Recent discussions have been taking place regarding whether or not D.C. should begin to pay criminals to stay out of trouble. The idea may sound funny, but is one that is being taken into serious consideration.

In the beginning of this month, the D.C. Council advanced a plan to have the city pay 50 of its most troubled residents an annual allowance to continue on in programs that they think will help turn their lives around for the better.

What makes this ridiculous suggestion even worse is the fact that the yearly payment they discussed will be up to 9,000 dollars or more and all coming out of citizens’ taxes.

The offenders that will be chosen to be in the top 50 will be ones that have committed crimes involving gun use and who the D.C. police think are likely to turn to gun violence again.

The plan this genius council came up with is that if these criminals attend programs about behavioral health, education and job training and more, they will use taxpayers’ money to pay them.

And who’s to say that the criminals will actually become good people once you pay them asking to do so? If anything, it sounds like the innocent will begin to commit crimes so they can get an annual payment too!

Not only may the criminals continue partaking in illegal acts even while being paid, but they might use this money to create even more trouble and violations such as buying and selling drugs with the 9,000 bucks they’re receiving each year.

The government is essentially stating that they are willing to place the lives of other citizens in danger for the improvement of criminals. With this thought, it is clear that this idea is idiotic. Why should the government risk the lives of of the innocent for the lives of the guilty?

Instead of expecting a money reward for attending these helpful programs, the reward these criminals should be receiving is the brighter future they have ahead of them. If they are attending these programs with the intention of bettering themselves, then money should not be used as bribery. The criminals should be willing to turn their lives around on their own.

The sudden motion for this proposal came about after the increase in crime rates alarmed the District. There has been a steady drop in the crime rate over many years, but D.C. had 162 homicides take place in 2015– a 54 percent jump compared to the year before.

Somehow after realizing this fact, the District of Columbia Council voted unanimously to approve a bill that will pay residents not to commit crimes– undoubtedly one of the most foolish moves ever.

And to only add on to the absurdity of all of this, the nine grand the lawbreakers will be given will come from the taxes that people are working to pay for. To use their money for a concept so senseless is completely unfair.

There are better ways that tax money can be used such as for the construction of roads or anything that will benefit a whole community rather than bring more chaos by handing culprits thousands of dollars.

Giving money to criminals to be good is laughable and sounds like a big joke. Anyone can see a plan like this will never work and it is bizarre to think that someone actually proposed this to begin with.

Petula Dvorak, columnist for The Washington Post said, “And what next? Reverse speed cameras that send you checks in the mail for going under the speed limit?”