Legal Research

For This Ex-Con, Freedom Hinges on Control of 'Criminal Thinking'

By David Badertscher, PLL

Source: Crime and Justice News, April 9, 2008.

"Susan Brink of the Los Angeles Times profiles the post-prison life of ex-con 'Folsom Kenny' Layton, 64. She writes that Layton, like many former criminals, struggles with a twisted moral code that he wrote in childhood, refined over decades behind bars and enforced throughout early adulthood, no matter who got hurt.' They often have breaking-point moments, perhaps during public confrontations over perceived slights, that can lead them back to prison."

"Brink writes, 'Layton knows why: prison thinking, convict thinking, criminal thinking. In his case, it was still there, decades after his last crime...Layton's ability to defuse his anger is a rare skill for an ex-con, but it doesn't have to be. Experts think helping criminals understand how their thought processes are connected to the crimes they commit is more than just a touchy-feely exercise. It can reduce recidivism. Layton's struggle, chronicled in his own contemporaneous writings and later recollections, is a case study in how the criminal mind works -- and how with guidance, practice and will it can change'."

Los Angeles Times

Full post as published by New York Supreme Court Criminal Term Library on April 09, 2008 (boomark / email).