PROFESSOR & STUDENT REPLIES
PROFESSOR REPLY QUESTION #1In this week’s reading: “Contemporary Problems in Criminal Profiling,” the authors discuss several problems associated with criminal profiling. What are at least two of these problems?
STUDENT REPLY #2 Lakisha Bentley
In week one of the class, I discussed Jeffery Dahmer. I profile Dahmer as an organized, nonsocial serial killer. He was a white male, socially adequate, had a traumatic childhood, had a controlled mood, and was sexually competent; his crime scenes were controlled, he targeted strangers, and the crimes were aggressive (Holmes & Holmes, 2009). I considered Dahmer a hedonistic serial killer. Holmes & Holmes, 2009 stated that a hedonistic serial killer has a connection between violence and sexual gratification. Dahmer killed 17 males, dismembered their bodies, and kept body parts for trophies.
Prevention efforts could have been utilized as teachers and Dahmers parents being more observant of his behaviors as a kid. Noticing his disconnect from his peers should warn him that something is going on, that he probably needs therapy, or that something is happening in the home. Parents should be willing to listen to their kids and not forget that they exist. We need to bring back open sessions in the schools to teach the kids how to express themselves and that it is okay to let an adult that can be trusted know things that are bothering you. LaBrode (2009) expressed that factors of serial killers are “abuse, trauma, insecure attachment, loss or abandonment of a parent or caretaker, antisocial behavior, head injury, and low arousal levels.” With Dahmer, he was a person that went thru trauma as a kid, and his dad spoke of the surgery he had to have on his brain. He was never the same after that; also, after his parents divorced, he was abandoned in their family home with no parental guidance.
Reference
Holmes, R. M., & Holmes, S. T. (2008). Profiling Violent Crimes: An Investigative Tool (4th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
LaBrode, R. T. (2007). Etiology of the psychopathic serial killer: An analysis of antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, and serial killer personality and crime scene characteristics. Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention, 7 (2), 151-160.
STUDENT REPLY #3 Angela Palakanis
Dating back to the first discussion post I talked about several serial killers and mass murderers, but I will pinpoint John Wayne Gacy as the subject for this week’s discussion. Gacy was a serial killer responsible for, what we know, at least 33 victims with 29 bodies eventually being found under his house (Crime Museum, 2021). I would profile Gacy as an organized nonsocial serial killer with hedonistic and power and control typologies. Gacy was very charismatic and was the neighborhood clown “Pogo the Clown” and was loved by many. He started up a successful construction business, was able to re-marry, went to church, threw block parties, and I believe he was involved in politics in his area. While leading a very organized life, he would gradually start to murder the young boys that would work under him. Even though parents were concerned, nothing was done about it, probably due to Gacy’s outstanding reputation in the community using charisma to deflect his actions. A victim even escaped Gacy and went to the police, but they never followed up with it (Crime Museum, 2021). In Gacy’s young life he was abused badly by his father both physically and mentally. His father was a major alcoholic that would belittle and beat Gacy calling him names if his mother ever interfered with the beatings. This could lead to power and control issues later in life and he chose the vulnerable population of young boys to be his victims.
I thought Gacy was perfect for this discussion post because there were so many warning signs and even reports from civilians wanting him investigated but every single time the police did not investigate. Gacy was finally caught when a 15-year-old boy went missing after going directly to Gacy’s house for a job interview and never returning home (Crime Museum, 2021). That’s when police finally took the situation of the correlation between Gacy and missing children seriously. He was executed by lethal injection in 1994 (Crime Museum, 2021). One obvious warning sign was his previous charge of sodomizing two small boys and only got 18 months in prison (Crime Museum, 2021). He then moved to Chicago to start over after his first divorce (Crime Museum, 2021). He should have been in prison for much longer and had mandatory psychiatric evaluations before being released. Also, the fact that he was able to move to a different state so fast and so easily was also a huge mistake while being allowed to be a clown to entertain children. He should have been put on sex offenders list and not allowed near children. In general, there was no follow-up on Gacy after prison and no follow-up when there were reports against him from his new community. This could have been prevented however Gacy is an example of how organized nonsocial killers can get away with so much using their high intellect.
Reference
Crime Museum. (2021, August 13). John Wayne Gacy. Crime Museum. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.crimemuseum.org/crime-library/serial-killers/john-wayne-gacy/
STUDENT REPLY QUESTION #4 Ashley Pena
Do you think changes early in Ted Bundy’s life might have deterred him from such abhorrent behavior later in life? For example, the CDC (n.d.) suggests that creating protective environments for children can help prevent violence later in life. Outreach programs that help modify the physical and social environments of at-risk populations can assist in changing some of those core reasons that people like Bundy decide to kill. Perhaps things would have been different if they had a different environment growing up. Of course, one change alone may not work as a fix-all, but if Bundy had met an appropriate mentor, it might have also prevented his future violent inclinations (CDC, n.d.). Thanks for letting me expand on your post, Jennifer. I look forward to our last week of class together.
Reference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.). Violence prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/index.html
