You don't have agency as a child when the largest chunk of emotional and physical development take place. Parents and environment play a huge role in defining the sense of personal agency and choices a person feels capable of. Increasingly it's being found that mental health issues can be passed down generations[0].
On a personal level, I think what you're saying makes sense and is a good healthy approach to life and maximizing potential by not doing stupid things. It is good to hold yourself to account and those around you as well.
From a social/macro perspective though, I think it's important to look towards the data on things like crime in a scientific and empathetic mindset if we want to build a stronger society and optimize for bringing out the best in people and making sure everyone has a fair shot.
Crime happens for all sort of reasons, probably a non-negligible amount is committed by people channeling the abuse they received as children and their abusers probably never got held to account in any explicit way. Or say you're a young kid raised in Sinaloa without much education, your parents actually poked fun at you for going to school and talked down at the things you learned in the classroom. Around you, not only are the most successful and powerful people narcos, but your economy is defined on the gains from crime. Of course the line blurs, are you a criminal if you join up with the traffickers, are you a coward for not and choosing to do 'honest' work?
If the world is waging war against you and your options while telling you it's your fault for being in the position you are in, maybe you stop thinking like a middle class civilian and more like a soldier on a dead man's mission.
High schoolers are not children. The justice system properly gives a lot of breaks to juvenile delinquents, in recognition of their immature judgement. But that doesn't mean they aren't responsible for their choices. I remember being that age, and I clearly made choices.
> choices a person feels capable of
When people say they had "no choice" they are making excuses.
> raised in Sinaloa
I'm talking about America. I don't buy that Americans are forced into crime, taking drugs, and dropping out.
You're missing the point if you think it's about people being forced. It's more like people being set up to fail or being in an environment that increases the exposure to crime, drugs and where dropping out isn't taken as seriously.
