Intent or the letter of the law...?

[frankie_the_yankee]

When you say most knew they were breaking the law, but didn't think they would get caught, you're right. But it goes deeper than that: Prisons hold a disproportionate number of sociopaths.

Correct.

And as you say, they have no sense of guilt.

But they know what they did was against the law. So while they may well not feel guilty about it, on some level they must know it was wrong.

[KBCraig]

When you say most knew they were breaking the law, but didn't think they would get caught, you're right. But it goes deeper than that: Prisons hold a disproportionate number of sociopaths.

Correct.

And as you say, they have no sense of guilt.

But they know what they did was against the law. So while they may well not feel guilty about it, on some level they must know it was wrong.

No, that's the difference: they know it was "against the rules", but they do not think it was "wrong".

To the sociopath, rules are just part of a game, and they're constantly gaming the system. Breaking the rules is not "wrong" to them; it's just a risk that carries no moral weight. "Getting away with it" is self-justifying, while failing to get away with it is the fault of the person who caught them.

To the sociopath, the only "wrong" is something that gets in his way.

Kevin

[Liberty]

Not that it's a big deal or anything, but I doubt it. I think most of the people in jail knew full well they were breaking the law when they did whatever they did that got them there. More than "most" in fact. Nearly all of them.

They just didn't think they would get CAUGHT.

But then, jail is not a place to go if you are looking to meet geniuses.

I've met a lot of very smart men in prison. Some of them brilliant, and more than a few rising to the level of "genius".

Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales, for instance, was hardly a moron.

When you say most knew they were breaking the law, but didn't think they would get caught, you're right. But it goes deeper than that: Prisons hold a disproportionate number of sociopaths. When a sociopath gets caught, he doesn't think of it in terms of, "I knew it was illegal, but I took my chance and I got caught." No, a sociopath has no sense of guilt. He thinks: "That cop didn't have probable cause for the search, and my lawyer did a bad job, and the jury was prejudiced, so I should have been found not guilty, therefore I didn't even do it!"

Funny thing about sociopaths: they believe the rules don't apply to them, but they're adamant that everyone else should play by the rules, down to every jot and tittle. It's the "guiltiest dog barks the loudest" syndrome, frequently seen in professional sports.

Kevin

If I'm not mistaken you are dealing with the cream of the crop, so to speak. The folks found in most county jails don't seem to have as much talent.

[HankB]

. . . But they know what they did was against the law. So while they may well not feel guilty about it, on some level they must know it was wrong.

Just a minor quibble . . . not all lawbreakers are sociopaths.

Certain things are rightly against the law because they're wrong - murder, rape, arson, identity theft, shoplifting, insurance fraud - a long list of offenses that cause harm to others. People who have no qualms against engaging in this behavior probably do fit the definition of sociopaths.

Other things are against the law not because they're fundamentally wrong, but because someone in power decided to make a law, sometimes only because they could.

In this latter category, I might list assembling (for example) a FAL rifle from a kit without the requisite number of US-sourced parts. Illegal, yes, but it wouldn't automatically make the person who does it a sociopath.