How often do people think about engaging in criminal behavior? Most people think that avoiding criminal behavior is not a difficult task and should be easy to avoid. This is unfortunately not always the case. There are many circumstances and theories about criminal behavior and why some people participate in these acts. Throughout childhood, a person's risk of engaging in criminal behavior later in life may increase due to a lack of knowledge about good morals, a high rate of bad circumstances, or other difficulties during his early childhood. Lack of knowledge about good morals is one. very important in determining whether or not a person may engage in criminal behavior later in life. When a person does not know what is right and what is wrong, they do not know the boundaries of what they should and should not do. Learning the moral standards of what is right or wrong is something that many people learn and think about easily, but in a childhood where these teachings are never mentioned, they have no ability to judge what they should do. In Lippke's article he states that "morality is the basis of all knowledge." Similarly, Ferguson reports that “morals are taught at the beginning for a reason. This is what fuels the beginning of good choices. This supports the idea that morality is assured because people really have nowhere and no one to turn to. When something bad happens to them, they don't know any other way to react. Some people say that even if basic moral principles were never directly taught to children, there would still be role models and ways for them to learn to do better later in life. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In some cases, children live in cities filled with crime and......in the middle of a newspaper...an argument against this question. Childhood as a whole is very important and cannot be replaced. Without a successful childhood, teachings and memories in general, crime can be expected to be present for years in the surrounding areas. Works Cited Fergusson, PhD, David, Nicola Swain-Campbell, PhD, and John Horwood, MSc. How does childhood economic disadvantage lead to crime? » Journal of Child Psychology & Psychology 45.5 (2004): 956-966. Web. March 4, 2014. Kawachi, Ichiro, Bruce P. Kennedy, and Richard G. Wilkinson. “Crime: social disorganization and relative deprivation. " Social Science & Medicine 48.6 (1999): n. pag. Electronic Journal Center. Web. February 26, 2014. Lippke, Richard L. “Diminishing Opportunity, Diminishing Capability: Social Deprivation and Punishment.” Social Theory and Practice 29 ( 2003): n. Academic research February 26.. 2014.