Are geniuses more likely to commit crimes?

[Mr. Ed]

Are geniuses likely to commit crimes over average thinkers based on their ability to challenge and beat the system?

 

[win231]

I don't think geniuses are more likely to commit crimes. But they're more likely to think they can get away with it when they do.

 

[Pepper]

Ask Leopold & Loeb. Alas! Too late.

 

[Irwin]

At five foot six and 270 pounds, the bank robber was impossible to miss. On April 19, 1995, he hit two Pittsburgh banks in broad daylight. Security cameras picked up good images of his face — he wore no mask — and showed him holding a gun to the teller. Police made sure the footage was broadcast on the local eleven o’clock news. A tip came in within minutes, and just after midnight, the police were knocking on the suspect’s door in McKeesport. Identified as McArthur Wheeler, he was incredulous. “But I wore the juice,” he said.

Wheeler told police he rubbed lemon juice on his face to make it invisible to security cameras. Detectives concluded he was not delusional, not on drugs — just incredibly mistaken.

Wheeler knew that lemon juice is used as an invisible ink. Logically, then, lemon juice would make his face invisible to cameras. Wheeler reported one problem with his scheme. The lemon juice stung his eyes so badly that he could barely see.

Wheeler went to jail and into the annals of the world’s dumbest criminals.

https://medium.com/@littlebrown/i-wore-the-juice-the-dunning-kruger-effect-f8ac3299eb1

 

[Gary O']

Are geniuses likely to commit crimes over average thinkers based on their ability to challenge and beat the system?

I dunno but this thread topic brings to mind an old poster I created in another life;

 

[asp3]

I'm not sure they're more likely to commit them but they are more likely to get away with the crimes they do commit.

I'm fairly sure that I've read that sociopaths and possibly psychopaths tend to be more intelligent, but I'm not completely sure of that. Anyway sociopaths are more likely to commit crimes although sometimes they don't see what they're doing as committing a crime. However without any reference to back up my claims I'd take them with a shaker of salt rather than just a grain of salt.

 

[asp3]

I'm fairly sure that I've read that sociopaths and possibly psychopaths tend to be more intelligent, but I'm not completely sure of that. Anyway sociopaths are more likely to commit crimes although sometimes they don't see what they're doing as committing a crime. However without any reference to back up my claims I'd take them with a shaker of salt rather than just a grain of salt.

Based on a quick internet search I appear to be wrong. The things I found said there is almost zero correlation between psychopaths and intelligence.

 

[fuzzybuddy]

I think crime is based more on need, and greed than what's upstairs.

 

[chic]

Are geniuses likely to commit crimes over average thinkers based on their ability to challenge and beat the system?

Leopold and Loeb did, and so did Pauline Palmer and Juliette Hulme. But I think they did it because felt superior to everyone and out of place in normal society. Juliette Hulme was 15 when she committed a murder. She is now the world famous authoress Anne Perry. I don't know about most killers or criminals but in these two occasions the killers were geniuses.

 

[helenbacque]

Geniuses often have little or no common sense but if one WITH intelligence as well as common sense, he probably has a good chance of getting away with it. Either that or a lot of money. That seems to work too.