Risk of getting into crime

Illustration: Rachel East - Cambridge Regional College

You are out with a couple of friends you met at a party a week ago and you are talking about ways to make money.  After a few suggestions one of the people you are with tells you about how they make money by recycling things other people don’t want. It becomes clear to you that they are talking about stealing but when you bring it up they say it’s not because it’s stuff those people don’t use any more. You desperately need some more cash but you are not sure about their idea.

What do you do next?

• Say you will give it a go if the people really don’t want the stuff
• Get up and leave straight away
• Say that you aren’t interested and gradually stop seeing them

Read on to find out which of these options you should or shouldn’t take…….

Say you will give it a go if the people really don’t want the stuff

Deep down you know this wrong but it’s easy to convince yourself that it’s not.  Don’t give in because they are friends or because you need the money because if you do it’s then tempting to go further and further until you are into some really serious stuff. Stick to what you know is right and just say that you don’t want to get involved. If you can try and convince your friends that it’s not a good idea.

Get up and leave straight away

This is probably the safest option because if you stay you might you could be accused of being part of the gang if they go on and commit a crime.  However if these people are your friends you might not feel you can just walk away so you need to think of some other way of not being associated with the crime they are planning.  You could say something like, “I don’t want to be part of this so can we just drop the subject”.

Say that you aren’t interested and gradually stop seeing them

There’s no doubt that this could just be the beginning of a slip into criminal activity so you need to decide if you still want to be friends with them – Only you can decide this but it would be worth looking at all the individuals in the group and asking yourself if it is all of them you want to be friends with or just some.  If it is just some, maybe you could arrange to meet up with them individually or at least away from the whole group.