Which statement reflects a criminogenic attitude?

• A. Believing laws are always unjust.
• B. Believing success is impossible without perfection.
• C. Believing illegal activity is acceptable or normalizing criminal behavior.
• D. Believing all crimes are victimless.

Answer: (C)

Criminogenic attitudes are mindsets that justify, minimize, or normalize criminal behavior, making it more likely someone will engage in or continue offending. The statement that illegal activity is acceptable or that criminal behavior is normal reflects this directly: it treats crime as permissible and ordinary, which lowers the perceived costs and moral barriers to committing offenses. In supervision and risk assessment, this kind of thinking signals a higher risk for future violations because the person has already rationalized crime as acceptable.

The other ideas don’t express crime normalization in the same way. Believing laws are always unjust shows a distrust of the system rather than a direct acceptance of illegal acts. Believing success requires perfection centers on personal standards rather than how one views crime. Thinking all crimes are victimless denies harm, but it still doesn’t convey the same normalization of illegal activity as acceptable behavior. The key point is recognizing that justifying crime as normal is the hallmark of a criminogenic attitude.