Contributing heavily to a criminal's self-esteem is his endlessly building himself up at the expense of others. He cases people out for any sign of vulnerability and then preys upon them. The criminal sniffs out weakness anywhere and ruthlessly takes full advantage. He may approach his "target" through deception, intimidation ("bullying"), or by brute force.

As a new school year begins, bullying must be regarded by educators and parents for what it is -- a manifestation of criminal conduct.

A youth finds what he senses is a weakness in a peer or even in someone he never met before and capitalizes on it. He may pick on a boy or girl with a physical handicap or some other disability. One youngster whom I interviewed had teased unmercifully a boy who had a severe tremor when he tried to raise an ice cream cone to his mouth. Bullying another person by citing his appearance, sexual orientation, mannerisms, or virtually any other feature that sets that youngster apart is what the criminal does habitually.