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I applaud President Trump for seizing control of the D.C. police department following a vicious attack on a former DOGE employee by violent teens. It’s clear that teen crime is out of control; 63% of all arrests for carjackings in 2024 in D.C. involved juveniles.

The problem extends far beyond D.C. Today, we have young people engaging not only in violent carjackings, but also smash and grabs, robberies, street takeovers, and in tragic cases, murder. Juvenile crime is on the rise all over the U.S.

While Trump’s plan is admirable, it’s putting a Band-Aid on the issue. It’s time for America to stop being reactive when it comes to crime and be proactive instead, which means we need to get to the root of the juvenile crime problem.

Human beings were created to work and be productive. When we work hard and accomplish a goal, we have a higher self-esteem.  

A young person who sweats to make $100 will feel much better than if he stole $200 worth of merchandise or carjacked someone. Teens who are occupied with work do not join gangs, steal, nor beat up people.

When it comes to young people, they are turning to a life of crime because they are bored and not accomplishing anything through the work of their hands.

Committing crimes may give them an adrenaline rush for the moment, ultimately, it will result in them having a negative self-image.  This will only lead them to keep committing more crimes.

I grew up in utter poverty in Brooklyn, New York. I could have easily fallen in with a bad crowd and turned to a life of crime.

Instead, as a 10-year-old boy, I began delivering groceries to make money. Once I turned 14, my parents never paid my bills. I paid for my socks, my sneakers… everything. While it was tough at first, in the end, I was proud to be able to contribute to my family’s budget and give back. It set me up for success for life, as I never took anything for granted. And, I had high self-esteem to boot.

Teens today are not taught or motivated to get up and work. Work and self-esteem prevent crime. Today, we arrest and punish teens, which is a reaction to their crime. Babies are not born to steal, but they quickly learn how to say, “This is mine!” We have a responsibility to educate our children to go out and make a few dollars and then buy what they need or want.

I run a school and work with teens, and I am always encouraging them to get a job and volunteer in their spare time. Even if they open a lemonade stand or take a job selling ice cream, I see the positive effect it has on them. I challenge you to find me one happy child with a strong self-esteem that turns to a life of crime.

Over two thousand years ago, the rabbis declared that one of the responsibilities a parent has is to teach their child a skill so they’d have the means and tools to make a living and keep them from a life of crime.

Look around today and ask yourself: How many children in gangs had parents spending time building their self-esteem through work? 

Society today teaches that you have the right to every pleasure you wish to have, from vape pens to junk food to TikTok. Now, we have become a carefree society which just feeds the lowest part of our existence. Constant pleasure never brings happiness in your life; this is why many people, especially juveniles, are turning to negative thrills to find pleasures in many meaningless ways.

Waking up with a purpose creates a powerful self-esteem and a need to make the world better, which is just the opposite of a life of crime. Your life is needed. Your life has purpose. You value every life.

Making America great again isn’t just about Band-Aids. It’s about raising the next generation to have meaning and purpose. It’s up to us to create an atmosphere of work. For instance, every teen 14 and older that volunteers for five weeks every summer could get two years and free community college and some money for their hard work.  

Let’s turn all the inner-city gangs into the next generation of accomplished young Americans with great self-esteem. Teens are looking to place their energy somewhere; let’s harness their wild energy towards truly making this country great again.

Rabbi Chaim Mentz is an Orthodox Hasidic rabbi who leads the vibrant Chabad of Bel Air community. He is the long-running creator and host of Basic Judaism on Century Cable and he appears weekly on Fox News @ Night with Trace Gallagher.