Green River Serial Killer

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Recommended: 3 theories of deviance and their application

In Green River, Running Red, author Ann Rule describes a killer without remorse, who is the product of both personal and social influences, in effect forcing him to murder women and to continue to do so for over a decade as a fulfillment of his fantasies. When endeavoring to rationalize the causes of such a mind, theories of deviance, when separated into two distinct categories, positivist and constructionism. Positivist theories, such as the general theory of crime, allows for individual's to piece together events in the life of Gary Ridgway, the Green River killer which would undeniably lead him to a twisted sense of reality, combined with sexual fantasies and a tendency to justify perverted acts of murder. Constructionist theories, specifically conflict theory, are able to shed light on the lives and decisions made by the victims, who were all led to such lifestyles through outward sources. In determining the causes and motivations behind both the offender and the victims, theories of deviance leave little to be speculated on when placing blame on either psychological or social factors.

The positivist view of deviance places emphasis on individual's behavior being manipulated by outside forces (Goode, 2007, p. 23). Individual's are unable to contend with these outside forces which are beyond their control. Criminals and other deviants are created through biological defects which were responsible for their behavior, as it was something inherently organic and passed on through birth. The self-control theory of crime was developed by Travis Hirshi and Michael Gottfredson, two famous criminologists. Self-control theory, also known as the General Theory of crime, portrays deviance as stemming from the criminal's lack of ...

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...in Ridgway's actions, which were in a certain way directly his own, albeit formed through his parents lack of direction and action. Ridgway's deviance is not constrained to one aspect of deviant theory, but seemingly draws from both sides, as he has the mental desire to commit crime but in retrospect was formed at an early age to have a disregard for personal well-being. On the other hand, conflict theory helps define the lives of the victims as created solely through the failing of society's boundaries. So while Ridgway's deviant behavior is adequately explained by both theories discussed, the victims are solely the product of outward stimuli which led them down a lifestyle of wretchedness. Gary Ridgway will likely remain as America's most prolific mass murderer and behind his name lies a deviant individual crafted by an influx of problems, both personal and social.

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