CJE 4012 EXAM 2 NOTES

CJE 4012 EXAM 2 NOTES
Ch 6 arson and psychological profiling
• Arson – willful and malicious burning of
property o three components:
 Burning of property
 Incendiary in origin
 Malice involved
• Form and types of arson o organized crime o
insurance/housing fraud o commercial o
residential o psychological
• Arson statistics o see fbi data o see portrait
of an arsonist
O see attributes of serial arsonist
• The arsonist o prior arrest history o location
– 21% lived within blocks and 30% within ½ to
1 mile o motivation – 41% for revenge & 30%
for excitement o note: see dsm information
• Attributes of serial arsonists o menial laborer
o single o male
o Raised by both parents o never married o high school
or less education o previous criminal justice
history/previous arrests for arson o mental disorders
present (eg substance abuse; suicidal ideation)
o Turns self in/confesses or arrested through
investigation o guilty plea o set fires after work hours
o fire set within 2 miles from home o walk to scene
o Live with parents, alone, or in institution o live in
single-family home or apartment o random selection
of site o open entry o use matches/lighter
o Leaves matcher or gas can at scene as well as other
items
• Typologies of firesetters based on motive o
vandalism o excitement o jealousy/revenge
motivation o crime concealment o profit o
would-be-hero o volunteer fireman/fire buf

,• Profile of typical pyromaniac o young age o
male o white
o Iq (range)
o Physical defect present o bedwetting o mental disorders-psychopathy o
obsessive-compulsive disorder o poor education adjustment o harsh and
inconsistent parental discipline o social class (range)
o Socially maladjusted (relationships, sexual interactions)
o Unskilled laborers o feels inadequate
o Introverted o lonely o low self-esteem o defensive o contempt for authority o
crave power and prestige o delinquency history o alcohol use o some have been
suicidal o impulsive
• Pyromaniac’s firesetting experience o types of
fires made quickly; disorganized
o Number of fires – many o false alarms set o time of day – night o selection
of target – random o regard for life – no o type of firesetter – solitary
o Emotional state before – tension and anxiety; physical symptoms; irresistible
impulse
o Arrest – some relieved when arrested
o Confession – confess or admit guilt but without remorse
• Types of arsonists o look at chart in lecture
notes online ch6 arson o vandalism,
excitement, revenge, crime concealment,
profit
O shared characteristics: arrest record, single, not sexually motivated lower
education
• Organized vs disorganized o organized
 Elaborate incendiary devices
 Less physical evidence
 Methodological approach o disorganized
 Materials on hand
 More common accelerants used
 More physical evidence left
• Pyromania as mental illness o pyromania is an
impulse-control disorder not elsewhere
classified
 Deliberate and purposeful fire setting on more than one occasion
 Tension or afective arousal before act

,  Fascination with and attraction to fire
 Pleasure, gratification, or relief when setting fires
 Classified in the dsm 5 (2013) under the disruptive, impulse-control, and
conduct disorders section
 Done for pleasure, interest relief, or other like type motivating factors
 Also rule out other mental disorders
 Usually see comorbidity (other mental disorders are present)  more
than 40% perpetrators are under 18




Chapter 7 profiling serial murders
• Profiling serial murders
• How many victims and perpetrators?
O holmes and homes estimate 100 serial murderers active in the us
o there is much debate over the number of active serial killers o
typology of serial murderers
• Serial murder myths (fox & levin, 2003)
There is an epidemic (multiple problems identifying incidence)
Serial killers are unusual in appearance and lifestyle




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