History Main / JustifiedCriminal

* In ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven'', Tommy is forced at gunpoint to drive two members of the Salieri gang to safety (they're being pursued by members of the rival Morello gang). Later on, those same rival gangsters assault Tommy and smash up his taxi in retaliation, and Tommy flees to Salieri's for protection (Morello's men unwisely follow and are killed for it). His boss, understandably concerned about employing someone the mob is after, fires him from his job with the cab company. Seeing as this all takes place in the middle of TheGreatDepression and that his life is still in danger (the police are said to be on Morello's payroll), Tommy understandably throws his lot in with the Salieri gang. His first assignment? Go smash up some of Morello's cars in return...
** The remake subverts the idea of Tommy as a justified criminal on several points. First, Morello's men are smart enough to back down, so they're not killed as a result of Tommy's choice of sanctuary. Second, Tommy's the one who wants to retaliate against Morello over being attacked, and it's only after smashing up some of his cars that Don Salieri offers Tommy a job. Third, no mention is made of his being fired from the cab company, which raises the question of whether he even needed a new job.

* In ''VideoGame/MafiaTheCityOfLostHeaven'', Tommy is forced at gunpoint to drive two members of the Salieri gang to safety (they're being pursued by members of the rival Morello gang). Some time after, those same rival gangsters assault Tommy and smash up his taxi in retaliation. His boss, understandably concerned about employing someone the mob is after, fires him from his job with the cab company. Seeing as this all takes place in the middle of the Great Depression and that his life is still in danger (the police are said to be on Morello's payroll), Tommy understandably throws his lot in with the Salieri gang. His first assignment? Go smash up some of Morello's cars in return...
** In the remake, this latter point is where things get subverted: it's Tommy who wants to retaliate against Morello once he's been attacked. It's after the success of that mission when Don Salieri offers Tommy a job, which he happily accepts (no mention is made of his being fired from his job).

This is a trope for when a person becomes a criminal because of socio-economic reasons, or just plain horrible circumstances, and is portrayed sympathetically because of it. Basically someone is in dire straits and needs money immediately and starts robbing banks or dealing drugs out of necessity. This trope usually occurs in crime dramas (specifically urban dramas). Also may be considered TruthInTelevision. And more often than not it's overlapped with PlethoraOfMistakes. Also can be a case where a hero has to choose to do what's right despite being illegal. This trope almost always falls on the GrayAndGreyMorality side.

* ''Film/MirrorMirror'': The dwarfs became bandits only to survive, as the Queen banished them (along with all "uglies"). All of them had regular jobs earlier (though one used to steal from his customers). They quickly take the offer to only steal what the Queen took from the starving commoners and give it back, then return to honest work.

This is a trope for when a person becomes a criminal because of socio-economic reasons, or just plain horrible circumstances, and is portrayed sympathetically because of this. Basically someone is in dire straits and needs money immediately and starts robbing banks or dealing drugs out of necessity. This trope usually occurs in crime dramas (specifically urban dramas). Also may be considered TruthInTelevision. And more often than not it's usually overlapped with PlethoraOfMistakes. Also can be a case where a hero has to choose to do what's right despite being illegal. This trope almost always falls on the GrayAndGreyMorality side.

Some social analysts have been known to refer to this as "Survival Crimes".

* The famous analysis of a crack dealing gang by Sudhir Venkatesh of Columbia University leans into this trope. Basically, a crack gang is like pro sports; a few people living large at the top and a lot of poor folks making very little cash at the bottom. The dealers just didn't see another way out when faced with the poor economy, racial discrimination and lack of education. Most crack dealers were making less than an effective $5 an hour wage, and begged Sudhir for help getting a real job-- they said they'd rather be a janitor rather than deal crack. The gang leaders Sudhir interviewed said the biggest way they lost out on a good foot soldier was if he got a job. But none of the members seemed to think that dealing drugs is ''morally wrong''; their gripes were just with the low pay. Venkatesh's work was popularized in the non-fiction book ''Freakonomics'', but extends far past that book.

This is a trope for when a person becomes a criminal because of socio-economic reasons, or just plain horrible circumstances, and is portrayed sympathetically because of this. Basically a person or a group of people are in dire straits and need money immediately and become bank robbers and drug dealers out of necessity. This trope usually occurs in crime dramas (specifically urban dramas). Also may be considered TruthInTelevision. And more often than not it's usually overlapped with PlethoraOfMistakes. Also can be a case where a hero has to choose to do what's right despite being illegal. Or something [[GrayAndGreyMorality morally dubious]] for a greater good. This trope almost always falls on the GrayAndGreyMorality side.

Some social analysts have also have been known to refer to this as "Survival Crimes".

Some might justify being evil or criminals as being a NecessarilyEvil, a LesserOfTwoEvils, or a case of BetterTheDevilYouKnow.

* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'': [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2010-09-26 One comic]] has Superman stop a mugger, who explains he has to turn to rime to make ends meet because his factory job doesn't pay enough. Superman goes to the foreman, who explains he wants to pay more but government regulations make it hard. Superman (now with a visible EyeTwitch) goes to the president, who explains that economists can't find a better system. After Superman goes to an economist and seeing all the variables involved, he goes back and punches the mugger.
-->'''Superman:''' That's for making me experience introspection!

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinz_dilemma The Heinz Dilemma]], used in developmental psychology in the formulation of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development Kohlberg's stages of moral development.]]
--> A man has a loved one dying from cancer. The pharmacist holds the cure but is charging ten times the cost of the drug. Try as he may, the man can only gather half the money the pharmacist demands. The pharmacist refuses to budge. Should the man steal the drug? Why (not)?
* The famous analysis by Sudhir Venkatesh, of Columbia University, of a crack gang leans into this trope. Basically, a crack gang is like pro sports; a few people living large at the top and a lot of poor folks slaving away dreaming of the cash but unlikely to ever see it at the bottom. The dealers just didn't see another way out in the American economy. Most crack dealers were making less than an effective $5 an hour wage. Most begged Sudhir for help getting a real job - they would be happy being the janitor for the university rather than dealing crack. The gang leaders Sudhir interviewed said the biggest way they lost out on a good foot soldier was if he got a job. His work was popularized in the famous non-fiction book Freakonomics, but it extends far past that one book.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' episode ''Armory'', the title villain is a former weapons designer who was let go, and, desperate to maintain his family's high lifestyle, was pressured into crime by a CorruptCorporateExecutive.

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1985'': In "Street of Shadows", Steve Cranston has been unemployed for a long time, and his efforts to find work have been unsuccessful. The 8th Street homeless shelter where he lives with his wife Elaine and daughter Lisa will soon close because it can no longer pay its mortgage. As such, they are faced with the prospect of being thrown out on the street. Feeling as if he has no other choice, Steve breaks into the mansion of the multi-millionaire Frederick Perry and plans to rob the place. Perry discovers him almost immediately and shoots him. When Steve wakes up the next morning, he finds that he and Perry [[FreakyFridayFlip have swapped lives and identities]].

* The brothers Winchester on ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' can't get legitimate work due to their monster-hunting activities, so they support themselves through credit card fraud, hustling, and the occasional act of burglary. Sam also has a habit of boosting cars when he's separated from Dean.

* The crew of Moya on ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' is made up of a collection of escaped convicts on the run from the Peacekeepers over crimes they [[ItsALongStory may or may not have committed]], or which may or may not actually qualify as good things rather than crimes to a moral person, given that the Peackeepers are an evil empire. Many of their less than legal actions over the course of the series are in the sole interests of their own survival and are perpetrated against those [[GreyAndGrayMorality far, far worse]] than themselves (such as robbing a Shadow Depository--an underworld bank where pirates and other criminals store their ill-gotten goods--to finance the rescue of D'Argo's son from slavery).

Compare SympatheticMurderer and SocietyIsToBlame (its cousin trope). See also WellIntentionedExtremist and YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters for more politically-flavored sister-tropes.

Compare SympatheticMurderer and SocietyIsToBlame. See also WellIntentionedExtremist and YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters for more politically-flavored sister-tropes.

Compare SympatheticMurderer. See also WellIntentionedExtremist and YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters for more politically-flavored sister-tropes.

** Juan Miranda from ''Film/DuckYouSucker'' is really just a poor man who loves his family and is trying to take care of them. [[spoiler: He is genuinely heartbroken when they're killed by the Mexican army]].