, “Your success as a family—our success as a society—depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house.” But what if a household lacks the integrity to teach values? What if a child grows up in chaos, abuse, or neglect? Then society must step in.

The solution is to start early. Aristotle, more than 2,000 years ago, said: “Give me a child until he is seven, and I will show you the man.” By middle school, habits are already set.

Yet when I speak with politicians and educators, I hear the same response: “We don’t have time,” or “We’re happy with our programs.” Perhaps because the results of character education don’t show up on test scores, but in small pockets across the country, educators and community leaders are proving otherwise: when children learn values early, they don’t just avoid trouble—they thrive.

Ironically, the largest audience for our free curricula has been homeschooling families—the very people who already emphasize character at home. Public schools, where this teaching is needed most, remain resistant.

Every day, some kids are learning to fight or hide pain. Others are learning kindness, resilience, and wisdom—because someone took the time to teach them. Just imagine the transformation if every classroom did the same.

Instead of pouring endless resources into courtrooms and prisons, what if we invested in character education? Teaching children to manage emotions, resolve conflict, and treat others with compassion isn’t a quick fix. But it is a lasting one.

If we truly want to reduce youth crime, we must do more than punish after the fact. We must raise a generation that not only knows how to succeed—but knows how to care. That starts with giving children the ethical foundation they deserve.

I urge school boards, educators, and policymakers to act. Adopt proven ethics curricula in the earliest grades, when habits are formed. Partner with nonprofits and community leaders who are ready to help. Parents, demand it. Leaders, prioritize it. We can’t arrest our way out of youth crime—but we can teach our way toward a safer, stronger future.