CJ 725 Forensic Behavior Analysis Blog
The “New Nature” of Terrorism
The topic of terrorism has been on everyone’s minds for some time now, especially since the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. This event caused a great deal of trauma to the United States, officially launching us into the War on Terror and proving that the United States was susceptible to attacks on its own soil. For one of the first times in history, planes were used to launch an international terrorist attack, but a previous terrorist attack that used planes effectively brought international terrorism into the spotlight.
The first of attack of this kind took place in 1972, when members of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September kidnapped and murdered members of the Israeli Olympic team. The members were taken from the Olympic Village in Munich to waiting helicopters. They were then flown to an air base west of the Olympic Village, where the West German police were waiting. Once the aircraft the terrorists required arrived, they inspected it and discovered they were being tricked. A gunfight between the terrorists and the police ensued, killing several police and many of the attackers. The Israeli hostages were all bound together inside the plane, and for the time being they survived. However, one of the surviving terrorists threw a bomb inside the helicopter, killing all but one hostage, and another terrorist shot a gun throughout the inside of the helicopter, killing the last hostage. (cite)
Many scholars claim that this attack was the beginning of “modern terrorism”. It was the first attack to receive widespread television coverage both during and after the attack, and it was the first time that aircraft was used to conduct an attack. I, however, tend to believe that terrorism is cyclical, and that the term "modern terrorism" really means that old practices are reemerging. Suicide bombing is nothing knew, and large, impactful attacks are also not new. Additionally, it is entirely possible that terrorism is “modernized”, but this could have begun at several different points: it could have begun with the 1972 Munich Olympic attacks because of the highly public nature of the event, it could have begun with the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 because, at least to Americans, it was a direct attack on the government, or it could have begun with another event.
One way in which terrorism is definitely modernized is through recruitment. Due the prevalence of social media, terrorists are able to recruit over long distances and they have greater access to susceptible individuals. Using social media as a recruitment tool is rather ingenious because it allows leaders to target disenchanted individuals and use them as pawns in their plans. Additionally, if Middle Eastern terrorists target westerners, it allows them a certain degree of anonymity as westerners would draw less attention when walking in a place crowded with other westerners (a suicide bomber walking into a crowded place).
How to stop terrorism is one of the biggest issues the world is facing. Because there are so many threats and so many ways of carrying out these threats, it is almost impossible to know what to do. I think the first step would be to stop viewing terrorists as irrational individuals. These people have a goal or a cause for which they are fighting, whether it is religious, political, or something else. Because they are fighting for something, they are inherently rational beings: they believe in something and they are willing to fight, or die, for it.
A second step would be to adopt a universal definition of terrorism so that every single nation is on the same page as far as what is terrorism versus war. For example, and I do not claim to have the answer to this, do North Korea's threats to the United States count as acts of terrorism or acts of aggression that precede a war? This is a tough question because the definition of terrorism is so vague that it can count as both terrorism and aggression. Or do aggressive acts count as terrorism? Surely sometimes they do, but where is the line drawn? This is where the universal definition would be helpful, because if we can define terrorism and put a face to the name, we can begin to take actions to counteract it.
Although terrorism is a problem the world throughout, it has served the purpose of uniting most people against a common enemy. The shared trauma of people and nations that have been attacked by terrorists serves the purpose of bringing everyone closer together and unifying them against terror. Although there is no solution to terrorism, and its cyclical nature may prove impossible to defeat, there is a rather strong force fighting against terrorism. Although it is hard to believe that anything good can come from a terrorist attack, terrorism has brought many people and nations together in an effort to combat it.
Intro to Psychopaths
The appealing look with above average intelligence, balanced with the ability to stay focus and organized even in under pressure. Also, equipped with excellent communication skill that allows an individual to comfortably fit in and draw the attention of a particular crowd, these would be a perfect resume for the most wanted employee nowadays. What happens if these traits come with the catch like emotionally detached, untrustworthy, sensation-seeking, and criminally versatile? It would only set a conquest to failure for the company.
Nonetheless, the personality traits are common among psychopaths in which most people believe as the cold-blooded serial killers. While it is partially correct, these qualities are also can be found among higher level management, which can be referred to corporate psychopaths. While many would raise their concern about the presence of psychopaths stressing out the criminal proclivities, some would also believe that these individuals play a significant role in society
According to Christopher J. Patrick, Don C Fowles, and Robert F Krueger, in their research on defining the concept of psychopathy, a psychopath would exhibit a pathological syndrome of emotional detachment, impaired remorse with a deficit in emotional response and behavioral control. In addition, psychopaths only account for 1-2% of the overall population. The assessment of psychopathy in an individual can be given by employing Hare Psychopathy Checklist which consists 20 items to measure personality traits and behavior. The maximum score of the assessment is 40 and depending on the country; one can be labeled as a psychopath with a score of 25 for the United Kingdom and 30 for the United States. Although, the validity of Hare Psychopathy Checklist has been in question over the year due to the lack of evidence and valid reasoning to support the method in the assessment. It is argued that some of the criteria meet the characteristics of other psychoses.
According to Hare, the prominent feature of a psychopath is the absence of empathy, a successful development of emotional functioning ranging from the expression, recognizing, interpretation, and the response of the emotion. Which makes psychopath unable to detect empathy via verbal or non-verbal communication. In contrast, some researchers argued that psychopaths may have the capacity for cognitive empathy, allowing them to recognize and respond to the emotional from their casual encounter. However, the psychopaths would likely disregard or exploit the feeling for a personal gain. There is also evidences that psychopathy can be inherited and manifested in the early life. While genetics were responsible for a personal development, it is noted that the environmental factors have significant impacts in creating psychopaths.
Based on the criteria in Hare Psychopathy Checklist, some of the notorious serial killers like Ted Bundy, Harold Shipman, and Charles Joseph Whitman may fall under psychopath’s syndrome. Although using the same items, one can argue that not all psychopaths are violent. For example, a British journalist, John Ronson, stated while the lack of empathy is the prominent feature of a psychopath, in the right dosages, other personality traits would create a psychopath with CEO quality that can run a worldwide company. Although, it would also include the individual in other professions. The great decision often requires sacrifices that may occur beyond business world including military, medical, and firefighting. It can be settled by someone who was confident, ruthless and focused under pressure. In specific, some of the attributes such as the need for stimulation when combined with high determination, while under pressure, would bring profession like surgeon or firefighter into a successful path. Another example of positive traits of psychopathy that can be found in some profession is a higher military position. Despite the contradiction of wreaking havoc at enemy’s line, a decisiveness upon decision is needed to protect thousands of lives while keeping the enemy at bay.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the emerging role of a psychopath, either positive or negative, run concurrently. Exploring the world of psychopathy is necessary to unveil the adaptive nature and the purpose of a psychopath in reality. The result may be beneficial in changing the perception in viewing the individual with empathy impairments and to the extent of the contribution on society as a whole.
Persecution, Mass Murder, and Trauma
By Sara Azam
I am ashamed to say that only recently I became aware of a crisis that has been happening for the last several years, where a government is single handedly denying a population of people basic human rights, status as citizens, and essentially, responsible for raping, murdering and setting ablaze entire villages in an effort which can only be described as ethnic cleansing or complete and utter genocide. I am of course referring to the Rohingya people of Myanmar.
The Myanmar government, military and Buddhists monks believe that this particular ethnic group has illegally occupied the Rakhine state and are trespassers and actually belong in the neighboring country of Bangladesh. However, the reality is that for most of the Rohingya, the Rakhine region is the one and only place they have ever lived and have called home. They were born there and their parents before them. So how can it be that all of a sudden they are foreigners in their own home?
This dispute has caused a cataclysmic upheaval and now the three parties previously mentioned, the government, military and Buddhists monks, are actively sanctioning the deliberate removal of the Rohingya people through any means necessary including murder. Because of this, the Rohingya are fleeing by hundreds of thousands, on foot, with whatever personal possessions they can carry, to safety in refugee camps. Otherwise, they are subjected to beatings, torture, witnessing the executions of their parents, children, husbands, brothers, fathers, and loved ones and gang rapes of their daughters, mothers sisters and wives, and having their homes and villages completely annihilated by watching the military set them on fire. There have even been reports of children and babies being thrown into those fires.
Yet, even with all of these reports, government officials claim these are lies. The government also highly censors the news and social media within the country so that the majority of Myanmar citizens believe the Rohingya are actually terrorists setting their own villages on fire and then running away. Anyone who dares mention even the word “Rohingya” in a social media post is immediately censored and then stalked and intimidated by government officials.
Now imagine the trauma. The trauma those who have fled and survived such egregious acts and witnessed such atrocities will experience. And the horror is not yet over. They must survive in the refugee camps. For 10-year-old Jena, she is now the sole provider for her family. This little girl’s father was executed and mother is too ill to care for the family so she must go to the forest, collect firewood and sell it in the market to help feed her family. In another case, a mother in the camp must find a way to help her 6-month-old son survive because he is so malnourished that he weighs as much as a newborn baby. And there are countless other cases of the harsh realities of persecution and refugee life, not just for adults, but for at least 360,000 children. That figure is simply staggering. We already know the effects trauma can have on adults and adolescents and how it can cause varying levels of, and sometimes severe mental illness and even lead to a life trajectory of engagement in crime. The question now is how will it affect these children? And better yet, what will we, as citizens of the world watching, do about it?
References:
Asrar, S. (2017, October 28). Rohingya crisis explained in maps. Al Jazeera. Retrieved from http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/09/rohingya-crisis-explained-maps-170910140906580.html
Bangladesh: Hundreds of Thousands of Rohingya Seek Refuge From Violence in Myanmar. (2017, November 21). Médecins Sans Frontières – Doctors Without Borders. Retrieved from http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/article/bangladesh-hundreds-thousands-rohingya-seek-refuge-violence-myanmar?source=ADD170U0U00&utm_source=AdWords&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=Google&utm_content=nonbrand&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqsuH25-G2AIV2AiBCh2itwowEAAYASAAEgJbRfD_BwE
Myanmar Rohingya: What you need to know about the crisis. (2017, October 19). BBC News Services. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41566561
The Rohingya crisis. (2017). Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/specials/asia/rohingya
Woodruff, B., Romo, C., Francis, E. (2017, December 6). For Rohingya and supporters, a fight for survival on the ground and on social media. ABC News. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/International/rohingya-supporters-fight-survival-ground-social-media/story?id=51418912
Men & Women Inmates Are Not The Same!
We addressed the issue involving male and women offender treatments. Many people argued it should be equal or else it is unfair. “What about equality for all!” The thing is as much as we try to be seen as equals, there is still some bias factor that holds us back while trying looking at everyone the same. In reference to criminal treatments, how can we hold both genders accountable to the same treatment if their brains are wired differently? Yes you can argue there can be similar situations in the workplace, but then again, women and male officers handle situations completely differently but still manage to get the task done. It does not matter how it is done, as long as protocols are followed and no boundaries are crossed. We all are more effective when we find a way that works best for us as individuals.
I argued that women offenders are very emotional beings in comparison to their male counterparts and tend to be better situation thinkers due to high levels of interconnections with the hypothalamus. This lead me to believe a treatment program where females could remain in contact with outside family would help the recovery progress and lower distress levels even if it’s only for a short frame of time. Some people believe this could become a bad idea as males will want to partake in such a program as well. In my opinion, the women’s brain is capable of handling this task and demonstrating results. If we implemented a program as such, I would bet results would be more beneficial for females because males tend to be more of an aggressor and don’t tap into that emotional side as frequently as the opposite sex. For the male counterpart, it would be more of a reward than a treatment method. Yes this can make things more difficult for correction personnel, but perhaps the improvement in women offenders is worth the risks. For those individuals who have committed more serious heinous acts, we need to be able to evaluate their ability to partake in such a program and may involve further psychological testing. The key will be to look at risk assessment before we develop any treatment program.
Men and women prison typically function differently however there are an estimated thirty percent that do not feature programs that are conducive to women (Umar 2016). To be able to develop such a model, we need to learn more about the women and men’s brain in order to give an accurate assessment and guideline to develop a successful treatment. This may not be the answer to dealing with mental illnesses in a corrections setting, however just like all the theoretical perspectives, this could be one piece to the puzzle tapping into the biological side of the brain. This will involve biologist, forensic psychologist and criminalist getting together and collaborating to create the best efforts for offenders to hopefully offer great success in the long run. Perhaps these studies will also enhance our understanding of what brain functions contribute to the act of committing illegitimate acts.
References:
Umar, E. (2016.). Men’s Prisons vs Women’s Prisons. http://correctional-medical-care.com/mens-prisons-vs-womens-prisons/
Multiple Murderers: ‘HOW’ they kill explains ‘WHY’ they kill
They way that multiple murderers chose to kill their victims speaks volumes to their true motives and underlying trauma.
There are millions of ways to kill someone. There are brutal, vicious methods such as strangulation and stabbings. There are more humane ways such as lethal injection. There are long, drawn out ways such as torture and rape. Then there are quick ways like using a gun. All end with the same result, but they differ in the meaning behind them.
This is the most important aspect in the process for multiple murderers, so it should be provided significant thought. They are categorized in three distinct ways - serial murderers, mass murderers, and spree murderers. Serial murderers kill two or more victims on separate events, typically with a “cooling-off” period in between. Their method of killing is usually brutal and hands-on such as strangulation and torture. The other two categories have no cooling-off period. Mass murderers kill four or more people at one location. Spree murderers kill three or more individuals at two or more locations (Bartol & Bartol, 2016, p. 299). These latter two groups typically use methods that murder a lot of people in the least amount of time such as a bomb or gun. How the multiple murderer chooses to be categorized, and the method that they choose to kill, is essential to uncovering their true motive.
Serial murderers are obsessive, strategic animals and the way that they take the lives of their victims supply them the control that they desperately desire. As stated in the textbook, “serial killers often murder in accordance to a carefully thought-out plan” (Bartol & Bartol, 2016, p. 301). Therefore, it must be performed exactly the way that they intend it to – the way they constantly fantasize about. So because this is such an integral part of their process, it rightfully should be the first place that investigators look to unearth the reasoning behind it.
For instance, let’s take another look at the subject of our team case study, Jeffrey Dahmer. He usually chose the long, drawn-out method of raping, torturing, and strangling his victims to death (Crime Museum, 2005). This shows that he wanted the process to last. He enjoyed feeling every second of befouling someone’s body and taking their life. Most of the time, taking their lives was not even enough for him. He would proceed to engage in necrophilia and dismember the bodies, in order to prolong the experience. A gun would have been way too quick and unsatisfying. The entire killing process aroused Dahmer.
The team case study project helped us to induce that he was verbalizing his trauma and his pain through his method of killing. Dahmer was severely traumatized by his family’s abandonment at a young age. He was constantly neglected throughout his childhood. As stated in our project research, “within two weeks of his graduation, his father left the family to live in a motel, then the mother and brother left him to visit his relatives” (Nichols, 2006). So this left him with tremendous pain and anger that he expressed through his complete brutalization of his victims. This method of killing also was redemption for Dahmer. It gave him complete and utter power over his victims. He forbade to ever feel as vulnerable as he felt as a lonely child, so raping, torturing, and strangling his victims provided him with the sense of dominance that he desperately desired. Quicker methods such as a gun or poisoning his victims would have been too quick and would not have quenched his thirst for control. Dahmer wanted to emphasize that he had complete supremacy over his victims.
Mass murderers and spree murderers are usually more concerned about making a loud, public statement through their killings. A prime example of the mass murderer category is Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh. With one push of the button, McVeigh blew up the Murrah Federal Building, murdering 168 people, including children - wounding 650 plus (Editors 2017). Without knowing anything about McVeigh’s childhood, one can get a good sense of his intentions by analyzing his method of killing. A bomb murders a significant amount of people in a short amount of time. It is immediate, usually quick deaths for the victims. Also, the detonator can usually perform the act from far away. This allows the perpetrator to be a bit detached from the crime. Unlike stranglers, bombers usually cannot fully stomach the true horror that they inflict, since it is a very impersonal act. But they enjoy knowing that they still caused it. Thus, you can deduce that McVeigh enjoyed the aftermath of the slaughter more than the killing itself. It was later confirmed that he chose this building in particular because “it provided excellent camera angles for media coverage” (Editors 2017). He had a personal vendetta against the government, so this was his public act of defiance against it. So he more preferred killing for the spotlight rather than killing for personal benefit in the shadows like serial killers.
There is significant underlying meaning in the way that multiple murders occur. Single homicides can have endless motives – accidental, passion, anger, etc. But multiple murders show consistency and a general theme that can be induced through close analysis of their decisions throughout the process, primarily their chosen method of kill.
References
Bartol, Curt R., & Bartol, Anne M. (2016). Criminal behavior: A Psychological Approach. 11th Edition. Pearson
Crime Museum. (2005). Jeffrey Dahmer. Crime Museum Biographies. Retrieved from https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/jeffrey-dahmer/
Editors. (2017). Timothy McVeigh. Biography.com. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/timothy-mcveigh-507562
Nichols, D. S. (2006). Tell Me a Story: MMPI Responses and Personal Biography in the Case of a Serial Killer. Journal of Personality Assessment, 86 (3), 242-262. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/9b62/3584ef58fd641ae435bff50a491b61b5f0f0.pdf
Female Serial Killer Motivated By Trauma?
Though many find it morbid and weird, serial murder has always been fascinating to me. In most cases, it’s hard for one to wrap their head around how one individual can take the life of another – it’s even more mind-boggling to think that an individual can take the lives of multiple people. That’s why I find learning what makes these individuals tick to be so captivating. In my studies, I’ve mainly focused on male serial killers. For the main reason because there is an array of them. Not a lot of females engage in serial murder. Though, it is rare, Bartol & Bartol (2016, pg. 304) mention that there are 34 documented female serial killers. This peaked my interest and got me to shift my focus from male serial killers to female serial killers.
The motives for these killings are also different from males. Females may be motivated by material or financial gain – insurance policies, trusts, and estates (Bartol & Bartol, pg. 305). This information helped me reflect on a local female serial killer. I live in Erie, Pennsylvania – home to the famous Pizza Bomber case. If you are unfamiliar with this case, it happened back in 2003. Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong decided that she didn’t want to wait for her father to die to get his money, so she came up with a plot to kill him – only problem was that she didn’t have the money to pay the man who agreed to do it. So, she came up with an extravagant plan to rob a bank. Marjorie was able to talk a man by the name of Brian Wells into committing the robbery. The day of the robbery, a homemade bomb was strapped around the neck of Wells – which he was told wasn’t even real. Wells then went to a local bank and passed the bank teller a note demanding access codes to the vault and $250,000. The bank teller had no access to the vault and Wells walked away with less than $10,000.
Shortly after leaving, Wells was surrounded by law enforcement. He claimed that while he was out delivering pizzas a group of black men held him at gun point, put the bomb on him and forced him to rob the bank. He sat in the middle of the street yelling that the bomb was going to go off. Police stood behind cars with guns drawn while the news videoed the encounter. Just minutes before the bomb squad arrived at the scene, the bomb went off leaving a gash in his chest and killing Brian Wells.
While searching his car, police found an interesting note that instructed Wells to rob the bank of $250,000. He would then be set on a scavenger hunt to pick up more notes instructing him what to do once he got the money. Wells was under the impression that if he did what he was told to do, that he would get the keys to take the bomb off. My professor as an undergrad was the lead FBI agent on the case, and from what I can remember, there was no way Wells would have been able to complete the scavenger hunt in time before the bomb would go off.
This was not Marjorie’s first murder. Six other men in her life died in mysterious ways – five due to unnatural causes. Her murderous behavior started in 1984 when she emptied her revolver into her sleeping boyfriend. She claimed self-defense because he was abusive. Before the pizza bombing, she shot her then boyfriend in the back with a shotgun and stuffed him into a freezer because he threatened to go to police about the plan (the man who helped her was the man who turned her in for the pizza bombing case, in fear of what she might do to him). From what I can remember from class is that she was going to let his body freeze, then break it up and put it through an ice chipper to get rid of the body and evidence. Two other boyfriends also passed away, one took his own life, while another died of a skeptical overdose. Another “victim” was her only husband – he had suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage after collapsing during a stroke and hitting his head on a table.
I remember talking to my professor about her. He said that she fits into a rare category of being a violent serial female offender, that she lacked attachment which allowed her to not be influenced by her violent behavior. She had no empathy or feelings for people as humans. He also talked about how she used her mental illnesses to her advantage. Before her violent behavior, she would defraud the welfare and social security systems and beat a murder charge. She didn’t think she needed help for her illness and if someone tried to help her, she would refuse. He [my professor] was never convinced that her bipolar diagnosis was correct because he never saw a true history of depression, only manic states. She was also diagnosed in having several personality disorders – such as histrionic, anti-social, borderline and narcissistic – which my professor believed to be accurate.
I always found this case interesting, not just because it happened miles from where I live, but because Marjorie was an extremely intelligent woman. She was valedictorian in high school, had a degree in sociology and a masters in education. Merriam-Webster (2017) defines sociology as “the science of society, social institutions, and social relationships; specifically: the systematic study of the development, structure, interaction, and collective behavior of organized groups of human beings.” How could someone who lacked attachments be able to fully understand the science of society and social relationships?
When pleading her innocence in the bank robbery case, Diehl-Armstrong stated “I’m a good, decent person… I’ve got the equivalent of five college degrees, and I have a master’s degree. I’m a certified teacher. I’m a music teacher. I’m a social science teacher. I worked at those jobs. I worked with the state… I have a degree in sociology. I am not a bank robber. I don’t have to rob banks to get money. I am a certified guidance counselor. I almost have a doctorate, less dissertation. I am certified to counsel elementary and secondary schools. I am not crazed… I am not a crazy person. (Clark & Palattella, 2017, pg. 2). At the time of her trial in 1984, for the death of her abusive boyfriend, investigators found 400 pounds of butter and 700 pounds of cheese (Schapiro, 2010). She was deemed mentally incompetent SEVEN times before a judge ruled that she was fit to be tried in the case (Schapiro, 2010). In my opinion, if she constantly refused help with her mental illness, at the time of the bank robbery case she was still the crazed woman with over 1,000 pounds of rotting food in her home.
Her father, Harold Diehl, wasn’t even surprised at her plot to have him killed, saying “I wouldn’t doubt that. I heard that years ago and I believe it… Don’t forget, her mind, in my estimation, not the mind of a stable person.” (Plushnick-Masti, 2007). He also believed that if she thought it was the right thing to do, that she would kill anyone. And what adds even more interest to this case is that though her father’s estate was once valued at nearly $2 million, by the time of his natural death it was below $200,000 because of money he spent of gifts for friends – plus Marjorie was only left $2,000. Marjorie acted on an assumption that her father was wealthy, but in all actuality, she would’ve never gotten a penny after his death because as part of the will, money was to be spent on outstanding medical bills before handing out any inheritances.
So, what made Marjorie violent? Dr. William J. Ryan, a forensic psychologist, believed that Marjorie suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, due to abuse as a child and by her boyfriends. Marjorie claimed that both of her parents inflicted mental trauma that she believes manifested itself in her psychiatric imbalance (Clark & Palattella, 2017, pg. 10). She also claimed that her father was an alcoholic and, as a child, he molested her. To Marjorie, her mother was a poor influence, claiming that her mother had a pursuit of perfection for her. She told psychiatrists and psychologists that at an early age she suffered from anorexia and was hospitalized when her weight dropped from 135 pounds to as low as 85 – she blamed her parents for her disorder stating she felt pressured by their expectations.
Could it be that these relationships triggered some past trauma in her life and resulted in violence? As I mentioned, she used her mental illness before to defraud welfare and social security. Then, she was in a relationship with a man who she claimed would beat her. That’s when she first showed her violent behavior and shot her boyfriend six times. Per Bartol & Bartol (2016, pg. 233) PTSD has been used to excuse or mitigate criminal responsibility in cases involving battered women who maintain that they have battered woman syndrome. In another murder, it was argued that she shot and killed her boyfriend to keep him from going to police about the bomb and robbery plot, but Marjorie insisted it was a crime of passion that was provoked by his abuse. She pleaded guilty but mentally ill to his murder and received a 7-20-year sentence.
Was Marjorie’s trauma the root of her violence or was her mental illness the driving force?
Marjorie passed away this year from cancer and remains a mystery.
References
Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2016). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach. 11th Edition. Boston: Pearson.
Clark, J., & Palattella, E. (2017). Mania and Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong: inside the mind of a female serial killer. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Merriam-Webster. (2017). Sociology. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sociology
Plushnick-Masti, R. (2007). Robbery-plot suspect's father not surprised. Retrieved from http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20070713_Suspects_father_not_surprised.html
Schapiro, R. (2010). The incredible true story of the collar bomb heist. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2010/12/ff_collarbomb/
Women Offending
Throughout my education at Boston University, I have always been interested in feminist criminology and the treatment of women offenders. Women offend differently and for different reasons than men, but for years, they were treated the same as men offenders, which does not work. Women for years have been discriminated against within society, and the discrimination continues into the criminal justice system by not treating them as unique offenders. Women present unique profiles and pathways within the criminal justice system. Women’s common pathways are “based on survival of abuse and poverty and substance abuse” (Rousseau, 2017, Module 4). Overall, their pathways are more economically based than men’s are.
Women’s profiles are also different. Women are more likely to have a history with abuse, both physical and sexual. They may be sole caretakers of young children or pregnant when entering prison. They have unique physical and mental health needs, as well as tend to ‘act in’ as opposed to ‘acting out. ’Women are also less violent and pose less of a threat to society (Rousseau, 2017, Module 4). Women are more likely to have a mental illness, especially depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Because of their unique profiles, they have unique pathways into crime and should be highly considered in regards to incarceration/treatment.
In terms of incarceration/treatment, there should be a higher focus on treatment. As stated, women offenders are dealing with histories of abuse and mental illness. They have faced hardships that have warped their view of the world and created lasting effects on them. By providing treatment to these women, it can help address many of the issues that are causing them to offend. Women are likely to offend because of economic reasons, in regards to abuse, poverty, and substance abuse. By helping women beat their substance abuse, find better coping mechanisms for their trauma, and helping them to find jobs, it could help to prevent recidivism within women.
This is an issue that I believe is very important. It is important to understand the unique profiles and take into consideration the differences when evaluating proper ways to incarcerate and treat. This should be applied to not only women, but individuals of color and those with mental health issues as well. Historically, the criminal justice system has shown to be racist, sexist, and inconsiderate to those with mental illness. Going forward, it is essential to change pathways and ensure that treatment is equitable, not necessarily equal. In my opinion, there are a lot of reforms that need to occur to provide a more fair, successful criminal justice system.
References
Rousseau, D. (2017). Module 4. Retrieved from
https://onlinecampus.bu.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/displayLearningUnit?course_id=_42658_1&content_id=_5296284_1&framesetWrapped=true
Juveniles and Competency: A Case Review
How can the competence of an offender be properly identified when determining a person’s ability to stand trial and/or the death penalty? Has the criminal justice society placed enough safeguards to ensure that juveniles are protected? Regarding sentencing guidelines alone, it is crucial to determine the mental stability and competence of an individual at the time of the offense as well as while they are standing trial.
Competency can cover a variety of things. Primarily, it determines a person’s basic ability to stand trial. Does the offender understand what is going on, are they aware that they are standing trial for a crime that is believed to have been committed by them? Not all criminals are adults, although all criminals can be tried as adults. Even though there is a specific juvenile justice system in place, it is not always used. Dependency of the severity of a crime, a juvenile can be tried as adult. From 1992 to 1997, forty-four states in the U.S. passed laws to easily transfer a child from the juvenile system to the adult system. Murder is an offense that can easily escalate an offender from juvenile to adult court. The 2013 Uniform Crime Report found that juveniles under eighteen years of age are responsible for 9.8% of murders, 2.7% of those were under fifteen years of age (Bartol & Bartol). Let us reference the case of Lionel Tate.
Lionel Tate was only twelve years old when he killed a six-year-old girl, Tiffany Eunick, who his mother had been babysitting. The state of Florida determined that Tate would be tried as an adult, and was found guilty of first degree murder. Tate was fourteen years old when he was sentenced to life in prison for his crime. Even the prosecutor for Tate, Kenneth Padowitz, petitioned the state for a sentence reduction. Padowitz had initially offered the defense team plea deal which was denied: three years in a juvenile facility, one year of house arrest and ten years of probation with psychological counseling and therapy. Had this deal been accepted, Tate’s life could have wound up differently. Padowitz has stated that first degree murder was appropriate, but sentencing a 14-year-old boy to life without parole is not appropriate (ABC News).
At twelve years old, is a preteen able to understand words like: self-incrimination, burden of proof, or stipulate? These words are highlighted by Bartol and Bartol as words defendants need to understand when going through trial proceedings. How many adults can accurately understand the definition of these words? Furthermore, can a twelve-year-old fully grasp the concept that their actions can cause death or better yet that death is final? Let us consider Hollywood and entertainment based video games that continuously reenact life after death or instant start over options. These portrayals could inaccurately skew a child’s mind on the meaning of death.
Was Tate really responsible for Tiffany’s death? A study conducted by Heide and Sellers, as noted by Bartol and Bartol, while interesting doesn’t provide much insight. The study found of juvenile murderers found that adolescent males make up 88% of the offenders. Males are more likely to target victims between the ages of five through thirteen. The study also found that guns are usually the weapon of choice, and when a person is murdered, it is during the commission of another crime. Other research finds that parental monitoring might be to blame. While Tate’s mother served in the U.S. military, he reportedly moved around various family homes, once she got a job as a Florida State Trooper, he moved back in with her. When Tiffany was killed, Tate’s mother claimed to have been asleep in her room, getting rest before her shift (ABC News). While Tate’s mother was doing everything she could to provide for her family, somethings might have been out of her control while he was in other homes. Parental monitoring and the relationship parents have with their children are both prominent factors in a child’s behavior. Are these factors enough to weigh in on a child’s competency?
While the loss of life is always sad, it is simply devastating when it is a child. To sentence the juvenile murderer life without parole is almost fulfilling code of Hammurabi, an eye for an eye. After spending three years in prison, Tate was released in 2004 on a modified sentence of ten years’ probation. In 2004, after his release, he was sentenced to an additional five years’ probation for being found with a weapon. In 2006, two short years later, Tate found himself in trouble again as he held up a pizza delivery worker. This time, Tate was sentenced to thirty years in prison for the offense. Had Tate’s competency been deemed that of a child when he was twelve, would he had turned into a lifetime offender?
ABC News (2003, March 7). Leniency for Lionel Tate? ABC News. Retrieved from: http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=123746&page=1
Bartol, A and Bartol, C. (2017). Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach. Boston, MA: Pearson.
Martin, M and Tobias, J. (2001). Basic Statistics. Frontline News, PBS. Retrieved from: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/juvenile/stats/basic.html
Unknown (2006, May 18). Lionel Tate Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison: Florida Teen Caught Violating Murder Conviction by Having a Gun. Associated Press, NBC News. Retrieved from: www.nbcnews.com/id/12852539/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/lionel-tate-sentenced-years-prison/#.Wi8Ra0xFz4g
Humanizing Jeffrey Dahmer?
Jeffrey Dahmer raped and murdered 17 men and boys. Some of his murders included necrophilia, cannibalism and necrophilia (Nichols, 2006). He was sentenced to 15 terms of life imprisonment in 1992 for 15 of the murders. A 16th one was added for his first murder when he was tried in Ohio (Nichols, 2006). One could argue that Dahmer was a monster. But would some people still try to humanize him? Why?
I watched the 2002 film Dahmer by Larry Ratner and David Jacobson because I was interested to learn more about Dahmer and how society views him after researching him for our first class presentation. I wondered if the film, which is slightly fictionalized, would vilify him or humanize him. I personally believe that the film humanized him and made him more likeable to the audience than if they were to just read about his murders.
Firstly, the film does not cover the full scope of Dahmer’s crimes. They only show three of his murder victims, of which he only dismembers two and has sex with one. He is also portrayed as regretful and scared after he commits his first murder, something that is not necessarily true according to his MMPI response in Nichols’ case study (2006). The film also does not mention how Dahmer thinks of his victims as objects and not people (Nichols, 2006).The film does show a sequence where Dahmer rapes multiple men at a gay bar, but he is beaten up after they find him out, so the audience may feel some sympathy because of that.
Secondly, the film actually vilifies his last victim, Tracy Edwards (named Rodney in the film) who escaped Dahmer, by making him hypersexual and prone to violence. He comes back to Dahmer’s apartment after the first time he leaves when Dahmer tries to choke him. He also uses a knife against Dahmer (did not happen in real life).
Thirdly, the film adds dialogue for Dahmer that convey his frustrations and feelings about his parents’ divorce and being gay. He says these to his victims in the second person, as if he was talking about them, but the audience is supposed to understand that they are his own thoughts. While these thoughts humanize Dahmer, they also try to get at his motivation behind the crimes. As we discussed in our presentation, the trauma of his parents’ divorce and being left alone may have been a triggering factor in the formation of Dahmer’s criminal life. Furthermore, the film highlights Dahmer’s possible internalized homophobia which may have encouraged him to hurt other gay men.
Larry, R. (Producer), Jacobson, D. (Writer), & Jacobson, D. (Director). (2002). Dahmer [Video file].
Nichols, D. S. (2006). Tell Me a Story: MMPI Responses and Personal Biography in the Case of a Serial Killer. Journal of Personality Assessment, 86(3), 242-262. doi:10.1207/s15327752jpa8603_02
Veteran’s in the Criminal Justice System
The incarceration of veteran’s is a growing area of concern as many return from overseas bearing wounds, invisible to the average person. But what is it that leads many of these veterans – individuals that have volunteered to risk their lives for our country – what leads them to criminal behavior? Although there is still little research in this area, many attribute Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) as the link between those veterans that turn to devian
t behavior and those that don’t. Furthermore, many veterans find themselves involved with illegal drugs, prescription painkillers, or alcohol which often contribute to negative behavior.
Today’s wars vary significantly from those fought in the past. To begin with the modern day battlefield is fought using counterinsurgency warfare where the enemy is often not evident and can easily blend with the everyday civilian. This creates a distortion as to where the battle ends and the time for rest and rejuvenation begins. Because Soldiers are constantly on the guard, they are often on edge with little time to digress and renew mentally and physically. Furthermore, because of the high operational tempo Soldiers are deployed more often and with less time to reset time in between deployments. The advances in protective equipment has also introduced another factor that was not previously seen – Soldiers today tend to survive catastrophic events more frequently than they have in the past. With that said, they take with them severe, often life-changing, injuries such as partial paralysis or loss of limbs. This cycle of continual, back-to-back deployments and the modern day Soldier’s experience and ability to survive high-stress, horrific events leads them to be susceptible to PTSD. Furthermore, the common weapon used on today’s battlefield by enemy insurgents is the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) which is a frequent contributor to TBIs. PTSD, TBI’s and major depression are often called the “invisible three,” as they all affect the Soldier internally and are not visible from the outside.
As previously stated PTSD, TBI and major depression are thought to be key contributors to veterans and criminal behavior. PTSD can lead to antisocial behavior, increased irritability and aggression, and can contribute to poor decision-making. Because many individuals that experience PTSD from combat experience feel the need to be continually on the guard, these individuals may react to situations in a way that is not proportional to the event. TBI’s are often difficult to diagnose and treat and there is still much to be understood about this type of brain trauma. TBIs can affect different individuals differently depending on the severity and specific injury. This can also be associated with poor decision-making. Major depression can also add to the veteran’s pain by robbing them of the
appropriate cooping mechanisms to deal with their traumatic experiences. Although there is still much to be learned, research has shown that individuals that deal with these conditions are more susceptible to crime and to recidivism.
Another contributor to veteran engagement in crime is the use of illegal substances. Often in an attempt to mask their pain, these individuals turn to alcohol or drug use. This combined with their questionable mental state leads to a spiraling, downward effect. An individuals loses their job because of their excessive substance abuse, turns to robbery as a method to fund their addiction, becomes increasingly irritable and aggressive as a result of their illegal substance use and mental illness, and eventually their temper erupts and they find themselves being charged with an assault, or worst.
Today’s veterans experience a significant amount of trauma and stress, yet, are often overlooked in getting the treatment they need. Because of this, their susceptibility to mental health issues, and the lack of renewal time, it is no wonder the number of veteran offenders is ever increasing. Fortunately, many jurisdictions are implementing veteran’s treatment courts, which focus more on the treatment and rehabilitation of the veteran, rather than the simple punishment of the individuals. However, in order to truly reduce the number of veteran offenders, help needs to be offered much earlier to prevent the downward spiral of negative events. Without the preventative intervention, we will continue to see a high number of veterans processing through the criminal justice system.
References:
Bartol, A. & Bartol, C. 2017. Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach. Eleventh Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
Berenson, S. (2010). The Movement Toward Veterans Courts. Clearinghouse Review 44( Issues and 2), 37-42.
Johnson, Scott, et al. (2016). Predictors of Incarceration of Veterans Participating in U.S. Veterans’ Courts. Psychiatiric Services. Volume 68, Issue 2, February 01, 2017, pp. 144-150
Rousseau, D. (2017). Modules 1-6. Forensic Behavior Analysis (MET CJ 725). Boston University.
Photo above from the Wounded Warrior Website: woundedwarriorhomes.org/ptsd