Where serial killers are likely to strike

January 31, 2007

New research from two United States universities and Massey University is the first to throw light on regional differences in serial killing.

It shows that people who live in areas with high rates of divorce, one-person households and unemployment are more likely to become victims of serial killers.

The study was led by University of Connecticut Emeritus Sociology Professor James DeFronzo, working with researchers from Northeastern University in Boston and Villanova University in Pennsylvania, and Dr Jane Prochnow from Massey University’s College of Education.

They looked at the considerable interstate and regional differences in serial killer activity in the United States, with people in Western states more likely to become victims than people in the Northeast, and people in California almost three times more likely to become victims.

The study examined male serial killers from 1970 to 1992 using sociological perspectives identified in earlier research by Professor DeFronzo and Dr Prochnow.

It found that social structural factors, such as higher percentages of urban population, divorced residents, one-person households and unemployed residents, all helped to explain why some states and regions are home to more male serial killers.

Dr Prochnow says this is partly explained by the increased vulnerability of divorced people, those in one-person households, and the unemployed.

The researchers also looked at the socialisation of serial killers as children but concluded that the availability of targets or victims is a stronger factor in where serial killing occurs.

The study also found that states with more “legitimate violence (use of the death penalty, higher rates of hunting licences, subscriptions to magazines, enlistment in the national guard and higher rates of violent television viewing) had higher rates of serial killers.

The report says females have more diverse motives for serial murders, but a large majority of male serial killers are sexually motivated and about 10 percent appear to suffer from disorders, such as extreme forms of paranoid schizophrenia.

Dr Prochnow says psychiatric analyses have been used to understand male serial killer activity, but this has not explained the considerable geographic differences that exist. “Many serial killers have had typically traumatic childhoods and childhood behavioural problems like abusing little animals and younger children. We were interested in the relation of structural and cultural variables as opposed to explaining the brutal actions of these killers simply in psychological terms.”

The study is believed to be the first to show that both cultural and social structural factors play a role in the incidence of serial killing. Dr Prochnow says while it focused on the United States because of regional subcultures and state differences in laws, including the death penalty, the findings are relevant elsewhere. “The structural variables which are indicators of vulnerable targets for serial killers are relevant to most societies, especially more developed societies. You would expect that other places, including in New Zealand, Australia, Britain, or Canada, which have higher percentages of one person households, divorced people and unemployed would also have higher rates of male serial killers.”

The full report is available at: http://hsx.sagepub … t/11/1/3.pdf

Source: Massey University

4.4 /5 (8 votes)  

Rank 4.4 /5 (8 votes)
Tags

Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

A frank discussion of the power law and linking correlation to causation

(PhysOrg.com) -- Michael Stumpf a mathematics professor at Imperial College in London, and Mason Porter a lecturer at Oxford have teamed together to write and publish a perspective piece in Science regarding the in ...

Other Sciences / Mathematics

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 10 | with audio podcast report

Employers feel no love for unscrupulous practice of 'service sweethearting'

A new study led by two Florida State University marketing professors finds that some frontline service employees who are rewarded for hikes in customer loyalty and satisfaction also may engage in "service ...

Other Sciences / Economics & Business

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 3.3 / 5 (3) | comments 10

US workers are 'giving away the store,' costing firms billions

Nearly 70 percent of the nation's service employees give away free goods and services – from hamburgers to cable TV – costing companies billions of dollars a year, according to a groundbreaking study.

Other Sciences / Economics & Business

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (4) | comments 10

New insights into how to correct false knowledge

The abundance of false information available on the Internet, in movies and on TV has created a big challenge for educators.

Other Sciences / Social Sciences

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (7) | comments 9 | with audio podcast

Neanderthal demise due to many influences, including cultural changes: study

As an ice age crept upon them thousands of years ago, Neanderthals and modern human ancestors expanded their territory ranges across Asia and Europe to adapt to the changing environment.

Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (5) | comments 8 | with audio podcast


Walney offshore wind farm is world's biggest (for now)

(PhysOrg.com) -- The Walney wind farm on the Irish Sea--characterized by high tides, waves and windy weather--officially opened this week. The farm is treated in the press as a very big deal as the Walney ...

GPS court ruling leaves US phone tracking unclear

A US Supreme Court decision requiring a warrant to place a GPS device on the car of a criminal suspect leaves unresolved the bigger issue of police tracking using mobile phones, legal experts say.

Europeans protest controversial Internet pact

Tens of thousands of people marched in protests in more than a dozen European cities Saturday against a controversial anti-online piracy pact that critics say could curtail Internet freedom.

Europe stakes billion-dollar bet on new rocket

A pencil-slim rocket is scheduled to lift into space from South America on Monday, carrying a billion-dollar bet that Europe can grab a juicy slice of the market to place satellites in low orbit.

Study finds that anti-diabetic medication can prevent the long-term effects of maternal obesity

In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting, in Dallas, Texas, researchers will report findings that show that short therapy with the anti-diabetic medication ...

Netflix settlement trims 14 pct off 4Q earnings

(AP) -- Netflix pressed the rewind button on its fourth-quarter earnings after settling allegations that the video subscription service violated a consumer-privacy law.