Guilt doesn't stop crimes. Or poor education. Or force. Or violence. Or bad attitudes. Or much.
The majority of things happen because there is a force driving it. Rage, passion, anger, need, hunger, hopelessness, depression, etc. Guilt is something that happens as a result. A result can't change the event. Event then result. It can however, influence future events. But then, that depends on the level of guilt. And believe plays an important role too.
Take a school student who is feeling guilty about failing an exam.
Actually, two.
1. The student feels guilty, but knows he could do better. So he studies more and gets a better grade on the next one.
2. The student feels guilty, but has been raised to believe he's stupid. With no hope, he doesn't study more and doesn't get a better grade on the next one.
I see it time and time again around me. It's expectations. And not "Do this or I'll get mad at you" expectations. I mean genuine disappointment because you actually expected better. So it's a lot more then just guilt.