In Thinking About Crime, social scientist James Q. Wilson cautioned against focusing on the “root causes” of disorder. Public policy, Wilson argued, should not try to remake society but instead concern itself with what’s practical and possible: incapacitating chronic offenders, creating clear incentives, and providing structure for those who can’t control themselves.
The root-cause mindset has long driven ineffective mental-health policy. The belief that addressing adverse social conditions would prevent mental illness has put mental-health professionals at the center of social reform, with a broad mandate of addressing crime, dependency, and other complex problems. It hasn’t worked.
