Criminals In Rapture

* See also Security Systems
* See also Rapture Society
* See also Laws_in_Rapture
* See also Persephone - Rapture's combined Jail, Prison, and Insane Asylum
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Gangs of Rapture :
Criminal groups who take advantage of the freedoms in Rapture and operate hidden niches/shadows to avoid adherence to many common laws and societal understandings.   These could be dealt with ( even as Fontaine eventually was ) by mechanisms put in place by Ryan in Rapture ( and operation under the Objectivist Philosophy ).    The citizens themselves would form a comitatus to thwart those who impose injury upon others.   The viewpoint portrayed in the game were biased to try to make Ryan 'the bad guy', when in reality he would have had the support of the vast majority the people in Rapture, who were threatened by Fontaine's exposed criminality or Atlas's murderous disorder.
Corruption - those with responsibilities who were bribed/coerced are frequently affiliated with gangs and organized crime.  Public disclosure of those corrupting the system leads to subsequent removal of those individuals from their responsibility ( and restitution made where possible ).  There was a reason there were many Newspapers in Rapture - it is part of their job ( their importance for their existence within Ryan's society ) to bring such criminal things to light, so that the community can act.
Young adults/adolescents with contrary behavior are often manipulated/used by others (adults) for their own criminal gain.
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There are always malcontents who rebel against the establishment and authority - or just from a mundane life.   In Rapture people were given freedom as long as they did not impose on others. -- Protest, but don't block the streets, do stupid things and get yourself killed, but don't endanger others.  
Such freedom is not an excuse for the lazy to sponge off of those who work.  ("Those who don't work, don't eat" - Thessalonians 3:10  AND John Smith at Jamestown Colony during the "Starving Time"). Everything has a cost, and those wanting/demanding something for free.  In Rapture, which was founded to be against such parasites behavior, it could get pretty tough for those with parasitic leanings if they got militant and tried to force their way.   
If someone wants something done, they would have to do it themselves (and/or get like-minded people to assist them).  One would hope many with the inclination to be lazy would have been left behind to afflict the Surface World, but it was a broad net that brought many diverse people to Rapture, and many like Sofia Lamb were capable of hiding their true designs and inclinations.  Others might change after they arrived, as 1946-1958 was long enough for some citizens to change their old behaviors.
Rich people who think themselves above the common social contract - who still employ many of The Surface World's ways, who operate using resources previously gathered before Rapture - after a short run they may find themselves in the same boat as everyone else, if they wasted their money and resources.
People from other parts of the World did not necessarily operate like America's society (and even a subset of Americans would be the same).   "Get away with whatever you can get away with" for people who had lived in a society where Corruption was the rule.   If they abused others THAT was against the law in Rapture.
The gangs would have existed before the 'civil war', but were kept under control my the methods mentioned. Gangs could continue to exist after that change, taking advantage of the disorder, and eventually surviving because of their ability to form small cooperative groups and being predisposed to methods others might not easily embrace.
After Order broke down, such gang/criminal groups might continue to operate. With Society's rules breaking down, they might find themselves with much more competition from ordinary citizens driven to ruthlessness/strong-measures to survive (gangsters who easily took advantage of Society's protections, while abusing their freedom, would find the 'game' changed).   Chaos and Bad Times can be an opportunity for some and the ruin for others.
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