Still, if crime never paid off for anyone, people would wise up eventually- save for exploratory divergent forays in case the situation has changed.
Sadly, this isn't true. As quickly as the old idiots realise that their actions are futile, new idiots are born to repeat their mistakes.
Sometimes, crime does pay. So there's a risk-reward strategy to being the kind of person prone to commiting crimes.
Two years ago, doing X might have been a net negative; now, maybe due to police cuts etc. it's viable. But it's hard to know this in advance; to find out, someone has to walk the territory.