We're talking about don't, not can't.

If you can't read then somewhere along the line someone has failed you miserably and going down a criminal path isn't exactly a shocker.

As for OP,

There's a great irony in talking about having empathy with fictional characters and failing to understand actual human beings when it comes to whether or not they read.

I'd hate to meet mathematicians who look down on me for not being able to see the world in a more mathematical way, and I do try not to look down on others who don't have very analytical minds, everyone are wired differently.

I try in vain to get everyone around me to read, buying them Kindles and filling it with books won't do a thing. It's no different than trying to force feed something good into someone who isn't receptive to it. We're simply not qualified to do the job. But lets speak about people who are.

George R.R. Martin and J.K. Rowling have turn millions of people into lifelong readers, not just through their books but through the films or the shows - which are made by extremely talented people who have skills and vision that the authors themselves even lack. So in a sense, even these writers aren't qualified to convince, but people who work for HBO sure are. Without these excellent adaptations many people will never begin to learn to love reading. They have now become readers all of a sudden, and trustworthy, through what? Happenstance? That's silly.

You wouldn't believe how many new readers have become rabid fans of the Polish author Andrejz Sapkowski, not through his books, not through the film adaptations but through a video game. The Witcher 3 is a landmark video game and it is a brand new way to teach people how to love to read and enjoy source material. Prior to these video games I couldn't even get my hands on English translations (still waiting), and it's all thanks to 'non-readers'.

The fact is people read all the time. It doesn't have to be inside books. I know people who always have a nose in a newspaper/magazines/blogs/etc and are reading all day long, but won't touch a book. They still are getting their enrichment so what's the problem?