Saying that 'we all know right and wrong from childhood' is completely narrow sighed and an indication of a comfortable and sheltered life, IMO. No, not everyone DOES know right from wrong. We get those ideas from our parents, from those around us, and they're cemented very early in our lives. By the time a child starts school aged 5 their life view and morals are already pretty set, their values are ingrained, and it takes a lot of hard slog to untangle those beliefs. If you look at your own beliefs and values, guaranteed that many of those can be traced back to your childhood
Take James Bulgers killers. They were brought up in the most horrific circumstances, where violence, aggression and abuse were commonplace and acceptable. Is it any wonder that became their normal?
Its easy to say 'oh but they KNOW'. They dont. I experienced horrific emotuonal and physical abuse as a child. I knew that i didnt like it - but I never knew that it was wrong or different or that it wasnt normal, until watching a safeguarding video on training age 21. As children, our normal becomes normal. And it is not an excuse. As an adult, it is your responsibility to untangle and change those values and beliefs. It is what i do for my job, woking with offenders. It goes some way to explaining.
And let's stop with the 'criminals' please, as though they're a different person altogether. They've committed a crime. They are still a son, a employee, a partner, a friend, a member of the public, a consumer ... their offending behaviour is a part of them, it is not a part of them. I'm overweight. I have brown hair. I'm Welsh. I have blue eyes. No one would dream of making my whole personality as being 'blue eyes'. No one would dare say 'all brown haired people are x'. So why is it different with offenders?
They are people, just like we are. Very few are mass murderers. Most people i work with aren't bad lads - they're a bit daft, they've made a few silly or bad decisions, but they're not bad. They need to develop thinking skills, impulse control and emotional recognition for the most part, but they are just like us. Any one of us could become an offender (let's not use criminal)
In my area, 'low level' crime is seen as acceptable particularly driving offences.
I don't think anyone is born bad. I think it is down to nurture. But let's remember that 2 children within the same faily will have different experiences of the same event. Say Paul and Dave, brought up in chaos. Paul is the eldest so is used to caring for his sibling from a young age. He is used to having to be responsible - ensuring there's clean clothes and food around. His formative years are relatively miserable and as a result he is determined that when he gets older he will make a life better for himself. He leaves school age 16 and gets a job right away; from having nothing he is determined to save up and keep his money. Having seen destruction that substances cause he is concious not to take them. He strives to be better.
Dave is born and protected by Paul, who swoops him and protects him from everything - even his own consequences. His homework etc is done for him and Paul tries to teach him the 'right ' way. His parents lifestyle looks fun and attractive and forbidden, as Paul tries to ban him from mixing with drug users etc. Paul leaves home when Dave is 15, and he starts getting involved with his parents chaos. He sees Paul saving and being miserable and thinks the other way looks much more fun and carefree. He starts using and doesn't have the desire to change.
Now that eg is obviously v.v. simplistic but goes some way to demonstrating the different reasons for behaviour etc. Of course personality has something to do with it.
I don't think things like poverty etc are a excuse - they are however a reason and need to be treated with more consideration than saying 'well it's just an excuse'. A large part of my role is getting people to think of different options. The desire to change has to be there. ERvery 30 people who come through - i say aound 5 actually are willing and READY to change.
Because not offending isn't a simple process. First, it's tyour natutal response. Your mates keep offering you 'jobs' and you live in an area where crime is rife. You try to do the right thing and it's so fucking hard for seemingly little reward. Then you've all the internal stuff - the anger management, temper control, 'fixing my own problems'. Proper , real change, requires a complete life overhaul which isn't easy to do. In fact it's bloody hard.
Say you're someone trying not to offend. Its been 3 weeks since your UC claim and god knows how long to go. You're unemployed; looking for work but so is half the country and the jobs that are available cost too much in travel costs to be worth it. Your family is poor; youve barely ejough money for food let alone for clothes for the kids. Food banks are available but you're a MAN - 'Meant to look after your family' - and what will others think if you use that? Probation is on at you. Your mate offers you a 'driviing job'. Is defitinitely not legal and youe no licence anyway. If youre caught youll get done. Your mate offers you 700quid for the job.
It's easy for us to see the alternatives. Actually doing those, at the time, with pressures going on, with emotions etc in the way , is not easy at all.
It's very easy yo see that many of the narrow minded, black and white thinking on here, comes from posters who haven't actually worked with offenders and have never been in a position themselves. Their middle class bubble is evident.
Of course offenders have choice. Saying otherwise denies them the opportunity to change, infantiles them and is just downright ridiculous. Anyone can change, i truly believe that. Change is NOT a straightforward process however.