Quickly grew to include the theft of luxury items which would suggest that the criminal behavior was motivated by something beyond survival, possibly the challenge and excitement that evading capture brought. In addition, for a young man who likely received very little positive attention as a boy, this behavior could very well have been driven (and reinforced) by the negative attention provided by the system. In this way, the system could be faulted for failing Harris-Moore by responding to his behavior with punishment rather than identification and treatment of the root causes. . What role did his mother and father (or his mother’s boyfriends) play in contributing to Harris-Moor’s criminal lifestyle? Believe that Harris-Moor’s parents contributed significantly to his criminal epistyle, first and foremost by raising him in an environment which promoted theft as a normal and accepted means of survival. His mothers alcoholism likely led to a lack of any structure in his life, as well as any attention to some of the underlying conditions facing Harris-Moore, such as depression and ADD.
In statements made by Harris-Moore around the time of his arrest and sentencing it appears that he enjoyed the attention that he was receiving, both in the press and via social networking. In fact, that attention has continued with movie rights to develop a screenplay on the events of his rimming activity. This might suggest that his criminal activity was also partly driven by a lack of attention, love and guidance experienced in his childhood.
That said, one could worry that the comments “the judge gave me a much- appreciated recognition and validation” and “l made it through a situation I shouldn’t have” may suggest that the system is continuing to shape Harris- Moor’s behavior. 3. Would Harris-Moore have turned to crime had he been raised under different circumstances? Explain. It is hard to say whether or not Harris-Moore would have turned to crime if he ad been raised differently.
While environmental factors are one significant contributing factor in criminal activity, there are many others. While it is true that the introduction to criminal activity was a result of his childhood upbringing I believe that his continued behavior as an adult was sustained by other reinforcing factors. To determine if those other factors would have been reinforcing had his childhood been different is very speculative. In addition, there are many children who grow up in equally challenging conditions who do not turn to a life of crime.
