In a social context in which voters and the state understand criminals to disproportionately come from certain areas and segments of society, the vast majority of people can safely ignore those costs, because they are borne by those out of view. A politician can say “get tough on crime,” and the majority of voters won’t worry that it’s their neighbor’s kid who’s going to grow up without a father because he’s doing ten years. Crime in America is associated with the lower classes, the ghetto, the others, the Colony.
