The Devastating Effects of Arson

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Arson is “any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, [or] personal property of another” (Bartol & Bartol, 2011. P 463). Arson comes in many forms – juveniles vandalizing property, businesses trying to collect insurance money, and murderers covering up their crimes are just a few of the examples arson investigators deal with. The reasons why arson is committed and the psychology behind arson are as diverse as the crime itself. There is no one perfect psychological profile of an arsonist. Young, old, educated, illiterate, sane, insane, rich and poor all can become arsonists. With such a wide range of suspect characteristics, investigating arson is not an easy job, and it becomes more difficult with the knowledge that much evidence can be destroyed in arson.

Who commits arson? According to some studies between 75 and 85 percent of all arsons are set by males (Bartol & Bartol). According to the UCR, of all the arsons committed in 2009, individuals under the age of 18 committed 34.7% of those where arrests were made and the cases were cleared. Juveniles are most likely to set arsons for the reasons of vandalism, excitement or to seek attention (Douglas, et al, 2006). Those juveniles who continue to commit arson into adulthood were often punished by fire or heat as a child, and may see fire as an acceptable form of retaliation (Bartol & Bartol).

Adults more than likely most frequently set fires for monetary gain – such as insurance fraud but other reasons also abound (Bartol & Bartol). Revenge, vandalism, crime concealment or diversion, intimidation, terrorism, and sabotage are all reasons why fires are set. Many of th...

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.... Retrieved from http://cumming.patch.com/articles/jill-smith-accused-of-killing-husband-a-no-show-in-court

Komarnitsky, S. J. (2008, December 16). Accelerant poured around Palin's church. Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved from http://www.adn.com/2008/12/15/ 623876/accelerant-poured-around-palins.html

LeDuc, V. E. (2005, September 12). "Serial arsonist" Thomas Sweatt sentenced to life in prison for setting 45 residential fires in Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia: Fires resulted in two deaths [Press release]. Retrieved Sept 24th, 2011, from US Department of Justice website: http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/Public-Affairs/press_releases/press05/SweattSentencePR.pdf

Scarborough, S. (2006, December 22). Killer tried to use arson to cover up 1993 slaying. Arizona Central. Retrieved from http://www.azcentral.com/specials/ special14/articles/1222coldcase1222.html

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