There’s precedent to support the move in other areas. Cities have set up legal drag or other racing, designated graffiti areas, and other measures to give people outlets for things that in and of themselves aren’t illegal- but are often done illegally. Community boxing gyms have also often historically been places that provide role models, discipline, a sense of community and comradeship, and most any organized program requiring long hours of consistent dedication tends to impact crime positively if it captures people’s attention. Not only do you simply have less idle time and hence opportunity for trouble- but you also are less likely to risk what you’ve built and what you have.
The more people have to lose- or more precisely the more people appreciate what they have and feel they don’t want to lose- the less likely they are to engage in behaviors that jeopardize what they have. Now the old “get the anger out” thing is more or less debunked- “venting” tends to not exercise anger but create positive associations with angry actions and thus tends to actually make people more likely to raft in these ways- but there is something to be said about the release of interpersonal frustrations and the feelings of accomplishment that come from combat sports.
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