Biological Criminal Behavior

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Recommended: Essay Annotated Bibliography Criminal and Non-Criminal Psychopathy

When we look at how fragile each one of our lives are, we need to take a minute and realize the different characteristics that form us into who we are today. Studies have shown that there are characteristics within the behavior of an individual that can be linked to the specific behaviors demonstrated by an offender that would classify them as a psychopath. Along with other research that looks into an individual’s genetics to see if that plays a role in defining or making a psychopath. John Allen Muhammad, also known as the D.C. sniper, was labeled as a psychopath when he terrorized D.C. for two weeks, taking thirteen victims and killing ten of them. This paper will go over the behaviors that constitute psychopathy, and the behaviors that indicate psychopathic individuals such as John himself. It will also go over John’s life history of what caused him to commit these acts of violence.
Behaviors that Constitute Psychopathy
There have been many studies on what behaviors constitute psychopathy. Various Studies have shown that an individual’s behavior must include actions such as hostility to animals or people, ruin to possessions, dishonesty or larceny, and grave violations of rules, as well as a clinically defined impairment of an individual’s social, educational, or employment-related purposes. In order for an individual to be found to be presenting such a disorder, he or she must present with a minimum of at least one of the previous mention behaviors in the past six months, or three plus in a twelve-month timeframe (Mueller III, 2012). Individuals present with psychopathic propensity or psychopathy have a tendency to have a decreased aptitude to name apprehensive facial expressions and a frightened vocal change. An out of...

... middle of paper ...

...apology to the families of the victims he killed. He showed no remorse for his actions.

Works Cited

Psychopathy: A Misunderstood Personality Disorder. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/psychopathy-a-misunderstood-personality-disorder.html
Mueller III, R. S. (2012, July). Psychopathy. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 81(7), 36

John allen muhammad biography. (1996-2013). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/john-allen-nuhammad-236029?page=1
John allen Muhammad.(n.d.). Retrieved from: http://www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death/US/muhammad1181.htm
Meserve, J. (2009). Sniper John Allen Muhammad executed. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/11/10/virginia.sniper.execution/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
Serial murder. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gove/stats-services/publications/serial-murder

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