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Criminal behaviour biological and psychological
Criminal behaviour biological and psychological
Criminal behaviour biological and psychological
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The path that leads people to become serial killers is unexplainable. There have been countless attempts to track a potential serial killer before they wreak havoc. Sometimes people just grow up to be one or a tragic childhood could have prompted them to become a serial killer. Arthur Shawcross was born on June 6,1945 and has earned the nickname “The Genesee River Killer”. He has shown signs of compulsive lying disorder and has some quirky ways of slaughtering his victims. The childhood of Arthur Shawcross is very one-sided we only know how it is according to Mr. Shawcross. He has stated that he has had an extremely turbulent childhood. During his childhood, he was bed-wetting and being a bully which are some warning signs for behavioral …show more content…
He was an introvert and kept himself withdrawn from others. His classmates that he had would call him “oddie” because of the inwardness that he exhibited at school. “He was never a good student failing both behaviorally and academically during his short time at school. He would often miss classes, and when he was there, he regularly misbehaved and had the reputation of being a bully and picking fights with other students. Shawcross dropped out of school after failing to pass the ninth grade. He was 16 years old. Over the next few years, his violent behavior intensified, and he was suspected of arson and burglary. He was placed on probation in 1963 for breaking the window of a store” (Montaldo,2017). I believe the bullying and dropping out of school after the ninth grade are contributing factors on him being a violent …show more content…
There is no reason for why he killed the people he did but I speculate the reason he did the killings were for his low IQ and just because he wanted to do it. Nobody in this world can speculate who the next serial killer is or how these serial killers come. If I take out all the fabricated lies from Arthur Shawcross we get to understand that this man was normal or better yet did not have a hard childhood. Sometimes this is the indicator for somebody who can potentially be at risk for being a serial killer. For our guy, at least this is not the case something had to happen for him to spurt off into countless
... of the theories listed attempt to explain why Kody Scott acted the way he did when he was a young man. The central theme in all of them is that he was not in an environment that taught him to live what is considered a normal life. The people he was surrounded by and who had the most influence on him were the ones who taught him to be the way he was and act the way he did. If he had lived in a different city, or had different role models growing up, then maybe he would not have been led into a life of crime. Unfortunately however, he was surrounded by poor circumstances and was forced to do whatever he could in order to survive.
Organized serial killers plan out their murders so well that the crime scene has little to no evidence to incriminate them. Disorganized serial killers are the complete opposite because their crimes are usually spontaneous and their crime scenes are always filled with evidence. Shawcross would be a perfect example of an organized killer because all of his murders were calculated carefully. In the article, Serial Killers: Organization or Disorganization Changes Over Time, researchers found both organized and disorganized elements in all of the twenty-two crime scenes they studied (Boschken, 2016). When serial killers leave organized and disorganized elements at a crime scene it makes it harder for investigators to find the offender. Some killers are either organized or disorganized but a few serial killers switch from organized to disorganize over time. Ted Bundy is a perfect example of an organized killer that became a disorganized
It’s not that uncommon for people to kill each other, and it happens every day. What is not common, is for someone to kill for no apparent reason. Typically there has to be some sort of benefit behind the murder. Whether that may be to get that out of their way for some reason, or to get something that they want. This article was meant to show resemblance between serial killers and your average everyday murderers. He brings up serial killer Lou Ford as an example of someone who acts as if they are normal, yet deep inside are very dangerous minded. Instead of using his physical attributes to murder people, he satisfies his needs by psychologically tormenting people. He does this as long as he possibly can, but there is only so much they can take of
Robert Lee Yates is an American serial killer and he is from Spokane, Washington. He is also known as the Spokane serial killer. He was born May 27th, 1952. Yates is known to have murdered at least 13 women who were prostitutes working on Spokane’s skid row. After being convicted, Yates additionally admitted to two homicides that he did commit in Walla Walla, Washington in 1975 and a 1988 homicide that he committed in Skagit County, Washington. In 2002, Yates was indicted for murdering two women in Pierce County, Washington. He is currently serving his sentence on death row at Washington State Penitentiary.
To better understand the case of Gary Ridgway it is important to comprehend a bit more about serial killers in general. Serial murders are extremely heinous crimes that are known to draw in the attention of the public. Serial murder is “the killing of three or more people over a period of more than 30 days, with a significant cooling-off period” (Knight). There have been numerous studies done by researchers to try and determine what exactly makes up the mind of a serial killer to lead them to do such things. They have theorized that it may be linked to aspects that are biological, neurological, or sociological; however none of them can be pinpointed as the actual cause (Knight). What theorists have concluded is that it most likely is not just one of those aspects, but a combination of them all as well physiological, psychological, and environmental elements (Knight).
Even though through research we have found the traits, and reasons why serial killers like to kill there is still much to be learned about them. As years go on so will the research on serial killers and hopefully we as a society will fully understand them and one day be able cure whatever inside that makes them have the urge to kill.
An analysis of the most famous murderers and serial killers in the Chicago area shows varying degrees of psychopathy or mental illnesses, which ultimately contribute to homicidal conduct. Analysis also shows that the paths of serial killers have a tendency to converge.... ... middle of paper ... ...
A serial killer is traditionally defined as the separate killings of three or more people by an individual over a certain period of time, usually with breaks between the murders. (Angela Pilson, p. 2, 2011) This definition has been accepted by both the police and academics and therefore provides a useful frame of reference (Kevin Haggerty, p.1, 2009). The paper will seek to provide the readers with an explanation of how serial killers came to be and how they are portrayed in the media. Several serial killers have a definitive and common personality profile.
...theorize that serial killers have brain damage or other biological abnormalities that contribute to their actions. Damage to areas like the frontal lobe, the hypothalamus and the limbic system can contribute to extreme aggression, loss of control, loss of judgment and violence. Henry Lee Lucas, who was convicted of 11 murders, was shown to have extreme brain damage in these areas, probably the result of childhood abuse, malnutrition and alcoholism. Arthur Shawcross, another 11-time serial killer, was found to have had several brain injuries, including two skull fractures. While in prison, he suffered from headaches and often blacked out. Bobby Joe Long, convicted of nine murders, stated at one point, "After I'm dead, they're going to open up my head and find that just like we've been saying a part of my brain is black and dry and dead" [source: Scott].
Serial killers have many frightening facets. The most frightening thing about them is that experts still do not know what makes a human become a serial killer. Many experts believe serial killers become what they are because they have a genetic disposition or brain abnormality while other experts believe that a serial killer is created by childhood abuse; and some other experts believe that it is a combination of both brain abnormalities and abusive childhood experiences that creates a serial killer. A murderer is considered a serial killer when they “murder three or more persons in at least three separate events with a “cooling off period” between kills” (Mitchell and Aamodt 40). When defining a serial killer, their background, genes, and brain are not mentioned; perhaps one day those aspects of the serial killer can be included.
There are numerous categories and classifications of crimes committed. Some classifications are based on the type of crime committed while some are some are classified by the perpetrator’s motivation in committing the crime. The serial killer behavioral patterns discussed in class are: visionary, mission based, hedonistic and power/control. While Shawcross’ murders centralized around prostitutes and could initially be classified as mission based, I believe that he was a hedonistic lust serial killer. He derived “sexual gratification from killing and who often establish a pattern, such as the manner in which they kill or the types of victims they select, such as prostitutes, children, or the elderly (Hickey 35).” Although evidence wasn’t found that Shawcross sexually penetrated his victims, the mutilation he performed on them had a definite sexual component that escalated in nature as he continued to kill. He bit one woman’s genital area, cut off another’s breasts, sodomized another and with June Stott, cut her from the top of the chest between her br...
So what makes a serial killer? Levin points out that contrary to popular belief, serial killers don't just 'snap'; or 'go crazy'; (Douglas, p. 137). Many of the serial killers have been the victims of childhood abuse. Jack Levin stated 'Research shows many serial killers suffered abuse, incest or neglect as children and develop poor self images'; (Douglas, p. 137). Serial killers often have a childhood marked by the absence of any nurturing relationship. 'They often come from families where the parents were absent or ineffective, where authority was not defined, and where they could engage in destructive behavior undeterred-violent play, cruelty to animals, and incidents of arson being some of the childhood behavior patterns noted among many serial killers'; (Clark, p. 206).
Serial killers are everywhere! Well, perhaps not in our neighborhood, but on our television screens, at the movie theaters, and in rows and rows of books at our local Borders or Barnes and Nobles Booksellers” (Brown). When people think of serial killers, names such as Dahmer, Gacy, Bundy, and Gein are cited. During the time Jack the Ripper was executing his victims in London, Holmes began his gruesome career in Chicago (America’s Serial Killers). “Despite being America’s first serial killer, Holmes is hardly a familiar name and until now we haven’t had any popular visual record of his crimes: (Spikol). Why is it that people only think of the more popular killers with higher known profiles? They are all very similar to one another because they share characteristics. H.H. Holmes was a successful serial killer because he was well educated, cunning and charming. Those are just a few traits Holmes ...
Bandura believed that individual learn by observing others and their environment (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). He believed in the effect of modeling (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). Antwone did not have any positive influences on his childhood. He was born in a correctional facility. Not only was his father killed, but his mother was in prison. As a result, he was raised in a foster home. His foster mother was Ms. Tate. She was verbally and physically abusive. Her daughter also made a negative impact on his life. Her daughter molested Antwone. Bandura could have related his current behavior to what he had witnessed as a child. According to the some of the research that was done by Bandura, children that witnesses aggressive behavior also displayed aggressive behavior (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). This is apparent in the life of Antwone Fisher. He was always getting in physical altercations.
There have been many serial killer cases that have attracted the attention of not only the media but of mental health experts as well. Many experts from a variety of different fields have come together to answer one question: Why did they do it? It is believed that most, if not all, serial killers have a mental illness, motives, and/or trauma during their lives that made them start killing. Serial killers are not only the effect of nurture but also nature. The environment of their country, the United States is our focus, can cause the number of serial killers to increase especially if the country itself is unstable.