Evil Lives Here - General Observation

I'm 8 seasons into this show and I've noticed a consistent pattern that really bothers me:

A lot of the kids who grow up to be killers come across as Neurodivergent/kids on spectrum who were abused. It sucks that back then, for the stories being told, information wasn't what it is now, especially in terms of accessibility.

And some of the parents don't think what they did was abuse, which bothers me most. They'll say things like "he misbehaved so we punished him by spanking, paddling and whipping him with the belt" and then in the same breath say "I don't understand why he always chose violence and went around hitting and hurting other people." ....as if punishment didn't teach them that hitting is perfectly normal and acceptable. And that if someone "wrongs" them, they should punish them. They should make them hurt for it.

I could go on forever because finding the need/undeveloped skill behind kids' behaviour is big for me - but some of these episodes are so hard to stomach in so many ways. I'm not excusing or justifying their actions - but these kids were failed and I wish more parents understood child development on more than a basic surface level because you are quite literally raising another human being whose behavior will have a massive ripple effect.. and what could BE more important than helping that child feel safe and thrive? Lots of nuance there, but something I think deeply about while watching this show.