by Jane Gilgun

Created on: May 10, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

A criminal mind is many things. I've interviewed violent felons in prisons from more than fifteen years. I've listened to multiple stories that show how criminals think.

A criminal mind could be deviousness and deceit to get what you want no matter who you hurt. It can be self-deception. It can be a pride thing, kind of what you think you can do if someone disrespects you. It could be so focused on gratification that you dismiss consequences to yourself and to others. It can be determination to get your own way to the point where you hit, punch, rape, and murder.

A criminal mind can be based on ideology-I can't let that sucker get away with it because if I do I'll be a punk. It can be expediency-Let's get this over with. Kill him or her. I've seen all of this in my research on violence and more.

Here's a sample.

Self-Deception, Self-Centeredness, Disregard for Child Victim

Here is a story a man told me about the seven years he molested his stepdaughter from the time she was four until she was eleven and he scared her so much she finally told her mother.
"At the beginning I guess I used to think that it was good to do this. She was younger. She believed me then. When she started to resist, it turned into threats and manipulation with money. Or,You're grounded,; or "You're not going to get anything.' 'You can't go there. You can't go here, if you don't do this for me.' That nobody would want her, stuff like that. I used a lot of shaming. So it went from caring, what I felt was caring, down to more stronger forcing, towards the last three or four years, actually.

"The actual sex-I liked that. Then the control, being in control of her life completely was a thrill for me. I thought about it more than I thought about my wife. She occupied a lot of my time.

"She was a pretty girl-no question. I mean, other people say that , too. I looked at her at her other than just an object-also as a pretty girl. Then it would run in my head that she's not just a girl. She's mine and always will be. It would run in my head that she always will be mine.

"I eventually think I would have run off with her. I thought about that. I would someday.
That's where a lot of pornography and stuff comes in with people like child molesting and stuff, that they control it controls their life so much that they finally get involved with child pornography and stuff like that, where they can manipulate the kids into doing things to make money for them. I think that was the road I was traveling."

Manly Pride

Here's

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