This has given me cause for thought, Tom.

I have been so fortunate in my life as I have never been desperate enough to seek gain of a possession or gain of an advantage over another person by law-breaking. So my perspective is very limited.

I was brought up to respect rules and laws and saw no reason to break them, even when going through my teenage years. I should perhaps add that I did break minor rules-as most of us do when faced with one which appears petty or ill-advised. I did so mostly in the heat of the moment and without prior planning.

I suppose that would indicate that my behaviour is as a result of both nature and nurture? These days I can rationalise my keeping to rules and especially to the law of this land as I have a very keen awareness of the consequences of law-breaking on others-the victims. I rigidly keep to the speed limit, for example. I have been in the Motor Trade and have worked for one of the major car manufacturers in the type approval department. There I saw the results of crash tests. It was not a nice thing to consider that the vehicles would contain fragile human beings.

I have posted before that I consider a major malaise of society to be the lack of consideration for others. Perhaps I am therefore saying that the criminal mind is this inconsideration taken to extremes-ergo the answer should be to either remove the criminal from the society or re-educate them into feeling part of that society and thereby wanting to consider the results of their actions on others?

It is a complex problem. I'm intrigued by the points of view here.