Arson Motives

2. Introduction

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 53 percent of arrests for arson are children under the age of 18 Children between the ages of 13 and 17 usually set fires to vacant buildings. (George Kuhn. 2004). Fire setters tend to be young males ages 15 to 25 who will exhibit underlying anger and have a history of drug or alcohol abuse. Such persons frequently come from a father-absent or mother-dominated environment. Arson motivations and arsonist types include insurance fraud, sensation, crime concealment, revenge, vandalism, thrill seeking, pyromania, heroic/vanity, and juvenile fire setting. They willful use of fire to destroy property or cause bodily harm, I will be discussing the motives of arson in this essay.

2.1

The revenge arsonist will normally target an individual or place with which the arsonist has a personal connection. These fire setters include jilted lovers, disgruntled employees, or individuals who feel they have been cheated or abused. "Revenge is one of the easiest motives to pick out. Normally, you have incidents leading up to the fire that are pretty well known.

Sensation.Political and terrorist groups are classified as sensation arsonists; the sensation arsonist is well aware of his intentions. "Today, so-called eco-terrorists are targeting lumber companies, commercial livestock facilities (poultry and fur), property developers, ski lodges, and even university facilities engaged in agricultural research with incendiary device attacks."5 These arsonists are ex-tremely unpredictable, are capable of causing serious property damage, and have little regard for the safety of innocent bystanders.

Crime concealment. Individuals may set fires to conceal another crime by destroying physical evidence or to divert attention from another crime. These fires are usually started with materials found at the scene, to destroy as much evidence as

The thrill seeker or vandal fire setter is normally an adolescent. These fires are generally set by a group rather than by an individual. Fires of this nature are usually impulsive. The individuals involved have a tendency to remain at the scene to watch the fire department extinguish the fire.

Heroic/vanity. The hero or vanity arsonist may be a "wannabe" firefighter or police officer or even an actual frustrated career or volunteer firefighter. This person is normally civic-minded but is characteristically immature, inadequate, and an underachiever. This individual sets fires in an attempt to win praise and social recognition for his alertness and heroism.

Juvenile. Juvenile fire setters are often socially inept, come from broken homes, have learning disabilities, and are hyperactive. Juvenile fire setters are prone to a higher than average number of accidents that result in physical injury and display a higher level of risk taking. They will also display defiant, angry behavior; lack emotional depth; and exhibit antisocial behavior.

Extremism - extremist Arson is used to further political, social, or religious causes. These firesetters may work as individuals or as groups. Extremism is broken down into two categories: terrorism and riot or civil disturbance. (ROBERT DISBROW JR.