No, They Weren’t ‘Turning Their Life Around’

Whenever a violent offender meets a fatal consequence, whether at the hands of police, an unarmed citizen, security or their own criminal lifestyle, the media reflex is almost scripted: “He was turning his life around.” A school photo from ten years ago is pulled from archives. Tears are filmed. Candles are lit. And the public is nudged to feel sorry for someone whose last known act was armed robbery, a violent assault in public, a home invasion, or attempted murder.

Let’s be clear, the narrative isn’t just misleading, it’s dangerous. Romanticising offenders rewrites the facts, blurs moral clarity, and signals to others that accountability can be evaded by emotional storytelling.

Security professionals and behavioural profilers understand what the public often doesn’t, violent criminals don’t descend into crime because they lack hugs or poetry workshops. They calculate risk and reward. And when society heaps sympathy on predators instead of victims, it encourages that calculation.

The vast majority of repeat violent offenders exhibit longstanding behavioural patterns, disregard for authority, impulsivity, low empathy, and antisocial tendencies. These aren’t fixed by vague promises or a few job applications. The hard truth is that most violent actors follow a well-worn trajectory, from juvenile crime to adult criminality, with each lenient sentence reinforcing the lesson that rules don’t apply to them.

Yet, instead of confronting this, the system rewards theatrics. Courts reduce sentences for claims of rehabilitation, even when evidence of true reform is absent. Media outlets paint hardened criminals as misunderstood. Activists flood the airwaves with slogans that mask failure as compassion. If the offender is coloured you won’t need to wait a minute for the race baiters and professional activists to come out of the woodwork. Like sharks they can sense blood in the water.

But no amount of soft lighting can cover up a rap sheet. “Turning his life around” often translates to, he wasn’t in jail that week. That’s not a moral turnaround. That’s a pause between crimes. And the community shouldn’t have to suffer or bury loved ones because society refused to believe past behaviour predicts future risk.

Statistical analysis supports this. A disproportionate percentage of violent crime is committed by individuals with prior records, often multiple, often escalating. In most areas, over 70% of murder suspects had prior arrests. These are not people on the brink of redemption. They are predators who exploit a permissive culture.

Psychologically, this romanticisation has a corrosive effect. It teaches youth that they can terrorise their community and still be celebrated if the outcome plays well on camera. It devalues personal responsibility, elevates victimhood, and turns law-abiding citizens into background characters in someone else’s redemption fantasy.

Justice requires judgement. That means distinguishing between the genuinely reformed and the manipulative. Between youthful mistakes and chronic menace. Not everyone deserves a second chance, some squandered their fifth.

If someone dies while committing a violent act, the tragedy isn’t that they didn’t get to finish their ATAR. The tragedy is the life they took, the family they shattered, or the community they endangered.

We do not build safer societies by rewriting the past or ignoring the facts. We do it by telling the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. Especially then.

From the author.

The opinions and statements are those of Sam Wilks and do not necessarily represent whom Sam Consults or contracts to. Sam Wilks is a skilled and experienced Security and Risk Consultant with 3 decades of expertise in the fields of Real estate, Security, and the hospitality/gaming industry. Sam has trained over 1,000 entry level security personnel, taught defensive tactics, weapons training and handcuffs to policing personnel and the public. His knowledge and practical experience have made him a valuable asset to many organisations looking to enhance their security measures and provide a safe and secure environment for their clients and staff.