Criminals and their books

clare_boy

Just wondering if anyone has an opinion on criminals who write books i.e. profit from their crime?

There are plenty of examples - Howard Marks! but closer to home I had reason to look for some anti-drug literature for my daughter. Came across Dying to Survive, the autobiog of Rachael Keogh, a heroin addict and shop lifter who made the news a few years back when she went public with her plight.

She's kicked the habit, in college etc. but bottom line, her crimes are the reason for the book and she will profit from it. what does that tell our kids?

Valmont

Howard Marks sold lots of weed, then got caught, what's the big deal? It doesn't send any message to "our children" at all. It's only a book and I might be way off here, but if you're suggesting that somehow, kids will read into this and think, "hey, maybe if I take lots of heroin, I can make money too!", well you're just being ridiculous.

turgon

clare_boy has a bit of a vendetta going on it would seem

But anyway, if your daughter reads this bio surely it would encourage her not to do drugs? I dont know anyone who would read about someone who has no money, no veins and no life and want to be one of them. I mean did you see the cover of that book?

Link :eek:

silvine

The only thing Howard Mark's book told me was that he was a terrible writer.

damselnat

I think I'm right in assuming you're not so much worried about you're daughter taking up crime/drugs, and more with the ethical/moral issues of buying a book written by a criminal, giving them money, effectively profiting a second time from their crimes?
Reading about crime is interesting, you can see why people want to read it from the cirminal's POV. If you were uncomforable with the idea there are probably books on the same criminal and their crimes by journalists etc., which would not be giving money to the person who perpetrated them anyway (though I suppose it's still a form war-profiteering). Personally, I'd probably read the (hopefully) more subjective view of those not perpetrating the crime, but more from a subjectivity/rounder view of things POV than any moral dilemma, though I would be uncomfortable with the thought of essentially helping someone profit from crime, if I thought about it a bit more (or read more true-crime books)

lemon_sherbert

To be honest, I'm all for good books, so I'm usually not to bothered by a convicted criminal writing about their experiences, if it's a good read. I would however be fairly outraged at someone writing a book boasting about crimes they've got away with, and making a heap of money at the same time. Like OJ Simpson's book, If I did it, basically a hypothetical telling of how he would have killed Golman, I don't think it's right for someone to profit from something like that.

On an interesting side note, there was a former spy in the UK a while back who got all the proceeds taken from him, after he published a tell-all book that violated British law, revealing state secrets etc.

Brimmy

silvine wrote: »

The only thing Howard Mark's book told me was that he was a terrible writer.

He's an engrossing public speaker though and incredibly funny.

OP if you don't like the idea behind the book then don't buy it. Like it was said if you're thinking people will read the books with a view to thinking they can write their own life story after doing drugs too to make a profit you're being a bit daft.

And what about books written by third parties who've never taken drugs about drug dealers/trades?

Monkey61

The idea of criminals profiting from crimes through book sales doesn't sit too easily with me.

I know I'm probably just being overly sensitive, but I used to work in a book shop in London, and one day last year this guy came in with his 5 year old daughter and said he wanted to sign copies of his book. Basically he was the leader (or whatever it is called) of one of the biggest football hooligan firms in London - so is basically out there every week, committing loads of crimes, terrorising people - and he was happily bragging about this and making money off it and proudly dragging his daughter around to the shops with him - come on like! I just hate the glorification of crime like that. That was a man that should be in prison, not freely walking the streets.

raah!

Perhaps the people who buy these books do not share your opinion upon the ethics of the "crimes" described in them.

Sometimes overzealous parents can make the world alot less pleasant to live in for everyone else.

A Keane

The orginal OP should realise there's a clear difference between someone like R Keogh who has stopped what she was doing that was criminal and is trying to prevent others going down the same road, and others, like OJ in the US with his 'I didn't do it, but if I had, this is how I would have done it' book!


Perhaps the people who buy these books do not share your opinion upon the ethics of the "crimes" described in them.

Sometimes overzealous parents can make the world alot less pleasant to live in for everyone else.

As for that remark Raah, what are you trying to say? That drugs tha leave you with your arms half eaten and robbing people left, right and centre to feed your addiction should not be illegal? And how you think what a parent might decide to educate their children effects you is simply beyond me. If the parents aren't educating you and aren't doing anything detrimental to the children, your opinion shouldn't matter a damn.

raah!

I was not refering specifically to the heroin book, and it is not how the parents "educate" their children that has an affect on other people. Rather it is their fear driven oppression of people who really aren't doing any harm to them, because they do not want their children to be similar to these people. That is how it affects me. I don't understand some of your last sentence though.

A Keane

Sorry for the confusion Raah, I edited to make it more clear.


However, I don't think you can suggest that drug addicts don't effect everyone else. If I recall correctly, I remember a senior garda office remarking that most of the petty crime in Dublin is driven by drug addiction - which does absolutely mean that drug addicts are doing harm. Anyone who has been held up at the point of a syringe will tell you that.


Regards,
A Keane

raah!

N.P
Well heroin is one amongst many drugs, and is by most standards (I think) one of the most if not the most dangerous. There was more than heroin mentioned in thread too, and my point was a general one.

jack2009

The present research work highlights the relationship between various social and cultural factors and the criminal behaviour associated with criminality. It varies to analyse the nature and pattern of women’s crime and to identify the various causes in the social and environmental surroundings and the various situations to which criminal behaviour responds. The study examines the attitude of women criminals towards the prison system, prison staff and prison culture. It also probes into the area of family environment, correctional institutional environment, life style, temperament of the criminals, guilt feelings, moral values and cause of crime. The present research may be the first attempt to study the life style of women criminals done on the prison population particularly on the female criminals of India from a social work perspective. The book will be of immense help to the researchers, social workers, sociologists and prison administrators for understanding the complex and multi-dimensional aspects of women criminality and for probing further into the problem.
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Locamon

Just remember Dostoyevsky was a criminal too

I have no issue with people writing about their criminal pasts, in fact one of my favourite works of literature was written by an ex con Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts and I think it would be a real shame to narrow our knowledge of the world in some mistaken effort of further punishment -many criminals make a legitimate living from their writing giving them a way out of their life of crime.

I do however have a big issue with criminals making money from books while still in prison serving their sentence. IMO conviction of any serious crime should result in all your assets and income being seized while you serve time!

A Keane

jack2009 wrote: »

The present research work highlights the relationship between various social and cultural factors and the criminal behaviour associated with criminality. It varies to analyse the nature and pattern of women’s crime and to identify the various causes in the social and environmental surroundings and the various situations to which criminal behaviour responds. The study examines the attitude of women criminals towards the prison system, prison staff and prison culture. It also probes into the area of family environment, correctional institutional environment, life style, temperament of the criminals, guilt feelings, moral values and cause of crime. The present research may be the first attempt to study the life style of women criminals done on the prison population particularly on the female criminals of India from a social work perspective. The book will be of immense help to the researchers, social workers, sociologists and prison administrators for understanding the complex and multi-dimensional aspects of women criminality and for probing further into the problem.
====================================
Accounting Software
creatine

Er wha?


Best regards
AK

Valmont

jack2009 wrote: »

The present research work highlights the relationship between various social and cultural factors and the criminal behaviour associated with criminality. It varies to analyse the nature and pattern of women’s crime and to identify the various causes in the social and environmental surroundings and the various situations to which criminal behaviour responds. The study examines the attitude of women criminals towards the prison system, prison staff and prison culture. It also probes into the area of family environment, correctional institutional environment, life style, temperament of the criminals, guilt feelings, moral values and cause of crime. The present research may be the first attempt to study the life style of women criminals done on the prison population particularly on the female criminals of India from a social work perspective. The book will be of immense help to the researchers, social workers, sociologists and prison administrators for understanding the complex and multi-dimensional aspects of women criminality and for probing further into the problem.

Copied and pasted from a website obviously.