Knowing criminals

Do you have someone in your life whose behavior is baffling or concerning to you? From time to time I publish quotes from a book entitled Inside the Criminal Mind by Stanton Samenow. Let's start by looking at the issue of peer pressure. Is that what causes a young person to become a criminal?

No! Samenow writes,

Far from being enticed into crime, the criminal as a child admires and cultivates those who are in on the action.

What about alcohol and drug use?

"I wanted one continuous high all the time." The delinquent knows how to find what he wants. He is open to anything new and exciting and has chosen to associate with others who are willing to accommodate him.

What about his attitude toward school? He convinces himself that he is

smarter than the others. He objects to others telling him what to do, whether at school or anywhere else.

Said one teacher, "When Ed is in my class, his behavior ranges from belligerent to spaced out." Even though these youngsters have been regarded as unmotivated, inattentive, passive, negative, sad, hostile, and withdrawn, teachers usually find something favorably to say. ...Teachers comment positively on these youngsters' charm, perceptiveness, and generosity, which surface from time to time. ...A child may be bright, but this may not be evident because his restlessness, impatience and distractability lower his scores.

What about the criminal at work?

Some criminals are smooth rather than contentious, ingratiating rather than surly, devious rather than intimidating. They pretend to be interested in what others have to say.

...It is the routine of a job that gets to many criminals, who seem allergic to routine anywhere in life. In order to overcome the tedium, some use drugs while at work. When the criminal is "high," his day is bearable, for drugs help his mind soar from the mundane to the exciting. In addition, there is the intrigue of finding which fellow workers are users, locating new sources for buying drugs, or discovering markets in which to make sales.

They exploit the workplace as they do any other situation, using it for their own immediate gain or as a cover.

People as Pawns

The criminal values people only insofar as they bend to his will or can be coerced or manipulated into doing what he wants. ...Constantly he is sizing up his prospects for exploiting people and situations. To him, the world is a chessboard, with other people serving as pawns to gratify his desires.

The criminal's attitude toward people is mercurial, dependent on whether they serve him. One day he may regard a person as his bosom pal and the next as his mortal enemy. Even his appraisal of his mother vacillates from saintly to satanic, depending on how readily she does his bidding. ...Only he knows when and where he will strike. He enjoys playing games with people's minds and catching them off guard.