What causes a person to become a criminal? Who is to blame? Most people like to put the blame on the parents. Many of us have heard the expressions, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, or they’re a product of their environment. These statements might apply to some, but the majority of criminals are behind bars due to losing their tempers and making bad decisions. Many are victims themselves who have sought revenge. You can not group all criminals together with a shrug of the shoulders. There are some who, in a fit of rage, changed their lives forever and then there are others who thought they would never get caught.
When you have someone who crime is all they have ever know; rehabilitation is unlikely to help them. Many don’t want to be helped because they know they will be right back out on the streets.
There are those who have been brought up in economically depraved areas; their first memory of family is the crime on the streets. At a young age children are taught to defy the law and do what ever they can to avoid being caught. And the better they become at dodging the law, the more recognized they become by their peers, and this gives them a false sense of security and acceptance. These children become so adept at criminal behavior that it becomes their way of life and it follows them into adulthood; if they make it.
During adolescence, hormones and peer pressure can trigger anti-social behavior. When this happens it can create an attitude that can result in bad behaviors that brings about negative justifications. The end result is heartache, shame and regret.
For some children, extracurricular activities can be helpful, but it can also be overdone. The pressure to be perfect can cause them to collapse on the inside and see themselves as failures; and when they start to feel that way, they begin to think no one really cares and they figure there is nothing to lose, so they retaliate.
Chemical imbalances from taking drugs can certainly alter a person’s mind, but there are other situations which have been documented to trigger a person’s rational and affect their life. Many years ago there was research done on children who had been in direct contact with lead poisoning or their mother’s were in contact with it while they were pregnant. The research shows a definite link to criminal tendencies due to the chemical damages caused by the lead.
Sexually abused people struggle with such inner shame and fear that searching for some type of closure can materialize into a criminal act. This abuse is forever branded in their minds and some will succumb to a life of crime hoping to find a feeling of self-worth.
Not everyone who is imprisoned has criminal tendencies. Many have made irrational choices out of anger, desperation, or no forethought of the consequences of an action. Sometimes people get so overwhelmed that they snap and then another tragedy occurs.
There are so many factors that can create a criminal mind. It goes back to when we were taught cause and effect. There’s a big difference when it’s premeditated and when someone finds themselves involved in criminal activity.
Life is so uncertain and holds no promises. So hopefully, the best we can do is pray and trust ourselves to make the right decisions.
