Commentaries

Indeed, there are no “Bad Boys”!

By Dr. Neals J. Chitan

Dr Neals Chitan is an International Social Skill Consultant and Crime Reduction Specialist who holds a PhD in Social and Behavioural Sciences and currently works in Grenada. He is the President/Founder of Motiv-8 For Change International a Toronto-based Social Skill Agency and can be reached from North America at 647-692-6330 and locally 473-416-8377 or at nealschitan@motiv-8.org   Despite the popular single hit “Bad Boys Bad Boys, what you gonna do when they come for you,” released by Inner Circle in 1982 and re-released in 1993, I have concluded that really, there are no bad boys!
Being an International Crime Reduction Consultant, I have had the opportunity of working with so-called “bad boys” in Canada, Africa, Europe, USA and now across the Caribbean with current engagement in St. Lucia. As I engage homes, schools, communities and prison across the nation and do my assessments and evaluations of these boys that are suspended, criminally charged, in jail or boys who seemingly display a propensity to crime and evil, I am convinced that they are not “bad” boys but:

• Misguided boys
• Hurt boys
• Traumatized boys
• Grief stricken boys
• Disappointed boys
• Negatively labelled boys
• Rejected boys
• Low self-esteem/self-perception boys
• Depressed boys
• Fatherless boys
• Bullied boys
• Sexually abused boys                                                                                                             •Unwanted and unloved boys By the way, these are only some of the identifiable issues boys deal with, and the list goes on and on. Recently, I watched an episode of the TV show “Killer Kids”, which featured Ted Bundy, one of the most notorious 20th century killers, who confessed before his execution in 1989 to the gruesome killing of 30 individuals between 1974 and 1978 in seven American states.

Despite the sadistic, psychopathic and sociopathic behavior of this character, I was glued to the screen as Ted’s childhood story unfolded. I listened intensely hoping to put a finger on the negative influences that contributed to this handsome boy becoming the 20th century’s worst criminal, and they were so many that I needed all ten fingers and ten toes to pin down his dysfunctional childhood experiences.

And so, the question that has to be considered is: “What product do we expect to raise, when like Ted Bundy, our boys are facing so many of the issues listed above, with no one to help them decipher them?”

Imagine, being born to an unwed mother who had to hide you away to cover the family shame of those times. Then you are brought back in the family as the son of your grandparents with your mom as your sister, amidst strong allegations that the same grandpa, the father of your mother, who is a wife beater, tyrannical bully, animal hater/killer and bigot may be your biological father. What a perfect environment for the molding of a sociopath and criminal, and “what do you know?” It did!

As I watched and listened to the avalanche of terror rained down on America by this young man – the product of his environment, my mind went back to the hundreds of boys with whom I have spoken with in jails, who are paying the terrible price, a price that parents, guardians and teachers who should be held responsible for their neglect, abuse and vindictiveness should pay.

And so, currently working with 100 inmates at Bordelais Correctional Facility in St. Lucia as a crime reduction specialist, I have the opportunity to listen to their stories and watch the impact of our “Project STOP ‘n’ THINK” social skill rehabilitative program on them, further convincing me that truly, there are no bad boys.

During school, community and prison sessions, I hear stories of; drug trafficking for survival, of fatherless boys, of gang involvement looking for acceptance and belonging, of hurt boys who did not know how to handle it and of unmanageable anger caused by psychological damage.

I vividly remember engaging these powerful rehabilitative sessions at Her Majesty Prison in St. Kitts after which the inmates offloaded their deep emotional hurt. I noticed that they continuously referred to me as their “new dad” or father who had taken the time to help them untangle the web of social dysfunctions that shackled their minds. Then it dawned on me that what was missing in each story was the lack of parental affirmation and leadership in the lives of these young men to guide them into productive manhood.

Despite their heinous crimes that have resulted in many of them doing life sentences, I saw the glow of emotional and mental freedom on the faces of these men and I said to myself, “Indeed, there are no bad boys,” only boys who need to be decoded and set on the path to fulfillment and success.

I have therefore committed the rest of my life to helping “bad boys” find at least one good trait in themselves, which we can use to build their wings for soaring.

About the author:

Dr Neals Chitan is an International Social Skill Consultant and Crime Reduction Specialist who holds a PhD in Social and Behavioural Sciences and currently works in Grenada. He is the President/Founder of Motiv-8 For Change International a Toronto-based Social Skill Agency and can be reached from North America at 647-692-6330 and locally 473-416-8377 or at nealschitan@motiv-8.org

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