Twisted morality

So, what causes people to think robbers and violent criminals should have equal rights as other citizens?

Empathy, Reality, Humanity.

The line (of morality and ethics) between robbers and violent criminals and "law abiding citizen" is ultra thin. Heroes of the history often turn out to be the worst people obviously capabile of the most henious acts. The most violent criminals are usually normal people who just one day "snap".

There's no such thing as someone who is a genetic criminal due to the fact that it takes a certain amount of social conditioning to bring someone to that point. People will always be bad because society is inherantly bad. (But nessacary and also, often good).

In other words: It's complicated. Very complicated. And not only does this answer not do it justice, but I suspect your view on the issue is intellectual immature by virtue of the fact that you'd asked such a loaded question to begin with.