My client Dexter Morgan, in his early 30’s, Caucasian, is currently an expert blood splatter forensic analysis at the Metro Miami Police Department in Florida from the TV series, Dexter. At the very young age of three, Dexter was adopted by Harry Morgan who also worked as a police officer. Dexter was told that his biological parents died in a terrible car accident. Growing up, he hears voices from a “dark passenger” that urges him to kill. He has a history of killing neighbor’s animals and claims that animals have never liked him. Upon learning that, Harry teaches Dexter to control his urges to kill by channeling it to those who deserves it. Dexter frequently refers this to “Harry’s code”. The first code is that someone deserves it if there is absolute evidence that the criminals were guilty of murder. The second code Dexter must abide by is to make sure he hides all evidence to prevent getting caught by the justice system. These moral codes stuck with Dexter throughout adulthood. When he’s not analyzing blood data or spending the time with his girlfriend Rita, Rita’s daughter and son, or his sister Debra, he’s planning and executing his plan to kill other serial killers. Dexter has specific method and a ritual routine every time he kills someone. After conclusive evidences that a person is guilty of killing an innocent person or persons, Dexter preys on his target and uses an animal tranquiller (authorized by the police department) to put his target to sleep. He then transport them to a different area where it has special meaning to the target, target’s room where he does his serious criminal works or at the car shop of a whole gang. While the target is still asleep, Dexter prepares the room by covering every inch with plastic ... ... middle of paper ... ...self and learn to express himself openly to the people he loves. Researches have been done on these types of theories and treatments. Using Cognitive Theory and the different steps to revisit Dexter’s traumatic experience will decrease his symptoms and negative responses to flashbacks. It has be proven that Cognitive Theory is the most effective to those who have PTSD or experienced a horrible event in their life. Attachment Theory proves that the attachment starts from new-born and carry on with them through adulthood. If Dexter can find closure in his past history, there is a better chance that he will feel real emotions. The hardest step to changing his behavior is to visit the clinics often and practice changing his beliefs. But it will be very beneficial to Dexter sharing his secrets to a trustworthy psychologist instead of keeping it all a secret to himself.
The first five chapters of The Collapse of American Criminal Justice by William Stuntz discusses the history of the criminal justice, and it’s flaws as well. He goes in details how things work, and of course the collapse of the system. Stuntz seems to believe although their has been improvements in the constitution, it’s still not perfect. He also suggests some of the things that need to be change.
The criminal justice system has been evolving since the first colonists came to America. At first, the colonists used a criminal justice system that mirrored those in England, France, and Holland. Slowly the French and Dutch influences faded away leaving what was considered the English common law system. The common law system was nothing more than a set of rules used to solve problems within the communities. This system was not based on laws or codes, but simply that of previous decisions handed down by judges. Although rudimentary, this common law system did make the distinction between misdemeanors and the more serious crimes known as felonies.
I chose to analyze the case of Ted Bundy because when I was in high school I saw the movie Ted Bundy. At the time that I watched this movie I was already interested in going to college and majoring in psychology. I wanted to know why people do the things they do. Going into this subject I find everything about Ted Bundy’s case intriguing. Throughout the course of this class I have learned so many theories and risk factors that explain why criminals do the things they do. I feel like writing about Ted Bundy and doing research on his case could benefit my future career in psychology by gaining knowledge in the field of criminology and all types of risk factors. This could make it easier for me to spot out what kind of risk factors are found in the younger generation. I want help avoid any risk factors that may cause adolescents to turn to criminal behavior. My goal in the future is to obtain a degree in psychology because I have always had a passion to help people that cannot help themselves. I want people to realize that everything starts with our thought processing and what we think, and what we observe repeatedly, we eventually become; watching family, friends, TV, listening to music we all learn from these things, if we watch for so long it is possible that these things could become a part of our character. Our minds are so powerful that if we can start by learning how to control our thought process, we can control the way we behave. Within the scope of this essay I have chosen two theories that I believe could provide us with insight in the mind of Ted Bundy.
In many cases, serial killers began their lives as remotely normal human beings. Most, however, have detectable characteristics of murderers before they hit puberty. Otis O’toole, for example, started a neighbourhood fire when he was six. George Adorno was even younger when he first displayed his pyromaniac tendencies by setting fire to his own sister when he was four. Along with pyromaniac behavior, other often-cited warning signs are enuresis (bed-wetting) and cruelty toward animals. Often, serial murderers are abused physically, psychologically, and sexually as children, sometimes from a stranger, but in most cases from a trusted family member or friend. Typically, they come from broken families, usually...
The case of whether serial killers are born with the lust to kill or if they are truly victims of their environment has been a hot debated question by both psychologists and the FBI today. A serial killer is traditionally defined as one that kills 3 or more people at different times with “cooling off” periods in between kills. Both psychological abuse as a child and psychological disorders are to blame for the making of a killer. The nature vs. nurture debate is best applied to the mysterious behaviors and cases of serial killers and their upbringing and environment. Nature is the genetic and biological connections a person has, personality traits, and how genetic make-up all relates to a killer. Nurture is examining the upbringing and environment that a person is around that affects what a person becomes. In some cases however, the effects of only upbringing or only biological problems were the reasons certain serial killers committed crimes. Although there is no definitive answer to what plays the bigger role: nature or nurture, they both are contributing factors that make a serial killer. These deviants of society are afflicted with problems in either their upbringing or have psychological disorders, and are able to blend into our everyday lives with no apparent differences, yet they wreck havoc through their unremorseful killings.
Due to crime-inspired shows that air on television, fascination with serial killers presents itself more and more. People want to learn what makes a person break to the point of taking another’s life. Some suggest that killing releases a sexual desire, while others suggest that revenge may be the motive. A serial killer has the stereotypical look of a white male who tends to act socially awkward, not easily approachable, and possesses a mental illness. While the accuracy of this look tends to be true occasionally, the majority of the time a serial killer looks no different than anyone else and appears rather social. Some experts believe that a serial killer has codes in his DNA which causes him to kill; nonetheless, other experts believe environmental
Serial killers have long eluded law enforcement while simultaneously grabbing the attention of the public, and now more than ever, criminal psychologists are beginning to understand what makes a serial killer. In his true-crime documentary, In Cold Blood, Truman Capote depicts the horrifying murders of four members of the Clutter family and the search to find the criminals responsible for the deaths. Eventually, two killers are caught, one being Perry Smith, a detached and emotionless man. And although his carnage of the Clutters labeled him a mass murderer, many of Perry’s personality traits are characteristic of a serial killer. In fact, if detectives had not caught him, Perry could have easily become a serial killer.
Beasley, James. 2004. “Serial Murder in America: Case Studies of Seven Offenders.” Behavioral Sciences and the Law 22: 395-414
In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay presents Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who kills only criminals, and in doing so, generates controversy about what constitutes morally justifiable behaviour. Lindsay’s protagonist blurs the lines between right and wrong, exposes the inherent flaws of justice systems, and ultimately forces the reader to evaluate his or her principles. While many North Americans believe that murder is unquestionably evil, I disagree on the basis that this stance overlooks the need to take into account the circumstances of the situation—such as who the victim is, who has committed the murder, and why he or she has done so—which are crucial factors in passing moral judgement on an offender’s actions. I argue that Dexter is correct to channel his sociopathy into something positive—disposing of individuals who have committed atrocious crimes in a vigilante fashion—because North American justice systems are incredibly flawed, as they allow heinous criminals to walk free too often due to prevailing social biases, systematic loopholes, and lack of manpower. Dexter compensates for this defect because, unlike justice systems, he eliminates criminals without prejudice towards the offender or the victim, operates on a straightforward basis free of political rigmarole, and achieves results in an efficient fashion, all of which make North American society a safer place, save lives of would-be victims, and spare their families mental anguish. Ultimately, this reveals that the line between what is right and wrong is not as clear as one might initially think, as well as the troubling notion that North American institutional structures are in need of reconstruction if readers are more confident in justice delivered by a ...
This paper explores three criminological theories as to why Jeffrey Dahmer committed his crimes. Although these approaches vary in terms of defining the cause of crime, one thing is certain, there is no single cause of crime; the crime is rooted in a diversity of causes and takes a variety of forms depending on the situation in which the crimes occur. However, the published articles vary in their definitions and uses of Criminological Theory. Rawlins (2005) suggest that the criminal phenomenon is too complex to be explained by a single theory. Other theories suggest differently and; therefore, have varying explanations. This paper examines the Psychological, Biochemical, and Social Process theories to slightly explain Jeffrey Dahmer’s actions.
One such approach would be hypnotherapeutic techniques. This technique’s efficacy has not been decided by psychologists because this technique has “only recently been empirically studied,” (O'toole, S. K., Solomon, S. L., & Bergdahl, S. A., 2016). Hypnosis has shown to be effective in case studies involving Vietnam and Korean War veterans with PTSD, however they are “less compelling”. The study with hypnosis was shown to have a decrease in PTSD symptoms after treatment. Avoidance was shown to decrease drastically which would be helpful with Sandor Clegane’s symptoms (O'toole, S. K., Solomon, S. L., & Bergdahl, S. A.,
Criminologist are constantly evolving and trying to figure out why certain individuals commit crimes and why others do not. These types of questions among others have led several criminologists to conduct endless research and studies that have led to the creation of various theories. These theories try to explain why or what causes an individual to offend by studying their environment, behavior, and other circumstances. That may cause an individual to offend either by committing property crimes such as robbery, arson, forgery, etc. or personal crimes like assault, battery, or homicide (Shoener, 2016). In this case analysis I will be addressing a famous criminal by the name of Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald is famously known for killing the 45th
The definition of justice and the means by which it must be distributed differ depending on an individual’s background, culture, and own personal morals. As a country of many individualistic citizens, the United States has always tried its best to protect, but not coddle, its people in this area. Therefore, the criminal justice history of the United States is quite extensive and diverse; with each introduction of a new era, more modern technologies and ideals are incorporated into government, all with American citizens’ best interests in mind.
With this treatment we need to help Norman Bates improve his relationships to improve his feelings of comfort in openly expressing the events and incidents that occurred in his past, for example: the death of his father, emotion abuse from his mother, ect. With psychotherapy if is very important to not overwhelm the patient causing an anxiety attack and risk the fallback of the emotions overtaking and causing a draw back in the treatment and having the patient relive the traumatic experiences in a negative way. Norman needs a support group to help with finding alternate techniques in coping with the memory lapse to achieve a calming coexistence with his multiple personalities instead of trying to fit them into one identity state. The goal of psychotherapy is reintegration, but sometimes it leads the individual with dissociative identity disorder to feel as if they need to completely erase or “kill” the other parts of their personalities. Another form of treatment that has been found to enhance the process and healing of the information would be eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). This is a treatment that integrates the past traumatic memories with Norman Bate’s own current
There are many different aspects of criminal justice policy. One in particular is the different theories of crime and how they affect the criminal justice system. The Classical School of criminology is a theory about evolving from a capital punishment type of view to more humane ways of punishing people. Positivist criminology is maintaining the control of human behavior and criminal behavior. They did this through three different categories of Biological studies, which are five methodologies of crime that were mainly focused on biological theories, Psychological theories, which contains four separate theories, and the Sociological theories, which also includes four different methods of explaining why crime exists. The last theory is about Critical criminology. Their goal was to transform society in a way that would liberate and empower subordinate groups of individuals.