What's Inside The Evil Mind?

Have you ever been mystified by the mental process of the criminal mind? Is there such a

thing as a criminal mind? Does it really exist? How is it linked to serial killing activity? Is

serial killing activity controlled by the criminal mind?

Criminals have many reasons for committing crimes. The famous psychologist Dr. William

Glasser argued that a person can make a choice to kill independently of his or her

upbringing or social orientation during childhood (Bersoff, Ogloff and Tomkins, 1996). Concern about increasing criminal activity promoted many scholars to develop theories of criminal psychology. In the early days, psychologists mainly applied it to criminal behaviour. A study focusing on a large number of prisoners, with the help of ethnographic methods and measures, has shown that criminals are affected by their intelligence defects which are considered to be a hereditary factor (Burke, 2001). To reinforce this idea, Wiebe (2004) revisited the theory of delinquency, referred as latent delinquency, a psychological disposition acquired when children are less exposed to socialization and lack emotional development. In other studies, Cassel and Berstein (2007) emphasized that if psychological impulses are believed to be associated with emotional attachment to parents, there is a possibility of the increased development of anti-social behaviour.

Psychology of Serial Killers 

Incident 1 :

Edward Joseph Leonski (December 12, 1917-November 9, 1942), was an American serial killer

who was found guilty of the murder of three women in Melbourne, Australia. He was known

as the Brown-out Strangler. He confessed his motive for the killing was a fascination with female

voices, especially when they were singing and he claimed that he killed the women to get

their voices.

( Reference URL: https://murderpedia.org/male.L/l/leonski-edward.htm )

Incident 2 :

The Peterborough Ditch Murders were a series of serial murders which took place in

Cambridgeshire, England in March 2013. She stabbed three people and all her victims were

male. Their bodies were found in ditches outside Peterborough. In Hereford, she also

stabbed two other men who were left fighting for their lives. The murderer was Joanna

Christine Dennehy. Later Joanna Dennehy was sentenced to life imprisonment.

(Reference URL: 

https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/articles/joanna-dennehy-and-peterborough-ditch-murders )

Incident 3 :

Israel Keyes (January 7, 1978-December 2, 2012) was an American serial killer, rapist, arsonist, thief and bank robber. He pleaded guilty in 1996, to violent crimes involving the violent sexual assault of a teenage girl in Oregon. He committed a long series of his crimes until he was caught in 2012. He committed suicide in custody while waiting for the trial of Samantha Koenig's murder.

(Reference URL :

https://criminalminds.fandom.com/wiki/Israel_Keyes )

By analysing the mentioned incidents, psychologists have developed their theories of Criminal Psychology and applied them to criminal behaviour. According to the FBI, "A serial killer is someone who kills at least three people over a while with 'Cooling Off' periods between each murder". There is a large debate as to what causes a serial killer to commit such violent crimes repeatedly.

A report from the University of Wisconsin, that the neuroimaging studies of people who were convicted of murder showed differences in brain activity compared with normal people (Dr Richard Davidson, 2000). Brain scans show a lack of brain activity in areas that control emotional outbursts and violent emotions as well as fear responses. This research suggests that some serial killers may possess abnormal brain processing that may predispose them to commit crimes. It is not certain that homicide results in brain structure. Peter Vronsky argued that serial killers could be made but most people were not made by good parents and socialisation. Those who have not been socialised are left with the ability to kill (Peter Vronsky, 2001). It is most likely that a combination of genetics and life experiences can increase a person's tendency to become a serial killer.

Conclusion

'Crime is normal, inevitable and functional. A certain amount of crime is an integral part of all healthy society' (Durkheim, 1895).

We can say that it has become apparent that criminals operate from several multilevel influencing factors that control human behaviour. And it is widely believed that children begin to develop criminal behaviour in early childhood. But this belief does not mean that people are born criminals, but rather environmental influences, neurological and biological adaptations and personality factors that ultimately lead them to various types of crime.

Reference Lists :

Bersoff, D.M, Ogloff, J.P, and Tomkins, A.J (1996), Education and Training in Psychology and Law/Criminal justice: Historical Foundation, Present Structure and Future Development, Criminal Justice and Behaviour.