Podcast Summary: Imprimis – “Lawlessness Is a Choice”

Host: Hillsdale College
Speaker: Miranda Devine, New York Post Columnist
Date: October 22, 2025
Episode Focus: An examination of crime, criminal justice reform, and political choices leading to rising lawlessness in American cities, adapted from a speech at Hillsdale College.

Overview

Miranda Devine’s “Lawlessness Is a Choice” is a trenchant critique of progressive criminal justice reforms, arguing that soft-on-crime policies and redefinitions of criminality have led to increasing disorder and danger in American cities. Through anecdote, recent policy events, and vivid statistics, Devine connects local and national trends—especially regarding illegal immigration and politicized violence—to an overarching theme: lawlessness is not inevitable, but the direct result of deliberate decisions by left-leaning politicians.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Redefining Criminality and Victimhood

• Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett’s Statement (00:05–00:45):
  • “Just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal.” Devine mocks the logic, equating it to denying responsibility for lying or bribery, critiquing the new progressive tendency of redefining agency and accountability.
  • Insight: Devine argues that this philosophy creates a framework where criminals become victims, and the concept of justice becomes inverted.

2. The Impact of Progressive Reforms on Urban Safety

• Broken Windows Theory Rejection (01:50–03:10):
  • Cities once revitalized by enforcing minor quality-of-life laws have regressed by ignoring them.
  • “The decriminalization of pot and public urination has only turbocharged the sense of chaos and disorder in blue cities.” (02:55)
• Defunding Police (From 00:50):
  • Highlights the consequences of budget cuts to police in New York City—a spike in crime, homelessness, and public disorder.
  • Anecdote: Locking up toothpaste in stores, open drug markets, and violent incidents on transit are described to illustrate the decline.

3. National Trends: Open Borders and Crime

• Illegal Immigration and Crime Statistics (04:20–07:00):
  • Criticizes Biden’s border policies—“the open borders policy…brought in 20 to 25 million illegal migrants, many of them criminals.” (04:55)
  • Praises Trump’s use of the National Guard in D.C. for causing a rapid drop in crime, citing statistics:
    • “Violent crime down 30% in the first month after federal troops were deployed… an 82% drop in carjackings.” (06:25)
  • Notes that critics called Trump’s measures dictatorial and racist, despite popular support for better public safety.

4. Political Will and the Urban Crime Divide

• Partisan Divide in Urban Crime (08:45):
  • “If you look at the top 25 cities for crime, just about every one of those cities is run by Democrats.” (09:15)
  • References the Heritage Foundation’s report: 27 of the top 30 homicide cities are Democrat-run.
• Upcoming Political Shifts (09:45):
  • Warns against policies of mayoral candidates like Zoran Mamdani in NYC—wants fewer police, more social spending, and further decriminalization.
  • “Now he plans to make New York a double sanctuary city for illegal aliens and transgenderism…” (10:25)

5. Law Enforcement Challenges and Anti-ICE Activism

• Dangers for Law Enforcement (12:00–13:45):
  • Describes violent resistance faced by ICE and Border Patrol (attacks, doxxing, sabotage during deportation efforts).
  • On a Chicago Raid: “An extraordinary commitment of resources for one criminal, although… it netted an additional four illegal migrants…” (13:40)

6. Modern Political Violence

• Assassination of Charlie Kirk & Ideological Violence (14:10–15:20):
  • After the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Antifa was designated a domestic terror group.
  • “The 22-year-old leftist who shot Kirk… had carved Antifa slogans and transgender references onto his shell casings.” (14:30)
  • Connects this to a larger pattern of leftist political violence, referencing attacks on Elon Musk and other high-profile figures.
• Statistical Shock:
  • “48% of liberals say it would be at least somewhat justified to murder Elon Musk, 55% said the same about Donald Trump.” (15:05)

7. Prosecutorial Disincentives to Self-Defense

• Case of Daniel Penny (15:40):
  • Former Marine acquitted for subduing an aggressive homeless man on a subway but was vilified and prosecuted.
  • “It was a tragedy that there was no good Samaritan like Penny in the light rail car in Charlotte, North Carolina, where 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Ariana Zarudska was murdered.” (15:50)
  • Insight: Devine suggests the prosecution was designed to deter others from intervening against public threats.

8. The Political Strategy of Lawlessness

• Maintaining Power Through Disorder (16:05–16:20):
  • Concludes that “it is a deliberate choice by progressives to preserve lawlessness… [for] a generational stranglehold on the cities with the worst crime.”
  • “From that skewed perspective, maybe Crockett isn’t so nutty after all.” (16:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Opening Critique of Reframing Crime:

  • “Just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal.” – Rep. Jasmine Crockett, cited by Miranda Devine (00:12)
  • Devine’s sardonic reply: “Just because someone told a lie, it doesn't make them a liar. Just because someone took a bribe, it doesn't make them corrupt.” (00:16)

• On Broken Windows Theory:

  • “By contrast, the policy of ignoring so-called minor crimes encourages disorder and lawlessness.” (03:05)

• On D.C. Law Enforcement Response:

  • “The D.C. crime rate plummeted across the board as a result, with violent crime down 30%… and 82% drop in carjackings.” (06:25)

• On Urban Partisanship:

  • “If you look at the top 25 cities for crime, just about every one of those cities is run by Democrats.” – Donald Trump, cited at (09:15)

• On Political Violence:

  • “The left is being whipped into a violent frenzy. Any setback… justifies a maximally violent response.” (15:10)

• On Self-Defense Disincentives:

  • “The point of prosecuting Penny [was] to make an example of him and dissuade other valiant young men from protecting women like Iriana.” (16:00)

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:04 – Introduction and Critique of Jasmine Crockett’s rhetoric
• 01:40–03:40 – Effects of progressive reforms in NYC; Broken Windows Theory vs. new “soft on crime” approaches
• 04:15–07:00 – National implications: Immigration, Trump’s D.C. crackdown, and ensuing media reactions
• 08:00–10:30 – Urban political landscape, high-crime city statistics, future mayoral candidates
• 12:00–13:45 – Challenges for Border Patrol & ICE, personal anecdote on a Chicago raid
• 14:10–15:20 – Modern political violence, high-profile assassinations, leftist extremism
• 15:40–16:05 – The Daniel Penny case and its broader meaning
• 16:05–16:22 – Conclusion: Lawlessness as a strategy for maintaining political power

Tone & Style

Miranda Devine’s delivery is sharp, satirical, and strongly opinionated, blending vivid anecdote, biting humor, and alarming statistics to underscore her central thesis. The tone ranges from sardonic (“Just because someone told a lie…”) to urgent and polemical (“The left is being whipped into a violent frenzy.”).

For the Uninitiated

This episode delivers a forceful argument against progressive criminal justice policies and their downstream effects on safety and governance in American cities, linking street-level crime, political violence, and immigration enforcement under the rubric of deliberate political choice. Devine positions these trends not as unfortunate accidents or inevitable but as the intended outcome of left-wing governance and ideology.