It's complex. Some fall to peer pressure, some just don't have good direction, some just end up at the wrong place and the wrong time.
I once semi helped a friend steal from Clovier, which was a low budget Strawbridge's. I halfway knew what he was doing but didn't fully think things thru. He got arrested and I walked. Now, I was lucky. But imagine how many black boys get caught up because they aren't thinking like an adult? Two black boys trying to steal a video game? Tell me how that normally ends?
Either way, if I did get arrested at 13, my mom's would have flipped and corrected me. But a couple of bad moves with a justice system set to 'under the jail' and it's easy to see kids losing.
There's nothing left in the hood. No jobs. No opportunity. Everyone fucks up but it's easier to correct when the system is working for you. More likely to be seen as youthful indiscretion. But for our people, they get suspended more often, jailed more often, not hired more often, etc.
Hmm, I feel like this is a shame, with these two posts so close together. Hope you find some joy in your job.