“I do not know that passion is ever to be reasoned down; but other passions can be reasoned up to resist the prevailing one.”
–Fisher Ames, advising friend Alexander Hamilton on a strategy to resist marital infidelity

ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS about running for Congress in 2012 was how candidly some people shared their beliefs with me. Such was the case after one breakfast with the Towson Rotary Club when I had the opportunity to pick the brain of their speaker that morning, Mr. David Blumberg, the Chairman (since 2004) of the Maryland Parole Commission. David’s candor with me that day may have also sprung from our other connection: we’re both Maryland Republicans who graduated from Baltimore Friends School – a rare species indeed…. 

So when I asked him to tell me “the real deal” on what criteria he uses to let an inmate go free on parole (literally issuing a “Get Out of Jail Free Card”), I was blown away by his insights. I’m paraphrasing here; but in a nutshell, this is what he told me:

“Well Larry, above all, I examine every case individually – I couldn’t look myself in the mirror if I didn’t…. But some things do in fact suggest future lawfulness more than others. So, if a man before me – and 90% of our prisoners are men – if that man is over the age of 40 OR has successfully completed vocational training and is a now a licensed tradesman, then I’ll probably parole him. And that … frankly … is about it; because statistically speaking, no other rehabilitation strategies reduce recidivism rates enough for me to risk jeopardizing the public’s safety.”

I asked him why he thought acquiring a trade skill was so much more transformative for an inmate than getting a GED or a college degree. He surmised that becoming a skilled tradesman not only makes an inmate more immediately employable; it also dramatically changes his self-image. He reminded me how men tend to define themselves by how they make their living. So a newly certified welder immediately sees himself in a completely new way. On the other hand, a drug runner who participates in general education programs in prison probably returns to society seeing himself as simply a better educated version of his former self – perhaps deserving of a “management position” in his old gang….

David told me that “boot camps” don’t reliably improve outcomes either. He said he wished they did; but they don’t. “Inmates play the roles they’re required to play to get through them and earn their credits.… A few change deep down; but from my perspective, far too few,” he said.

And completing a drug rehab program doesn’t sway him much either, because long term success rates are just too low for him to risk freeing somebody early. “Serious drug users stole to support their habits before they were arrested … and most leave prison just as likely to steal again,” Dave observed.

On the “bright side,” he noted that people who committed crimes of passion in their youths – even murder – are actually extremely safe bets for parole – especially once they’re over 40.  THAT little factoid intrigued me….

So what’s so Special about Turning 40, anyway?
Humans are the only domesticated species I know of that achieves domestication without neutering over 95% of its males and carefully managing the other 5%.... I say that half-jokingly… but only half.  After all, we neuter our dogs, cats, and rabbits; and we turn colts and jacks into geldings, bulls into steers, boars into barrows, roosters into capons, and rams & billy-goats into wethers…. We do this to keep the peace within their herds and flocks…to keep our farm fences whole, and to provide our male animals a modicum of tranquility, so they can focus more on eating or performing, and less on fretting or fighting.

So how do we humans do it?  Well, you see our men have highly developed frontal lobes in their brains that allow them to plan their actions and exercise independent free will so they will behave like “gentlemen”…. Yeahh, right – that’s the theory anyway.   And yet: amazingly, for the vast majority of men, that’s also the reality!  But not for all men…. In every society, there’s a persistent minority of predominately young men who are afflicted by “TIMS” – Testosterone Induced Misjudgment Syndrome.  And their TIMS becomes much worse whenever they imbibe alcohol – something most young men are rather fond of doing….

Men’s testosterone levels peak during their teen and early adult years … And whaddaya know: so do the rates of violent crime and sexual assault!  But as men age, their testosterone levels fall … and so do the rates of these crimes. 

Bottom line:  A certain percentage of our males cannot responsibly manage their youthful levels of testosterone – especially when they’re drunk. It makes them hyper-aggressive and sexually overbearing. Violence comes to men much more easily when they’re “jacked up” on testosterone and alcohol…. And whether crimes such as rape are motivated by lust or some primordial need to exert violent domination is immaterial … because “toxic” levels of testosterone trigger  both of those impulses.

Prison: the Perfect Solution to a Temporary Problem
Fortunately, we don’t have to resort to a permanent solution for TIMS, because TIMS is a temporary condition. Somewhere around the age of 40, TIMS dissipates. Men are able to “shake their demons” because their demons lose their sustenance. So David Blumberg studies statistics and sees that “40” is a good age to give a man another chance at controlling himself. Interestingly, our Founding Fathers selected “42” as the minimum age for being President.  I’m guessing they knew something about TIMS too….

So don’t feel guilty about America’s comparatively high rate of incarceration – only 5% of the world’s population but 25% of its prisoners – because America getting serious about incarcerating its criminals in the 1980’s set the conditions for our violent crime rate falling by 70% since 1994 (see below).

Our high level of incarceration is actually a luxury that we can – fortunately – afford for our young men afflicted with TIMS.  It’s the most ethical solution there is – a safe, temporary solution to a dangerous temporary condition. And, as I imagine any eunuch would tell you, “It sure beats the alternative!!”