Virus vs. Beast

Almost a month ago, I took a photo of a paragraph within a Star Tribune story. It's one of those things I would have clipped for my filing system in the past:

In one 2015 study, people who saw crime as a “virus” afflicting society tended to be in favor of addressing the social forces — such as poverty, inequality and poor housing — that spawn criminal activity, while those who thought of it as a “beast” generally pressed for more aggressive policing.

The story didn't have much to do with that bit (it's more general, about how crime is discussed in social media), and it doesn't cite the research source. But that fact stuck with me.

Here's the story it's from.