Depravation as Justification

It is still very common to read or hear arguments attempting to justify criminal behavior by appealing to poverty on the part of the criminals. These often takes the form of statements like "they were just trying to feed their family" or "they had no other choice", etc. While I have some sympathy for this view, and in some cases it may even be accurate, it is a very poor justification for criminal behavior and a major turn off to readers/listeners, especially if they are Americans. The reason is quite simple, Many of these readers and listeners are very poor themselves and/or they have friends or relatives that are. They do not commit crimes and neither do their poor friends and family, so why is author/media person X saying that the reason these people are criminals is because they are poor. The argument is so weak, and so offensive to many, that it virtually guarantees a loss of 90% plus of your audience, including many of whom probably agree with everything else you are trying to say.

Like many issues tied to law and order you most often see this argument used in the context of illegal drug related crimes. I happen to believe that making drugs that make some people feel good illegal is the biggest mistake mankind has made as a whole since the dawn of consciousness in man. That single decision has caused humans more pain, suffering, and misery, than any other I can think of, and we have made made some very, very, very bad decisions throughout the course of history. Therefore, whenever I read an article talking about illegal drug crime I am positively inclined to cut the "criminals" a good deal of slack. This is because the blame ultimately lies on us, specifically those of us that continue to believe it is a good idea to criminalize the taking of substances which make some people feel good, or at least better than they do without. Since we are the ones to blame whenever a drug crime occurs I approach any such article with a large dose of sympathy toward the perpetrators, and I imagine there are at least a good chunk of people (probably not the majority but a sizable number) that feel similarly. And then, out comes the poverty justification argument and all that good will is gone in mere moments. The article is thrown down in disgust or the channel is changed quickly and another chance to make an impression on is lost.

For Americans this argument is particularly problematic because it cuts against one of our (supposed) core values which is individual responsibility. Americans do not look to blame others, be they people, things, or circumstances, when they make a mistake, they first look to blame themselves. At least, that is how individual responsibility should work. Of course, for many Americans it is only everybody else that has to be individually responsible for anything, they can continue to blame anyone and anything for all manner of bad outcomes in their own lives. But, this same thing could be said of many cultures. Core values are very easy to apply to others, less so to live oneself. If you are writer or hope to be one someday, and you are writing about politics, or crime, or poverty or any topic where those three intersect I implore you to stop using this argument now and forever. It is possible to mention and discuss the influence/impact of poverty as a partial explanation for criminal behavior, but it should never be used as a justification. As justifications go, they do not come any weaker, nor do they come loaded with as much power to alienate and anger.