This study proves that criminals aren't that bright.
They shouldn't bet on it, but convicted crooks do as they commit more crimes under the gambler's delusion that if they were caught once, they won't get nabbed again, a new University of Florida study finds.
Like gamblers, repeat lawbreakers expect the odds are in their favor and that they won't be apprehended again unless they were extremely unlucky," said Alex Piquero, a UF criminologist who conducted the study.
"One of the consistent findings of researchers when looking at criminal behavior is that the act of being punished sometimes backfires," he said.
In the past, experts thought criminals continued to break the law because society identified them as criminals and they adopted this view of themselves, Piquero said.
"We believe that it may not be the label that makes them go on to commit more crime, but a misperception in the way they weigh risks and rewards that affects how they respond to the punishment experience," he said.
I seriously doubt this will affect our legal system in any serious way, but there is always hope.
