good person commits crime?

Question

Want to get your opinion (not necessarily legal opinion) on this.

Is it possible for an otherwise "good" person to commit a crime because they have been forced into a desperate situation or does the act of committing the crime mean they are/were not a good person?

Of course for some people, the above question may also depend on what type of crime was committed.

The second question is this. Is it ever the case or even conceivable that a person's actions can "cause" a crime to be commited to them? example : a guy notices a guy taking lots of pictures of his young daughter getting out of a pool in swimsuit, confronts him and winds up hitting him (just an example)

I must repeat, not "necessarily" looking for legal but more people's gut opinions on these questions. btw that example is NOT real, just an example.

Answer 1

I agree with Citicop. There are many difficult situations that we are faced with everyday and most people try to be as mindful as possible in regards to the law, but stuff happens. Keeping our families healthy and protected is a priority to most people and can cause people to step over the line where the law is concerned. But as Citicop said, we then must be willing to deal with the consequences of our actions.

Answer 2

Much kudos to citicop and his answer. Since he pretty much said what i was going to say Ill just elaborate on what he said since I cant say it any better. Humans make mistakes because they are flawed, simple as that. And thats not even to say that the crime, like in the instance of theft for food for your starving family, makes you a bad person. But even if the crime is an infraction of ethical or moral code it doesnt mean you cant turn things around and become a better human being. We arent set in the paths we travel....we always have the option of how we proceed with the time we have now. Our past has no other purpose but to educate ourselves on making things better now.

Answer 3

yes, I believe an otherwise good person, has the ability to just snap & commit crime, even murder.maybe an over-protective father, mother, boyfriend, best friend, etc.it doesn't justify the crime though, if they took the situation into their own hands and actually killed the suspected pedophile or a brutal rape/murder crime against their best friend, for example.but I understand why someone would feel the urge to defend their loved one and want to seek justice that sometimes the law isn't able to provide.

Answer 4

Yes, you brake the law you have committed a crime... doesn't matter if you are "good" bad or indifferent. The second example would be assault if not provoked.... Tho circumstances may modify that or even negate that charge. That's why we have a jury system rather than say a tribunal of judges deciding cases.

Answer 5

Wisconsin law does have a defense called "necessity".

For example, if someone kidnapped your children, and held them for $100,000. If you truly believe the kidnapper will kill you children, but you don't have the money and rob a bank, you could sucessfully argue this defense.

My example is more extreme than yours, but for less serious examples, like yours, discretion comes in.

The police officer has the discretion to not arrest you, and even if he does, the prosecuting attorney has the discretion to not pursue charges. If the prosecuter presses charges, the judge has the discretion to dismiss the case, and the jury has the discretion to find you not guilty.

I seriously doubt your example would result in a conviction.

Answer 6

Sure. The law is not the same as ethics or morals.

You can not break the law and still be a slug of a human being, and you can break the law (stealing as the only way to feed your family, for instance) and not be a horrible, evil person.

However, people are responsible for their own actions, and if you choose to break the law, be prepared for the possible consequences of that act.

Answer 7

I don't think they can be all that good of a person if they allow them self's to be in a position they can be forced to commit a crime.

Answer 8

If they comitted the "crime" because they were under duress, that is a legal defense. I.e. if someone was pointing a gun to their head.