Fool Me Once

Chapter 3

Righteous Perps

Not all perpetrators steal for personal gain. I’ve learned this lesson many times over the years and have tried to share it with my students. It might be hard to comprehend—how is it possible to not steal to benefit yourself? Quite easily.

Remember Robin Hood? He took from the rich and gave to the poor. He has since gotten his own syndrome, called, appropriately enough, the Robin Hood effect. The Robin Hood effect is the term used when less wealthy individuals make financial gains at the expense of the wealthier folks.1 As Jason Gordon, an associate professor of legal studies and management at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville, Georgia, said, “The Robin Hood effect entails the redistribution of wealth in the ...