But it certainly can and does happen. As long as the human spirit is alive, there will always be hackers. We may have a hell of a fight on our hands if we continue to be imprisoned and victimized for exploring, but that will do anything but stop us. Even if real security is implemented, there will always be new systems, new developments, new vulnerabilities. Hackers are always going to be necessary to the process and we're not easily bored.
Hackers make very bad criminals.
This is why we always wind up being prosecuted. We don't hide very well or keep our mouths sealed shut to protect corporate or government interests. But the same security holes would exist even if we weren't around, so I think the hackers should be properly seen as messengers. Just as you can use hacker ability to attain a life of crime, you can use that ability to become a corporate success. Some are able to hold onto their hacker ideals.