Clifford MarshDeviance and Violence (CJ 266)

CJ 266: Unit 9 Seminar

Serial Murderers – Concluding Issues

Deviance & Violence Deviance: actions or behaviors that violate

cultural norms including formally-enacted rules (e.g., crime) as well as informal violations of social norms

Violence: is the use of physical force to apply a state to others contrary to their wishes; The word violence covers a broad spectrum. It can vary from a physical altercation between two beings to war and genocide where millions may die as a result.

Interviewing Serial Killers One of the biggest problems in studying serial

killers is access to meaningful data.

Issues to consider Low base rate behavior so can’t study in aggregate Information (and researcher perception) influenced by

media and pop culture View of serial killer researchers as if they were similar to

“groupies” Offender “gaming” Difficulty in determining the personal meaning of

behavior for offender

Hickey’s Suggestions for Interviewing/Studying Serial Killers

Maintain Objectivity

Acknowledge other perspectives

Recognize more important to ask the right questions than to acquire quick answers

Serial Murder Across Cultures Studying serial murder across cultures is difficult due to a

number of factors:

Different definitions across cultures

Cultural differences influence manifestation of behavior, methods, motives

Profiles from the United States often differ from serial killer profiles elsewhere

Serial Murder Across Cultures What we know about serial murder across culture:

Serial murderer is a global phenomenon Serial killers, regardless of where they are from, tend to report abusive

backgrounds Serial murders in other cultures (Germany, Japan) tend be more “place-

specific” and US serial killers more mobile In US and around world most serial killers target stranger victims Many countries identify “super killers” but difficult to verify actual

numbers Other countries have identified a greater number of female serial

killers than the US however as in the case in the US, most are not identified as sexual homicide offenders

Team killers more common in US Non US serial killers rarely use firearms Although psychopathy (and antisocial personality disorder) is a cross-

cultural phenomenon, its definition, diagnosis, and manifestation differs across culture

In studying serial murder across cultures, it is important to keep in mind unique features of culture that can influence understanding and identification of serial murder (e.g., Multi murder in South Africa)

Profiling, Apprehension, and Disposition of Serial Killers Profiling is not yet a science and is so broad in terms of the

different methods and approaches

Profiling has potential to generate false leads and false conviction

Investigating serial murder is fraught with problems: Media Management of resources Jurisdictional Issues Complexity of Cases False Confessions Copycat crime Politics

Final Paper: 3-4 pages minimum Must have Part I and Part II All facts must be cited; meaning, all

factually-based sentences must have an in-text citation

All in-text citations are then correlated with an entry on the alphabetized Reference page

APA audio tutorial: http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/

Final Paper: Part I There are many theories regarding the

social construction of serial killers. Discuss the difference in social structure, social class, social process, neutralization, social control and labeling theories as they relate to serial killers. In your own words, provide some examples of each. (1000 words)

Final Paper: Part I Excellent Resources http://www.deviantcrimes.com/serialmurd

er_sociallearning.htm

http://pediaview.com/openpedia/Social_control_theory

http://forensicpsych.umwblogs.org/psychological-theories/psychological-theories-2/the-labeling-theory/

So, with Part I… Take one or two theories and differentiate

the differences between the two theories and how they explain serial killer. You will need to research the theory and then I want you to explain the two theories and the similarities/differences between the two theories in how YOU WOULD EXPLAIN this phenomenon of serial killers.

Final Paper: Part II Serial murder requires both a reactive and

proactive investigative approach. Discuss both the reactive and proactive approaches in depth. Identify sources of information (such as databases) and how these are important in each approach from an investigative point of view. Support your position with facts gathered from outside sources.

Proactive & Reactive Investigative Tools

Criminal investigations can be either reactive or proactive:

Reactive: where the police respond to a crime that has already occurred

Proactive: where the investigation may go on before and during the commission of the offense.

Part II: Excellent Resources http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/previous

%20series/proceedings/1-27/~/media/publications/proceedings/17/halloran_et_al.pdf

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/law/hamlyn/police.htm

http://us.cj-worldnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=100:investigation-into-serial-murder-proactive-and-reactive-approaches&catid=1:criminology&Itemid=3

So, with Part II… Now that you know the difference between

reactive and proactive investigative tools, I want you to explain your understanding of these two investigative tools and how they would be applicable towards solving serial murderers. Like Part I, you are stating your hypothesis based upon research. I want to know what YOU THINK.

Again, all final papers must… Be 3-4 pages minimum, double-spaced, using a

font of 12 in Times New Roman

Must have in-text citations to support all factually-based sentences.

Must have a Reference page to support all in-text citations.

You must have in-text citations and a Reference page—no ifs, ands, buts…

To Catch A Serial Killer

Click on this link or copy/paste the following link into a new browser (Appx. 40 minutes):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Es1vZOe5s64