(Image: D.C. City Council)

The District of Columbia (D.C.) City Council has passed a measure that would pay people $9,000 a year to NOT commit crimes.

The mafia has a word for this: extortion. Except in this case, the mafia are the potential criminals, and the neighborhood business owners are the D.C. government.

Under the measure, which still has to be approved by the mayor, city officials would choose 200 people a year that they consider to be at high risk for committing or becoming a victim of a crime.

How does that work? How does paying someone who “might” become a victim of a crime, prevent crime?

The “chosen ones” will then be required to attend behavioral therapy and/or other programs. Once these criminals -- oops, possible criminals -- successfully complete the therapy and other programs, they will receive the stipend.

Fox 5 in D.C. reported:

Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser has not committed to funding the program, which would cost $4.9 million over four years, including $460,000 a year in stipend payments, according to the District's independent chief financial officer. Without the mayor's support, it would be up to the Council to find money for it through new taxes or cuts to existing programs.

The council member who wrote the legislation, Kenyan McDuffie (D), said that spending $9,000 a year on preventing someone from committing a crime “pales in comparison” to someone being victimized.

How about instead of continually putting criminals on probation, or being lenient on sentencing, we threaten criminals with jail time? Are criminals not intimidated anymore by the possibility on being incarcerated?

Only time, and more of our tax dollars, will tell.