Either people are responsible for their actions, or they are not.
If they are not, they have no claim on liberty.
You've just described the theories put forth by the philosopher B.F. Skinner
I don't ascribe to his theories, but they are compelling nevertheless. His novel "Walden Two" is a good read.
While Skinner may have enunciated the equation, as it were, attributing it to him as a “theory” is like claiming Ben Franklin invented electricity.
It is actually an identity statement.
The whole of humanity’s claim on liberty as a right as opposed to a desire is the postulate that mankind is the master of his actions.