RECIDIVISM, THE COMPULSIVE CRIMINAL-MENTALITY,
AND AMERICA'S NEEDED SOLUTION.(Maybe,You'll
Really Understand This Time.)

Talib Y. Rasheed
(C. Anthony Taylor)
FOREWORD 2

Whun 1 began € vrite thid plece, "] vas four aunthe avay from beginning
27 thirtyCaccund (32nd) consecutive yeur of ioprisonsent. | bebas vith
the thought thit it vould b sy dest oriting on recsdiviss vhite I v
in prisun. I have appronched this irogic phenoaenon {ros soveral sgpies
R SO B e T Ry At Y
Bave appesled Lo the wing and sye of sieryon

Ih GEeral, prisiners mationvide have Somsbnted 1o the disteibutor
thet 3y 'vork'hia besn sye upening and given thes insights that nothing
elac has. 0yt such of you that snsight Ls omiy the berinring. and
hat you'auststrive Vith all your heart to undersiand and soLgrid the
Forcen ot raciaiv

K1 e T v &0 the concluston

e
in suciety. Vith this understand-
12 intended not only to reduce recidiviss
an”criainalization, but just as lsportantly,vickinisation, becauss I al-
Vaye-—with evary stfoke of the pen and LePPiSE f & iypevriter key--bees
the sulfering of victiss in ming.

In pril 2008, Gongress and Prasident Geurge Bush legalised the Second
Chance’Act. T ab baliave that they true need to Feduce recidivi:
204 he revolving door syndrome of ihe State ans Federss:
Hovever,"I'nave Foad the Sscond Crance Aeb. and thiy

freticeity and strategicatly Buing that 1u nec
tonded gusls. 1'do not critleise the intent, but serely poist eut ity
Lack of ineight and understanding of heiresl forees oF Lecidivi
Yo need, in addiiion to'a Second Chance Acts is s Read Chance Aot
have 10'be olfered insights, understan o that giv
# real chance 10 save themsslves and Tron the conpul.
aive'erininal-sentality.

11 that'T have vritien on rectdivies ts geare:
ors s resl chance Lo underatand snd o
3elves and Grop out of the ranke that vios
ociaty”

Every felon sust reslize that they must
41 the Second Chance Act'is to have ahy trie worth and value, and thie:
£00, 18 vhat Foliticians and the uhole of Assrica sest realibe. fhers ie

00 Socund Chance vithout a Real Chance attached b0 fer Lot ss a1l ence’
Forevard vith this svares

IThe Secund Chance Act has to be
complisented by s Reed Chance Conseious-
Dess, or it uill becose mo ore than tne

chance failura of hundreds of thoo

Talib Y. Rasheed
(C.” Anthony Taylor)
RECIDIVISM, THE COMPULSIVE CRIMINAL-MENTALITY,
AND AMERICA'S NEEDED SOLUTION.(Maybe,You'll
Really Understand This Time.)

The aajorssy of recidsviat n 'a prisons todey,
thotr Yiotinsin sosiety, are ca o a"var that has ta
{heoughout. the hisvory oF Civilisetion and 1is svcial Telationship
ind yhon T 383 relationshipe 1 sean the prissry_relationship s1so, that
i3, ihe relstionship sach individual has vith Bis oF heresif.

his var, characterised by the realities Uf orise and punishasnt, ha
an’Unpercaivad and greatly BisuRdnrstoods thersors, wmsbinoulesged s
Spects The contlict batvesn healihy: conitruciive hisan forces and un
healthy, socially destructive neuroiic forces vithin the peyehe of s11
restatviat.

The word rectdiviat that ve get fro the Fronch vord recidiviste is
dorived Fron the Latin ters rebidtyis 1 becx,

10 Fa1 seck o s 1ifs of sociopathic thinking and cri
The key word Rare is fali. 10 ie delined as faliing back, not choosing
0 back. 0 L v, ‘Ga 3 suelety; are Intorest it
Flagus ua, oo

tinding: wnd approsch
rectdttiads T

o ars dealing vith he
el back Tnto

poTis Star Be
1872007, i the P

That rehabilitation rest on the successful acquisition of Job
basic educaiiun, drug treataent, and social support networks has
en s ayth. Hundrede of thousands of sncarcerated falons cus
hoses vith vell-irained, sducated, decent parents and family beckground:
Hundreds of thousands of Gthers cise froa broken homes, uneducated, unekil-
10d parents, and dysfunctivnal, nonsupportive fasily backgrounds: So, vhat
i3 thecomain'slesant. that puts both types o the path of crisinal 1ivisy
an0 Tocked up Vithin the sonfines of {Ails and prisons? fiow do people
Tros diferant ends of & graphic line end up convergiag at the same unfor-
tunnte point?

‘Thousands of historically vell-to-

i their fasily waent U6 povr Tolons say poverty
Sato cxine. e knov, Bovever, that oriss s not & direct influ-
once or atgrovih of poverty, beca i1, ana
Sten1. 17, then, ve eliminase th nds in terss of sconobice
the deciding Tactor in both individuale' crisinel orientation, then

4"80'Ve turn o fot our ansver as £0 how, fros coaplately diffarent s
Bles, they’ 22 the enme point on & 1ineT

*sxcking marijuana, for sxample

We Cind the ansver by
sncad their saotivial developaen
1on of un unproductive pe

ve 10 urn o' the conditivn of personality
ecific approach o' suiving their provles vith ciise end re-

11y vackground
Thr the.

divite, thous.

dastratie o the
sy, The question then arises, PWhat sbout
G boredto.death.

i lesp into the depths of this reslity.
gine thet ol suse point during the coarse of thess iyps of
childhood grovth and developaent their ability to fresly ex-
the eutional drives and passions within then vere Hlucked or o

d by sume type of self-doubt, threst, fasr, or anxioty.

mg OF their natural eautionsl drives snd Fassions resuited in
g Of being separated fron their ous irde spiritii.

This created, symptossticeily, o
ity; then, is thal 511 the sental proce:
ives thea the enbtional fspulses snd, unfortunsie
lake then Taol elive uith shergy snd

oned snotionsl state, St 15 th

10d unproductively crave. They sre only
‘hey sty sxeit In sther, aore acsptable’
ven Beafrada to o theixgenuine

1ave Been, in ofder tu fre

elated to"the past. Hovever, and whas
ineasel

erves This Wit
PITit of Their self, snd thet o
'2ing 1s whot Vill riatore their smovional iutelligemce ond 1ife'
fona VIthuut the heightensd snd sxaggerated res
nt

o
For suctopathic exeite.

Of rocidiviss fron the poor fasily be:
nternal conditions exist, bet ihi

prostige, snd ma
and foeiing vorthy
ince 1natsadsor

P

anily educotitn, and poor socisl netvork:

reatly Lo his batng robbed of th
and, "4

‘acknovledged naturally,
ue artifiolal athods: :Pover, Prestigesn and Meterial P
o unidkely that his parents or single sother vith wore Shi
ord sxpenaive, nas

Seiety; hove

Ve and na
nobody. A dilessa gripe his mind. con-
1dence, knovledge, sducation, and vorking skilis to getes Job thal peye

s

» sufficient sslary to west his vants and needs, i.e., desires, the unly
ather vey he oan etrn’or accumilete the'sdequeis cin So through some
fors of 113

S Seing perceived endure with-
seans of keeping his ovn negative feslings sbAut himsell repres—

ey, hererore, 18 17 o classtc Svotdancaevoldanes Gtlemma, and b
1itile tresdon (vhat he Tecls sn practically nome) o cue
of two evile. Whet he feels ineide, despite vihers! tenoancy to not un-
derstand, fo'hell. And for his to choves Lo stey in 1ot hell would be
ans1ogous 0 someone sllouing thesself Lo drown when they beliave they

can ravch safaty by grabbing the leg of somecne tles who has airsady +lish-
e

aination, o
a2, conventions1, but.
it 1s the sbove fulrill pover the spirit, fres the aind,
and creste s perasnent sense of aliveness and seif-uorth snd value. 1i ie
these fulfillments thet will free the sind so thet the budy can rossin

free from jails and prisuns
The esutionel and peychoiogicsl conditins of influence described sbove
apply %o the mentality end lives of countless paogle, but thers sre still

speciic ne: tive o sach porticuls:
Sonal wos 0 sa vell ba the
5t on ops thology vr cri;

Fecidivien con be acknovledged, underatosd, snd [inelly outgrown.

Scientific Paychological-Secial Anslysis
There are basically three (3) types of crime in suctety, and four
20r conditions of influence tovard crisinal sctivity. The three
types are social, econvatc, and sexual. Ve will only deal with so-
cial and econoaic here.

The four sajor conditions of influence are poverty of character,
s9ciopathdtogy, psychopathology, and greed. In some cases , poverty
of character, sociopathology, and gr:

4 are overlapping.
*(1) Poverty of Charaster can be linked to economic poverty, sveial
poverty, or both. What s seant hore is that the character of an in-
d1vidual Jacks the bastc fulfillsent of husan peychic nesds. fe o

she say lack unconditional self-scceptance, self-sstecn, and self-con-
fAdunesd Gonplesthis with ecunoaic poverty and you have an increased
potential for vulnerability to crisinal orientation, especially in

the latter years of teanhood vhere saterial possessions and money have
taken on the perceived power to give or take avay one's social prestige
or socta; tHo things that have an exaggerated value and dispre-
Portionate value vhen genuine self-ssteen is absent from one's charac-

it 43 this poverty of character in people who are sconosically poor
Chat makes the difference betueen one poos.parson turning to crise and
snother not. A child or teen can still have a rich cheracter in con-
sitivns of economic poverty if the social lessons in the homs healthily
rurture the character. Most poor people are not crisinals because eco-
fomic poverty, in and of 1tself, duse nut necessarily induce erisinality.
Tuis doesn't mean 1t ls never a contributing factor.

[n urder Lo overcoss poverty of character, une has to uprovt unproducs
tive paychic conditions that perpetuate a poverty of character. This
t5 s proc

that one can be helped to perceive and understand, but the

ceal vork is personal and requires alot of courage and perseverance. It

©s not sasy, for exasple, to adait to oneself: "I don't have any real

aclf-confidence or self-estess." These are painful, sometizes terrifyisg

wcknoledgenants, because they underaine the pride-systes and idealized-
iaage that one say have crested Lo cospensate for an aliemation

iron the real self. However, it is this courageous acknovledgesent that

sakes the pruspect of genuine change, grovth, and developaent possible. -

Cae

1o face the reality of one

1f, befure the character of one's
self can be meaningfully dealt with. With the decreasing of the condi-
Uivns uf poverty of character, genuine self-sstess can esergs snd asks
novledgenent of one's vorth and value. This prosotes a desire and wil-
ingness Lo achieve goals and take on further constructive intersst in
one's ovn 1ife. It is vith the strengthening of constructive fore
nstructive interest, and self-confidence —- that the prior influsnce
tovard erisinal vrientation and crisinally orisnted goal acheivement
“re veakened and Vithstood as patterns of sucial expression. The indi-
Viduul develops the belief that he/she can achieve success through l

ing, herd work, and effort and begins to respect and appreciate thess
Gualities in others.

Overconing poverty of character through genuine self-acceptance, self-
9stess, and the building of self-respect and self-deteraination crestes
©he internel otivations for self-realization to develop. This leads to
o desire for conventional soctal achievement, i.e., improved relation-
ships, acadesic goals, vocational and job skills, and saybe even the

“xpression of one's creative intelligence. step-by-step,
Luild confidence, and confidence strength
ing one the belief that thers is a better
vay 1o achieve goals than oris

Talih 1. Rashoed
(. Anthony Taylor)
(2) Sociopathology

Soctopathology nvoly
“poverty of charastert but
a0mic puverty. In this'case, the poverty of one's Sharactor in Fela-
Tive 15 things such as ayapathy, Compusyion, and sspaihy. he soeie
Path ia usually'the Vietls of iinusanities, brutal 1ndifierences isd
and doprivations hisself or herselrfe/

dpeychutogical raiiels hia

sitized to'his Jher oun pain and suffering. ‘Thi

undoubtediy has sade it that such o

pain snd sufforing and Los era. Siaply put, if one
a from his own pain and suffering, then how i he/she guing to be
to'that UF Othars, even victiss Of orisel The siciopath hes
nce, Dut ho/she 13’100 Wedk o acknoviedge ihat seascrente.or

of the conditivns related to
11 10 40 with sco-

Of 5t, becauss of the inability to suspend
s of foolings of his or her ovn pain and suffering. T
in the suciopath's payohe 1s 100 turmenting for his or her
Hofsha 15
which appears
For

40 face emvtional conflicts uith relsntless porseveranc
generally torn betusen two or aore altsrnative
o offer the most expedient path to relief is
oxeaple, the alternative betusen belng disciplined and detersin
ard constructive goal achievesent and that of being cosp
nd {spatient about getting what ono desires, uften has. the soblopath
leaning tovard the latter of the two. Under ihis fora of thinking and
emotional ressonin
h

" gonerally vin

o o condones L1t uut Of anxisty snd desperation

This seans we are referring to is crise. The sociopath is criminel orisnted

due to unfortunate social conditions, and relationships that have hars

bis or hor self-isage, primary-relationship, and fresfos Lo relate to and
construstive huaan potentials. He/she is not criminal oriented

by cals and collective choice, but actually is and feels driven to

in to crininal coapulsions and other mot sy h

relioving snxiets

e1f-hatred
1 crise and/or arrest.
100 and be s0”overuhelaing because the socio-
and self-hate drives his/her to offectively
woras. Unlike the psycho
and

Nost suciopatha,
acter dovelopaent
sucial and

| want 1o grow, to chenga, to
ian beings and citizens; they are just too
d their motivations and anxieties, beckuss
and understanding about unponscivus, meurstic
Toctively change ibe vy they are. They need help, but this
type of help is very hard to encounter, and even when 1e Ln shvuntere

it will still require an enoracus asount of iuner-strengin and cours

for the individual to resain cossitted to a long and challenging proc.

Talih Y. Rasheed
(€. Anthony Tayler)
Excorpt.
Sxcerpt
(3) Peychopatholony

Modern prychology uses the vords sociopsth and paychopath interchang
obly, as though they are i1 husen condition. In reality, they
not. 'One sajor difference la that of having end not heving o sonscience
thei engendars remorse. The suciopsth has & conscience, he/she 1s just
Griven by other peychis conditions to keep it fron operating on & con
scious level. On the otherhand, the peychopath is void of a conscience
conecicusly and unconscicusly. His or her anti-social behaviors and
criainality are rationslized through sgocentrisa and self-justified
soning. Hle/she 1s not helplesaly driven, but sore often than mot,

rated againet other husan beinge.
conscience. To hisher a con-
20 well 19, a veakening thing in relation
50 Character sxpression and toughness. To'a prychopath, sl snds desired
Justify whatever means is necessary. Sociopaths do not'vperate this vay.
For axasplo, & suciopsth say be a conpulaive robber
his self-vorth vith the absolute po
hovever, vould naver engage in hom
Crinac, bacause his conscisnce is actively rasistant fo harsing oiner
pavple’in certain vays. That is, the end docs not Justify the
Bia or her. With the piychopath'1tls different. e reject:

Any of his
7 her vishes, sconomic, social, sexvsl...are capable of being pursued
crininelly, peychopathologically, snd iasorslly. Absolute freedos and
Sbeolute 201f-gratification doalnete the peychupathe social outlook.
To'hin/her, crime s just as legitisate s sethod of achievement ss hard
vork and siudy. He/she qualifiss neither as more just or rightecus then
the other: Tt is the end thet ultisately satiers

Tt ehould be noted that peychopathic reasoning and its ends are not
slvays labelled ss criminal in society, nor ars all psychopaths clas
Tied ss oriminels in character. roductive, lav.

2biding citizens. Thil ‘Deychopathic’ than
the average serisl-kil
When'va hear sbout pharsaceutical cospenies that kn

an the market that they knou will K1l hundreds of
ing about a fors of culturally, legally, and politically tolerated pey-
shopathology. These are the accepted peychopathe; the typs that justi.
fy and rationalize their murderous actions through false ohilanthropic
2oning, o.g., "Our product helps millions of consusers, so the fo
Tondred 8 (h0uiands of lost 1iven are counter-balsnced aad, therefors,
The peychopath 1o @ cold-hearted, insensitive
(vhether logaily sanctioned or labelled as such or not), and will naver
1110w the possibility or expected reslity of collateral consequences to
loter hia/hor from reaching end. The roritable
florifying that end, then the xtress or far resching the
featruction
g to condone.

caloulating criatnal

a 1083 of property and husan life the peychopath

soral consctence for one

Talib T. Rash
(e Ratnony Foyion)

Excarpt
[y

envy,ote., can be such a o
§2'13 Capable of blindly dr:

Ty and irrational pursuit of s

¥4 20 tamcdiate or i

iing sen-
alaset anyone
ions, even
ning need for the woney and
they risk 1ife, 1ish, and frasdos for. Gresd is an syesiap-
nce In crisinal Sons. XL can drive the actions of s
soclopn, peycnopath. ur itizen. The
40 prison’vho wers otheruiss sucesssful, lav-abiding oftiiens
hov becase gripped by the blind ariving force of greed.
The question is une of historical sagnitude and sternal lengt

such going Tor thasaelves snd up Letting grecd dviincy then
B bectee st trar ® ‘e

4154 the cuapel-
1),the chroic anxisty of never hou-
Aved of an opportunity’ 1o acquire
10N Uhat une has becoas
vty

orce of g
ough, or"the Tear of being 4
‘nieds, Or the anxiety o
neurotically sitachad to b
2) K neurtic
than sveryons

1ng 1.
Ling

Oreed becuses @ motivation in criminal activity when, as in the cuse
ot poverty of pors: character, the level of one's saterisi geals
and’denire 1oped capacity of une's current abiiicy 1o
Veare only capable of ia-
point'in Lisa. uhat ve mave the de-
Sometises, what
of onais potantiai, bet
tial and gives expression Lo path-

t Tack of patience
ological soui,
Soati

Toinforces gresd, or greal bacones so intense that
1ike an unnacessiry obstacle on the path 1o schise-
iMoo anindividusl Tacks patienchs then hoy

o' frustrations. This bakes it

by tileg

Geadly sins.This

aun's pati

of Thess qualitie:
expediont

. But thors are o

are Felitea'ts faar of 1

stand auch aore, the onnection between

ooda, &

y satisricd, thore®
e in patholopicel vayss

Talib Y. Rasheed
(C.dnthony Tayior)
10

—

Exasining the ne
One of the Bost infasous svcial crisss 1n Western literature fs the
srdor or Kbl by his brother Cain: Cain killsd bel beckuse he folt

Slighied and rejected by God. e aisv savied the relationship betveen

30¢"4na Abel. Sinca the Financial or sateris

Saiats actions, his criy purely soctal crize

$54"he Tntend b gatn, thens by bratelly surdering bis brothet, vho had

Tine o Airect or'intentional hara £ his? This case deals with some
15800 CFTect tuaues that have mot-besn given much sxasination in
TR For“inetha caves Of this sibling surdar sy partly st the
50 e T T i deal atory, 18w ‘et of Glacrisination

iiuadeiviey) and rejection OF Cain's o " anger., o

Zortaent, and vindictiveness in Gain. ALL O Uhese ssotionsl responses

LTSN 100s1 Tnetant defensive sruption to hurt and Busilineion:
230, "Tasgine sn analogous situation snd the Lragic social affects that

£t uild have un s husan peracnality: Two children in a fasily spend the

Ciuter saving their allouance soney and helping sach vther 4o sxira chores

arcind The nelghborhood Lo sarn & feu sore Gollers a weok. Their comson

£931% are to buy their sother a couple of Mother's Day gifts this year,

“5in child prasenting ite oun one after the other. The first child gives

“ho zother his RIft 4nd receivas a hug and a kise with several kind and

Sppreeistive uurds. Uhen the second Shild bressnts his RifL, the sother

S08ir7 4 oven resch for it Tnstead, she saye: *1 don't Care'fur that type

Si5esont, really. T 1ike uhal your brother gave me. Why don't you take

Tnat Tack efund, and Think & 110416 harder about whet 1 sight

T SecOnd gIT% bringer is eavtionslly crushed by the sother's rejec-
4i50" ife turns avay, huriing and fesling unloveds but benasth the. hucs an
Siinr xolders 2t the thought of how sueh work and faith he had saeally

Foreed in being sble Lo offer his sother s gift.

“he Telationanip betueer the tuo siblings changes. The second sun s less
Cordlal tovara RiE brothar mov, and on Gceasion ba sxhibits hostility to
Gart his. W nesd 1o understand and hat”the hostility is astual-
2y “ovard the muthar, but feeling poverless to sct againat her, the
Rii3 Slaplncen 10 tovards the firat: The sother's act of Tesection has
200 1o Bulin the relationantp conditions for a personality neurosis
1S evatop, a ‘an savtionally estranged relationsnip betwsen tuo
Grothurs Sho”once sherid heslthy affattions. Aa they Erow Slder nov, they

Fights, and sventusily grov Turther and farther apart

Lerir o get into
Cefaieo the older
ik U how' o res
Uere'to"cuntinue associating regularly, one of the other could end up seri-
utly hurt or sven dead:

%o can sasily say that the second child should not have r

Than 6 acos

ing done this would have not cr
1iSnship nflusnces, for neurotis o svelopathic personality sonditions
toovotte 1o 12" thise Conditions thet are’generaily behind soctal crises

b “have. sxas-
ined, the God of the 014 Testasent should have bean more sensitive to-

vard Cain. The Bible doss not indicate that God instructed Cain and Abel
n how'to'sake an Offering, nor that Adus and Eve Laught thes, so Cain
Dot the e

Gain, just
sacona’son, had 10 sake Cain fesl disrespected and devalued. The surder
f his brolher, then, vas an act of v
sessage in Cain's murderous actions? * 1 will
Can'10ve ind " valte over me. Only T as lefi nov.

ALL soctal eri
thing_ope:

nt s hewd thy
Products of disturbed par.
st 'nvolve reducing ther
husan beings Lo becoas distarb,
42,4511 a8, helping pecple becoas auare of hou they are disrerusd: ioi'f
Their personalsty probie

Talib 1. Rashees
(€2 Antbiny Tayior

~THE HUMAN CONDITION- Excorpt

The putentisl to comsit crises exist in a1l hu
23673 o matier of whethar or not svasune is b
chopathic or paychupethic, suds
dus] fron cosaitving criste;
Tage of hussn persenality o
of Gne’s soralily.
in the peyohe of

heurotic, su-
o one indivis
Varied vithin the
fons. "It could be the strengil
ethy. In any event somsthing
engage in crisinality sperates ot
sce: Draving from Keren Hormey. i
portpestive by rmnaterring 10
reine
ar, or Self-Preservetiun. Many people
itting dociel’crises by either love or fas; bihers,
be deterred frua commitiing scononic crimes by fesi
When these checking mechanisss are not working
‘then the pover

forces hove taken svay. This s only possible vhen hu-
genising or constructive peychulogicel and svetsd Tork

orerily or neurotically put out of operation vy smens
ot

i not Snothar,
“osial

ng touched by ih

b
by Plato, Gyges And The hing. Wno
vare tivin s Spimer bt

Theors

isan beings in poorer countries:
the vorld, 14 ie hard not to conciude that
the, bumen condition! 1 s sad and troubling conditien. Mo, er s eorsie
thver fe1] drastically anort o our ability'te o beveer: to’ fnf1oeane
Ba%s Cineyand conatructive changes in' the ives of individusis sad soctety
such'a part of recidivies
pstemneof criinal thotgnt
d reality, then on
o Of wucial onsciouanese:
iy e et
BOINE 10 sddrens thin Yitel meed
Taiib Reshaed
(Chnthony Tayior

£ tha oy
et {ocbo ahvered ih

are ve going to or not

RECIDIVISH, THE COMPULSIVE CRIMINAL-MENTALITY,
AND AMERICA'S WEEDED SOLUTION. (Haybe,Tou'll
Really Tnderatand This T

Talib Y. Rasheed
(- Antuony Taylor)

So. Chicago ABC Zine Distro
Publisher & Distributor

P.0. Box 721
1L 60430