NCJ Number
169306
Editor(s)
T O'Reilly-Fleming
Date Published
1996
Length
190 pages
Annotation
Ten papers derived from the First International Conference on Serial and Mass Murder: Theory, Research and Policy focus on the causes, dynamics, and characteristics of multiple murder, as well as profiles of the killers; concerns of victims' families are also addressed.
Abstract
The first chapter briefly analyzes several cases of serial murder that have been the subject of widespread analysis in the academic literature, followed by an overview of theory and research pertinent to multiple murder. The second paper, the keynote address of the conference, notes that various ideologies and disciplines have advanced one-dimensional theories of multiple murder, thus obstructing the development of an integrated theory that would provide a more accurate explanation for multiple murder. A third paper focuses on mass murder, explaining why it has not received the academic attention that serial murder has received, and examining the characteristics of its perpetrators based on FBI Supplementary Homicide Reports. A paper on the sexually sadistic serial killer begins with a review of the development of theory and research and then presents the findings from an empirical investigation of 20 sexually sadistic serial murderers. A comparative analysis of serial murder in the United States, England, and Germany during the period 1900 to 1940 suggests that economic, social, and political environments are influential in determining the prevalence of serial murder in various societies. Remaining papers address the expanding parameters of the conceptualization of serial and mass killers, the role of ideology in serial killers, factors in how serial killers target victims in an urban environment, the sexual component of serial murder, and the special concerns of surviving victims of multiple murder. For individual chapters, see NCJ- 169307-16. Chapter references, tables, and figures