[buckminster]

> people would wise up eventually

Sadly, this isn't true. As quickly as the old idiots realise that their actions are futile, new idiots are born to repeat their mistakes.

[curtainsforus]

>save for exploratory divergent forays in case the situation has changed

Sometimes, crime does pay. So there's a risk-reward strategy to being the kind of person prone to commiting crimes.

Two years ago, doing X might have been a net negative; now, maybe due to police cuts etc. it's viable. But it's hard to know this in advance; to find out, someone has to walk the territory.

[xwdv]

This can apply to more than just crimes. Careers for instance.