People make mistakes. We should distinguish between those who learn from them and those who are incorrigible. We can’t and shouldn’t - give every one a pass, since for some a life of crime is the only one they know.
I would agree. If a young person can be shown a path to honest, legal, steady if somewhat slow financial succsess as well as the sense of self worth and accomplishment through, say trades or technical schooling as opposed to the live fast/die faster world of the criminal one can possibly turn their life around. It needs to be considered cool again to be “legit” as they say in our society.