1. The Not-Me Fallacy
I found this fallacy interesting as it basically says as “good” as we think we are, we all
have a little bit of evil somewhere in us. Although we may not commit an actual act of
deviance, we may think about or be tempted to do wrong. And even the good that we
indeed do, there is a possibility that it is driven by the wrong motives.
2. The Ingenuity Fallacy
It is easy to think that crimes take much time to plan and execute. But as Felson points
out, they really take seconds. Criminals know where to look for certain valuables;
everyone thinks they have a great hiding place for their belongings, but it’s the same
hiding spot as everyone else’s. And executing can take mere seconds especially with
the naivety and negligence of the owners of the burglar’s desires. We so often leave
doors unlocked, garages opened, etc. It does not take a genius to steal, it simply takes
a swift person with guts.
3. The Organized Crime Fallacy
Similar to the ingenuity fallacy, many people think committing a crime takes much
planning and organization. But in reality, it is simple to hand someone a small bag with
drugs and get some cash. If you have to go to long meetings, there is no point in being
a criminal. Juvenile street gangs are loosely structured, and there are many layers in
which each part reveals more members of parts of the gang until the core. But these
gangs are not as strict as we think they are, and those in the gang do spend more of
their time hanging out instead of committing crimes.
4. The Random Crime Fallacy
This fallacy shows that victims of crime cannot use the excuse of being in the wrong
place at the wrong time. Crime actually is both predictable and preventable. People
who have been victimized are more likely to be victimized again than those who have
never been victimized. The patterned behavior of our lives create great opportunities
for crime.
