twooffour said:
That's a common cliché, but it isn't accurate - some people's minds ARE wired in a way that drives them to do evil all the time.
If a criminal's mind is just wired that way, can they really be punished for doing something they have no control over? The threat of the death penalty or chemical castration wouldn't be a deterrent to someone "wired" to commit criminal acts, and deterrence is usually the primary reason given for instituting harsh punishments.
The trouble with attributing criminal behavior to hard-wiring is that it puts them in the same class as the mentally disabled. They have a disorder, a "malfunctioning" brain, which forces them to behave in ways they are not capable of changing. They become victims of their own malfunctioning brain, no more responsible for the crime they commit than a person who has a stroke while driving and kills a pedestrian.
Additionally, I don't believe you can call a person hard-wired to misbehave "evil". The word implies a willful/conscious/deliberate choice to disregard moral code and cause harm. Someone hard-wired like you suggest can't help it. Would it be appropriate to call an autistic person an "asshole" for ignoring you? They can't help it either.
Not trying to start an argument, just putting some thoughts out there.