NCJ Number
230489
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 14 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2010 Pages: 107-131
Date Published
May 2010
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study compared the criminal history patterns of serial offenders with those of single-victim offenders.
Abstract
The degree of difference between single and serial homicide offenders' criminal histories is not fully understood at present. The current study compares these offenders' criminal histories to identify general trends in the degree and type of offending specialization that they demonstrate. The results showed that a single framework can account for patterns in the criminal histories of these offenders, according to a co-occurrence of violent versus instrumental offenses, and most offenders could be allocated to one of these offense groups and considered specialists. However, serial offenders were more likely to be considered specialists in instrumental offenses compared to single offenders, highlighting one important point of difference between these offenders. Figures, tables, notes, and references (Published Abstract)