I am a product of my environment

     A young man was arrested today, somewhere in America.  He was arrested and will go to prison for life, you see he killed an elderly woman while breaking into her home.  He will see the court appointed psychiatrist and he will show no remorse.  During the trial the psychiatrist will explain that the young man was never shown right from wrong.  That he didn't have a good role model, was left home alone with no supervision.  The young man's attorney will read from his juvenile record and argue that the young man was a product of the system, that he was influenced by gang members, and forsaken by society. The attorney will explain that he was a man without education, direction, and choices.  That he committed the crime because he was trapped in a life of poverty and violence, and that he knew of no other way to live.................

     Sad isn't it, there's one problem with this entire story; it's a load of crap.

     I have heard every variation of this story imaginable during my almost twenty years of law enforcement.  Rapists and child molesters that just couldn't help themselves;  Drug dealers and Gang bangers that were a product of their environment, and every other excuse to explain a criminals disregard for common decency and adherence to the law of the land. 

     These excuses may work for a child, however at some point during ones teenage years, the brain develops to the point where the individual knows right from wrong and has the ability to make an informed decision.  The problem is that society has given so many people a crutch to lean on.  Criminals are given excuses for the crimes that commit and in a way society is at fault, but only to the extent that it has become tolerant of unacceptable behavior.  This is a road that need not be traveled upon.  Simply by changing paths, we as a society can correct this behavior. Not with counseling, three strike rules, or mollycoddling, but by enforcing our laws and punishing those who break them.

     I've met people who were strictly anti-gun, anti-violence, anti-police, and anti-everything else, do you know the one thing that holds true?  If you push them into a corner, they will defend themselves.  Self-preservation is a god given instinct that is present in every person.  But we have become so complacent that it no longer appears in our conscious thinking.  We depend on the police to protect our homes and the military to protect our way of life.  War has not touched the United States since 1812 (not counting Pearl Harbor) and throughout the generations, America has forgotten.

     If a child writes on the wall, that child is punished, and through punishment learns that there are negative consequences for inappropriate behavior.  Education is necessary, a child needs to know what the unacceptable behavior was, however society has taken this step to the extreme.  Common sense has been replaced by over analysis in every degree of the legal process. 

     It is time to correct the mistakes made over the last fifty years. It is time to reshape our values as a society and toss away the victim mentality.  America is a land of freedom, but as I drive through towns I see bars on windows and doors.  People are not free to leave their property unsecured, and allow their children to play without fear that violence will touch their lives.  Why do good people lock themselves away while the criminals run free? We have built the prisons that we live in with our own hands; it's time to break the mortar.

Billy Reed