I agree that no one looks through the same eyes as another, and think back to my childhood friends and how different we are, and we're. At the same time we kicked a ball on the same piece of grass, laughed in class, and for the most part had the same homelife.

But I see differences in the home life, and perhaps that is the key variable in this case.

one single moment can have such a dramatic impact on someones life. One bad lesson learned, or one good one missed, and you are on a completely different life path.

I think this is very true, I can see that from personal experience.

As far as the last point, if you are almost sure it will be wasted, then perhaps offering to the good who do need would be the better bet?

As well as the single offenders being locked away, there are 3/4/5 timers who I don't feel deserve the enormous funding it does/would take to try rehabilitate for the n'th time. We have good, starving people on this earth, and I would rather take the safer bet here.

Interesting topic.