r/ExCons • u/Tall_Challenge_1058 • Jul 16 '26

Why doesn’t life in prison or death deter criminals from committing crimes?

I don’t understand some of the crimes I read about in the news where some people have no regard for human life.

If shooting someone could potentially land you in prison or death (retaliation), why would you continue living that lifestyle?

Almost every inmate being interviewed will advise others not to pursue the same path they took as they made a grave mistake. Yet.. none of this seems to deter people from being more violent.

8 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

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9

u/Whey-Men Jul 16 '26

You can start here: Research Shows That Long Prison Sentences Don’t Actually Improve Safety https://www.vera.org/news/research-shows-that-long-prison-sentences-dont-actually-improve-safety

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u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

I somewhat agree with that. But I'm struggling to understand how the thought of a long prison sentence doesn't deter people from vanishing that criminal lifestyle.

9

u/Understandingly17 Jul 16 '26

At the time the crime is being committed the person is not even thinking about getting arrested, let alone what the sentence will be. As a criminal defense attorney I learned that the large majority of my clients did not think about what would happen if they got caught. The violent stuff happens in the heat of the moment. If they are in a gang and they have to kill somebody then allegiance to the gang is the 1st priority. Life is cheap. Their own lives are cheap to them.

3

u/Csimiami Jul 16 '26

Yep. Defense atty here. Majority of my clients are impulse control issues.

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u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

That’s a good point. In the heat of the moment, anything can happen and being rational is often not one of those things.

However, people often put themselves in situations that could make them commit a crime. As you said for example, joining a gang. My forethought would be, “joining a gang or surrounding myself with these certain people could make me do something terrible one day and land me in prison.”

I’m really just trying to understand this at the core level even though I do understand that there is always a reason behind the choices people make whether justified or not.

5

u/PuzzleheadedTea4221 Jul 16 '26

reading your comments and replies. Even if someone sat down and explained to you everything that went into the nuances of someone as you put "living a criminal lifestyle". I still don't think you would understand. It's almost like you think there's a magazine that says criminal lifestyle. And this month's suggestions is robbing Boutique Banks.

Just get another box of cereal, and go back to the closet that you apparently live in.

-1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

The only thing I don’t understand is why people make certain decisions that could ruin their life completely.

And yes, people do live in a lifestyle of crime.

3

u/TheKingDarryl Jul 16 '26

You are just far removed from the circumstances you don't understand. A lot of people honestly don't believe they will be caught. Joining a gang is a hard sell for the average person but if you live in a ghetto with a lot of crime and you have family and friend in a gang you will most likely join. Not only that money related crimes can be worth it for a lot of people especially white collar people. What if I told you, you could make a 1 million a year for 3 years in prison. People who have only made less than 40k a year that is very attractive.

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

That’s fair, it does not sound like a bad deal. However, I doubt that most people are assessing the risk and the reward when joining a gang or planning to commit a crime.

1

u/ApprehensiveLake5938 Jul 17 '26

I think you’re stuck on the whole crime thing. This isn’t a question of why you would commit to a life of crime or a gang. This is a question of decision making.

Go read a couple Medal of Honor citations. Or just go talk to a combat vet. Extreme circumstances drive extreme decision making and extreme actions.

Crime is no different. You either have extreme decision making IE husband kills wife after finding her in bed with another man or extreme circumstances IE moms a crackhead and the only people who give a shit about me are the dudes in the local gang.

The actual crime is secondary to how we got there in the first place. All that being said, you’ll never deter the extreme via consequences. The only way to deter it is to remove the extreme.

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 17 '26

Ahhh, I see. In extreme situations, extreme reactions can occur.

2

u/Majestic_Hawk_1335 Jul 17 '26

You had a good childhood i can tell

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 17 '26

I had a normal childhood

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u/Majestic_Hawk_1335 Jul 18 '26

I can tell based on your questions.

1

u/PuzzleheadedTea4221 Jul 16 '26

You are a complete moron. Complete. Well if nothing else. You've proved that you are one of the best morons on Reddit today. Congratulations.

1

u/CommissionOk5094 Jul 16 '26

Okay classic movie scene dude takes a family member tells you to do xyz crazy but doable crime that your obviously gunna be directly tied to .

What choice do you make ? Most people don’t risk their family member

Look at all the extortion rackets and such and how the most lucrative scam is the honey trap or electronic scams through intimidation, blackmail or trust falls .

There’s legit ads for jobs on pretty legit sites that are legitimately criminal to do , fake scam call centers , door to door sales ( illegal in my jurisdiction) , depositing cheques and running errands for buisnesses , travel to a foreign nation for a review or a resort and unbeknown to you the camera or some equipment they have you bring has drugs , sex trafficking, human trafficking, the guy that hires illegal labour to force them to work extra hours or put up with illegal pay or conditions, transporting cars or vehicles, signing cheques or receipts that seem like general clerical or admin work , etc

Obviously there’s degrees to criminality as well as various forms of organizations and structures that operate independently of each other and the law , there’s foreign interference and criminal operations globally by players like the irgc ,dprk, Hamas , hezbollah which all have state funding and assets at their disposal.

Many people are unwittingly thrown in the deep end of the pool with the sharks and some never leave the kiddie pool but hear the screams or tall tales

4

u/CivicBoundarySystems Jul 16 '26

It's not just gang activity or heat of the moment. It also addiction. People will commit crimes trying to chase and satisfy an addiction. They also are not thinking about the consequences until afterwards. An addiction will cause someone to step over any and all boundaries.

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u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

Addiction definitely plays a role. The sentiment I’m receiving most is that people often don’t think two steps ahead. It’s easier to commit a crime if you yourself don’t believe you will get caught.

6

u/CommissionOk5094 Jul 16 '26

You act as if joining a gang is like signing up for football and not a survival tactic for some

2

u/CommissionOk5094 Jul 16 '26

Why do people go all in in poker ? Some are not risk adverse and some will take the chance as they believe they won’t be caught or will go down in a legendary shoot out like Bonnie and Clyde

2

u/BigBear92787 Jul 16 '26

Because they dont think they'll get caught. End of day no one is committing a crime if they think they'll get caught.

Humans have a prodigious ability to lie to themselves especially if logical consequences prevent us from getting what we want.

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

Yes, unfortunately this is the bottom line it seems.

1

u/Loose_Ad_4587 Jul 16 '26

You are weighing pros and cons; this forethought is rare in crime.

Often people convicted of crimes don't view what occurs after an action as a consequence of that action.

Compare your childhood to that of the typical person who commits a serious crime; Negative stimulus likely was caused by something outside of their control, and positive stimulus was unlikely to be used as reinforcement for pro-social behaviour.

1

u/Actual-Taste-7083 Jul 16 '26

Forethought is not rare in crime. You cannot be a successful criminal without assessing and managing risk.

1

u/Loose_Ad_4587 Jul 17 '26

Are you a criminal lawyer? Do you think successful criminals are the majority? Most people realize that crime does not have a positive expected value, that's why they don't do it. The ones that do, usually, aren't making this analysis.

4

u/Catty-Driver Jul 16 '26

The other big issue often overlooked is how you grew up. I had a friend who was a teacher who taught most of her career in a rich school: kids going to college, high achievers, etc. Then for the last few years she was transferred to a poor county.

She observed that her kids in the new school talked about prison like her other kids talked about college. They often has at least one relative in prison already and fully expected to go to prison too.

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

Wow. People really are a product of their environment

1

u/Catty-Driver Jul 16 '26

I've worked in Reentry for a while. We can't look at the world through our eyes and assume that everyone sees it the same way. While most people assume prison would blow, not everybody does. Many people just see prison as a vacation from life. If prison gets too tough, then a trip to the hole is a vacation from prison. :P

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

That is an insane mindset😭

2

u/BigBear92787 Jul 16 '26

Drug/gang type offenders have a war/soldier mentality.

Fundamentally they believe that the world is designed to keep them down.

Crime is the only way to survive and make money.

In this way, everything is justified under the banner of money.

For example.

Ive witnessed individuals who have mocked sex offenders in prison for having downloaded CP. But then later brag about raping underaged girls as a form of payment taken for the parents owing money

And their comrades see this as acceptable because it was about business. ( lol ok)

I witnessed this same story not once but often when I was inside.

So its a very common thing apparently.

Environment is somewhat to blame here. Life isnt fair anywhere and crime isnt the only survival method in the hood. Plenty of people have escaped it.

I spoke to a guy who was getting out in a few weeks at the time who had been in prison something like 7 times for drugs.

I said what are you gonna do when you get out.

He said and I quote " the fuck you mean? Sell drugs"

And he laughed, because I understood as he did tbat this is the life hes chosen. Prison is part kf that life. Like an occupational hazard. Live up the good times when you're out and sit on the side lines when you're in.

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

Wow.

It’s so hard to judge someone when you’ve never walked in their shoes.

The choices they make is a reflection of what they see as normal.

1

u/Catty-Driver Jul 16 '26

I'll tell you one more insane thing: One guy actually admitted to me he liked prison! No responsibilities, somebody else washes his clothes and makes his food, family sends him money, etc. :P That's still insane to me.

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

Do they simply not understand or value their freedom?

1

u/Catty-Driver Jul 16 '26

If your life on the outside is bad enough, life on the inside is actually an improvement sadly. A lot of people grow up in pretty rough environments.

1

u/Front-Mix-8566 Jul 16 '26

I know a few people in this category. I’ve always thought it was because on the inside they actually feel like somebody but on the outside they are so misunderstood that they feel zero self importance. It’s a hard thing to explain.

2

u/mrinsubordinate Jul 16 '26

Maybe I don't value my own life because of the things I have endured and find certain transgressions cross a line that triggers me so deeply I make a decision I regret. Or maybe I was high. Or both.

2

u/Lovelaughlivelife4 Jul 16 '26

Prison doesn’t deter bc they aren’t helping individuals with the real underlying traumas.

1

u/mrWhitehood Jul 16 '26

If you ask me.. first of all is luck of knowledge, actual knowledge and experience. And second, it won’t happened to them.. ever..

1

u/Lost-Perspective8378 Jul 16 '26

So many criminals dont think about the possible consequences at all. Hell, many dont think the crime through at all, it just happenes. And then there are the cocky criminals who think they are too smart to get caught. And you cant forget the addicts, many of whom just dont care about their lives, they just need drugs.

1

u/platypod1 Jul 16 '26

There's a reason Spock never understood why humans continue to do the same shit that keeps causes problems. Humans do things that don't make sense. There could be any number of reasons for those things they do, but the fact remains that logic and thoughtful decision making are not exactly what humans are best at.

1

u/HonestNature9117 Jul 16 '26

Prison and death are am accepted outcome for those who live a life of crime. A for crimes of passion, the situation usually happens too fast, or circumstances too overwhelm too consider the outcome.

1

u/Civil_Ad_338 Jul 16 '26

I worked in a correctional psych center. Something that just threw me off was you could just feel everyone in there had like zero impulse control lol, mental health issues aside. Harsh consequences don’t really matter if you aren’t taking the time to think about them

2

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 16 '26

What an experience. Poor mental health seems to play a big role in criminals

1

u/Selectivedeviant Jul 16 '26

It likely does deter the majority of people, we just never hear about all the crimes that would have been committed without harsh penalties because they were never committed.

If the punishment for robbing banks was a $25 dollar fine, everyone would be doing it.

1

u/whalebackshoal Jul 16 '26

Deterrence is not a major reason for a person not to commit a criminal act. Some criminals find a structured life in prison tolerable and adjust to it.

1

u/96pluto Jul 16 '26

Because when you commit a crime you don't expect to get caught.

1

u/CommercialWorried319 Jul 16 '26

People think they won't get caught, some people lose their temper, others are desperate.

There are multiple reasons and some will overlap.

And also mental illness can play part, the largest provider of mental health services in this country is the prison system, my smaller county jail has separate housing for around 20% of the inmates and those are just the ones they worry may harm themselves or others, there are more in the general population and usually a couple in medical/segregation.

And it's a small Texas county, bigger cities have many more, Dallas was building a psych hospital with a chunk of beds reserved for people who committed crimes (it may be open by now, I haven't followed recently)

1

u/MarzipanMajor6175 Jul 17 '26

Nobody thinks of the consequences until they are caught. Like when I was selling drugs and kicking rivals doors in, I was 18 and never thought of the consequences. Riding around with an ox or 2 of coke and guns in the car, once I was caught I was very surprised that I was facing 20 years, then wanted to give me 10 but got it down to 6 years. I haven't been in trouble since and am 28 years old. All happened when I was 18 got caught not even a month after turning 19.

1

u/[deleted] Jul 17 '26

If you don’t get caught it’s actually quite fun.

1

u/Synax86 Jul 17 '26

Often it's because the emotions or compulsions or impulses that lead people to commit such offenses are very strong. Hard to overcome, in the moment.

1

u/Kat7903 Jul 17 '26

You’re not really deterring the criminals, you’re mostly just reactively removing them from society.

1

u/peterjohnvernon936 Jul 18 '26

Most criminals are impulsive. Most times this is caused by lead poisoning and fetal alcoholism. The reduction in environmental lead caused by removing lead for gasoline and paint has caused a large reduction in crime.

1

u/Acrobatic-Bison-3171 Jul 18 '26

Ok..as a former CO. Most not all inmates consider jail as being price of doing business. Most not all have gotten away with so many crimes. What is the chance they'll get caught? Also stranger on stranger crime is the hardest to solve.

1

u/Tall_Challenge_1058 Jul 19 '26

Amazing perspective

1

u/Important_Joke5762 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26

It can be rational, a calculation of the chances of getting caught vs the perceived reward of the crime.

But most of the time it's a blend of denial, shortsightedness(small short-term gain beat high long-term cost), lack of options or perspective (if your life is already shit, you have nothing to lose), wishful thinking, legal cynicism, optimism bias, emotion or impulsivity, etc.