The Origins of Criminality - Part II

There are criminals and there are those that find themselves inspected by the criminal justice system accused but not guilty of anything other than circumstance. Another way of looking at "crime" is as a balance point between what people do and do not have. Crime is the pivot of exclusion, a place where we judge and incarcarate people for actions we have defined as anti social, actions we object to, actions which do not make sense or hurt others.

To be judged criminal, it follows then, that the burden of convincing if someone has done something is upon the accuser, the state, the law. We accept this as a given. The law is good, against the law is not good and must be punished.

Reading once that a criminal had a record of hundreds of offences made me wonder what a criminal like that could be like. Peering into the eyes of a such a criminal and one may see surfaces differently, one may seem to dream in a different sense, or interpret reality in a way that is not familiar. What pleases one, or satisfies are just not the same thing as they are for other people. The element of risk is important. That feeling of excitement, that racing of the heart we feel if we reach out and steal something, the hot flush of guilt: these are all chemical releases in the brain, these are all a bit like watching a horror movie, we find it uncomfortable but its fun for that reason.

Being addicted to something that causes worry for parents or others brings about another effect. Co-dependence exists between addicts and non-addicts. There is something that makes non-addicts difficult for the addict, and this process is known as co-dependence.

And of course the rush of doing something for which one could be judged fulfills a primative promise that life will have challenges and meaningful ones at that.

Dreaming is a solution. Drugs may be the solution for many. Love is enough of a thrill for most of us, but pity the evil people who are addicted to making other people suffer.