Doing some prep work for an article, I bumped into Inside the Criminal Mind: Revised and Updated Edition by Stanton Samenow. Once I started reading it, I understood why I never heard of the guy in the traditional Media: he does not pull punches or try to sugarcoat things and manages to piss people on both sides of the “What to do with criminals?” debate.Although I think he has managed to piss more the Bleeding Heart cadre than the “Kill Them All, Let God Sort Them Out” Squads.

Quick summary: Criminals are scum. Why, who knows? Can they “be fixed”? No. Only they can fix themselves and it is not easy. For the most part, criminals have the game figured out and will tailor behavior and responses to fulfill the expectations of people they need to fool to either obtain money, power or freedom. OK, it is a crappy summary, but the book is a great trip exploring the way criminal thinks and their “logic.”

Depending where you are coming from, you will get an answer which might not be the one you are looking for but the truth you may not want to hear. If you are into self defense and crime, this will dissipate some remaining misconceptions and will make you reassess your plans. Get the damned book.

Available in Dead Tree Media and Kindle.

I am gonna have to buy a Kindle thingie myself, damn it.