How to Make the World Better When Criminals Run Amok. Or Can We?
Crime is complicated, and attempting to isolate a single factor to explain crime trends, would be a mistake
After a long drop, violent crime in America is soaring again.
The other day, a friend asked me if I was afraid to walk the streets of Manhattan at night. Surprised by the question, I didn’t know how to answer. Because I never thought about it before. Her question was legitimate, given the spike in crime in the city.
No. I’m not afraid. But with daily headlines in the newspapers that scream, Robbing ’Em Blind, Crime Soars in City’s Trendiest Neighborhoods, and Grinches Rob 3 in Subway, it’s difficult to ignore that we have a serious problem.
I do have a list of fears. Most notably, I’m afraid of heights, sex offenders, and telling some people the truth for fear of hurting their feelings. These fears have kept me somewhat safe. They’ve taught me never to lean over our 38th-floor balcony, consistently lock my door at night, and never, under any circumstances, walk alone in dark alleys.
Crime throws darkness over the lives of practically every one of us. We put anti-theft devices on our cars, avoid the New York subways, install burglar alarms in our homes, and stay indoors after dark because criminals take over the streets. The criminal justice system is extensively distrusted, and millions of Americans buy handguns for self-defense — a picture of a lawless world in which people cannot trust anybody but themselves to provide safety.
Such anarchy may arise from a lack of consequences for violent crime.
While researchers have begun to identify some of the causes that may have contributed to this upward trend, policymakers and the public should not rush to conclusions or expect easy answers.
Why this epidemic of crime?
Crime is complicated, and attempting to isolate a single factor to explain crime trends, especially during a once-in-a-century global pandemic, would be a mistake.
We might understand that evil is the absence of decent, that darkness is the lack of light, that cold is the lack of heat, and that the absence of conscience is profoundly dehumanizing and destructive.
At this point, you might think of Hollywood’s Hannibal Lecter — the genuine criminal who prides himself on the delinquent exploits in which he expresses his anti-social attitude. An individual whose callous disregard for the well-being of others seems a mockery of a real human being.
You might also think about the fraud, con, and Ponzi schemers Sam Bankman-Fried and Bernie Madoff. And the criminal sociopathy of Donald Trump. The mind-blowing selfishness, the callous indifference to human life, the utter disregard for right and wrong, and the absence of shame or capacity for remorse. It’s what the experts sometimes call anti-social personality disorder.
People who live a life of crime are likely to rationalize their behavior by deflecting blame and questioning the motives of others.
And here is what sociopathy sounds like:
“Yeah, I mean, I don’t think that’s who I am at all, but I understand why they’re saying that,” Bankman-Fried said in an interview with Stephanopoulos before his arrest. “People lost money, and people lost a lot of money. At the end of the day, look, there’s a question of what happened and why and, who did what, what caused the meltdown. I think that reads very differently.”
Career criminals rarely show remorse for their actions or empathy towards others. As part of the rationalization process, they give excuses. “We should have had way better accounting in place. We should have had way better controls in place,” said Bankman-Fried in one of his many interviews.
Criminal behavior goes against any fundamental sense of right and wrong. Our civilization has reached such depths that nearly an entire population of hoodlums and elected officials have abandoned all human decency — or would go to any length to achieve their criminal behavior successfully, as in the case of NY Rep.-Elect George Santos. He lied just about everything while running for office, admitting only to using “poor choice of words.”
NO. He flat-out lied.
At the core of the challenge is a false view of human nature. Too many criminologists and judges accept that the person is a creature of his environment, molded by social forces into whatever he happens to be. It seems blame is attached to society, that the criminal is tainted by the institutions of his community and therefore is not responsible for himself and his actions.
They maintain that the causes of increased crime are the permissive attitudes of adults, the slow responses of the criminal justice system, the loss of moral values, lenient sentencing patterns of judges, more lenient parole policies, public apathy, and the economic recession. Proposed solutions include improved rehabilitation services, removing repeat offenders from the streets, and community cooperation with the police.
The pandemic was one of the reasons for stealing and committing a crime. Such a view diverts attention from where the focus needs to be — on the offenders and how they think.
Millions of people have been battling the pandemic while experiencing isolation, loss, illness, and financial pressures. Yet, there is no evidence that the pandemic has turned responsible people into criminals.
It follows that the criminal is not directly accountable for his crimes; therefore, the criminal is a “victim” who should be treated and not punished.
Is crime understandable due to poverty, lack of opportunity, trauma, and despair?
Crime is considered a normal and adaptive response to economic disadvantage in some quarters. The earliest link between poverty and crime dates back to the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius (121–180 A.D.), who stated, “Poverty is the mother of crime.”
NO. Not so, says Dr. Stanton Samenow. In his book Inside the Criminal Mind, Samenow maintains, “Criminals know right from wrong. In fact, some know the laws better than their lawyers do. But they believe that whatever they want to do at any given time is right for them. Their crimes require logic and self-control.”
The idea is that the criminal’s way of thinking is vastly different from that of a responsible citizen and refutes popular beliefs that broken homes, alcoholism, media violence, unemployment, drug addiction, or passionate impulses are crime causes.
Rising evidence implies that a small fraction of human beings is morally incapacitated. From an early age, nothing restrains them from engaging in deceit, manipulation, thievery, and violence.
According to Dr. Samenow, everything we do is preceded, accompanied, and followed by thinking. Some believe that it is the individual’s choice to commit a crime, and they are well aware of their choices. This train of thought suggests that criminals who commit crimes are caused by how they think, not by their environment.
Immoral humans are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow through life, leaving a trail of broken hearts, shattered lives, and empty wallets in their wake. They lack conscience and feelings for others. Consumed by the desire to possess and dominate, they uncaringly take what they feel like and do as they please, violating social norms and expectations without guilt or regret.
Consider this,
A man abducts, rapes, and murders a little boy. What the perpetrator inflicts upon this child is not “normal” behavior. Whenever a crime occurs, our gut reaction is likely to be that person must be sick.
But what does “sick” really mean?
A detailed and lengthy examination of the mind of a criminal will reveal that, no matter how bizarre or appalling the crime, he is rational, calculating, and deliberate in his actions — not mentally ill.
Although policies, laws, theories, and public sentiments about crime fluctuate, the core of a criminal mind does not change. The notion of offenders getting their “just deserts” has also waned from our way of life.
Many progressives now consider criminals as victims of racism and social inequalities. This kind of thinking doesn’t explain why a vast majority of those who live in abject poverty or are the product of diverse communities are law-abiding.
There is abundant literature describing the reasons why people offend. Prominent factors attributed often include anti-social personalities, mental health, and psychopathy.
I remember reading somewhere that “[the] root cause of crime is the opportunity to commit it.” And painting criminals as victims causes the tide to flow backward.
In conclusion, and, this is important
It all boils down to current thinking. Classical biological theories of criminality vs. contemporary biological theories.
Classical biological theories state that people are “born criminals” who cannot be dissuaded from committing crimes: Whether due to mental or physical disability, criminals cannot learn to control themselves.
Period.
Conversely, contemporary biological theories believe that several factors complicate this simplistic understanding of crime and human nature. One of their approaches is to emphasize biosocial such as predisposition and a person’s social environment. They are interested in root causes and ways to prevent kids from becoming criminals.
I will leave I up to you to decide which side of the argument you favor. But as is, while scientists and psychologists, and criminologists grapple with understanding the criminal mind, people are getting killed, maimed, cheated, and damaged.
Thank you sincerely for reading.