Failing The Criminals

 This week, there was a guy in my county that murdered two people. It got me thinking. This happens every.single.day. It is heartbreaking. But it is not just the victims that it is heartbreaking for. It is heartbreaking for the criminals, too. That is something people continuously fail to see. People comment on the news articles that they are proud of the police for catching the perpetrators, that these criminals should burn in hell, and various other hateful comments. Yes, justice should be served. But justice wouldn't have to be served if we didn't fail the criminals. What that means is simple, we have failed those that are vulnerable to one day being involved in crimes. You are probably wondering, "How did I fail a bad guy?". Again, that is simple. We fail to include the weird kid. We turn the other way when we notice something is not quite right. We don't screen children for abuse. Hell, most of us don't believe kids when they come forward stating they were abused or neglected. There are few effective ways to address poverty. We don't provide enough resources for drug addicts. We put guns in the hands of those that should never touch a gun. We don't teach conflict resolution skills. This is a vicious cycle passed down from generation to generation. 

Criminals are cruel because the world has made them cruel. Yes, there are people that have biological and psychological reasons they commit crimes. However, early intervention and a supportive environment can go a long way when noticed early on in life. This issue here is that there are not enough programs to provide such interventions. There are not enough parent trainings to teach them how to create a supportive environment. 

There are several leading causes of crime:

-ACES-Adverse Childhood Experiences 

-Psychological 

-Biological

-Sociological

-Drug use

-Environmental 

A lot of those causes could be prevented. 

We have got to stop failing our children. We have got to stop failing the criminals. 

*Criminal justice has always been a passion of mine. However, I am no expert. I am no researcher. These are my feelings. Though some of this post is based on facts, some of it is my opinion based on observation. *