Great article and excellent use of numbers! I was struck by your discussion re the power that this statistical sample has given how few people they interviewed. More over, all of them got caught! So in some ways you may also be making inferences about what serial killers who get caught act like. Now, clearly, it is not easy to interview those who were not caught -- but I wonder if this in some way also pollutes the value of talking to them. I do not know if most alleged serial killers get caught -- or if we are even able to identify if a series of unresolved murders are linked to the same murderer.
Many thanks indeed for your very kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the article. You make a really good point about the sample of serial killers the FBI used. If I'd been on top form when I was writing, I hope I'd have made the same one. You are quite right that the serial killers researchers have access to are without exception 'failed' ones: the ones who not only got caught, but also found guilty and sentenced. Undoubtedly. we'd learn a great deal more from serial killers who had got away with it. Who can say how many of them there are? Maybe most of them, for all we know, do get away with it. That's an unpleasant thought! Of course, this problem is hardly unique to serial killers - it affects all areas of criminology - but it is an especially big problem given the seriousness of their crimes and the unusual characteristics serial killers tend to have. Excellent thinking, there, and maybe a potential article, too...
Outstanding contribution by Jason Frowley, a primer in murder of varying sorts, serial and otherwise. Twenty-two kinds of murders. That idea makes perfect sense to any court reporter who has sat in on a hundred trials. A serial murderer who lies about his victims to gain favors from investigators. Of course. And even a serial murder who confesses to ones he didn't do so that the cops could mark their cases solved. Yeah, I have seen that, too. A great post from a learned practitioner of psychological analysis.
Jason,
Great article and excellent use of numbers! I was struck by your discussion re the power that this statistical sample has given how few people they interviewed. More over, all of them got caught! So in some ways you may also be making inferences about what serial killers who get caught act like. Now, clearly, it is not easy to interview those who were not caught -- but I wonder if this in some way also pollutes the value of talking to them. I do not know if most alleged serial killers get caught -- or if we are even able to identify if a series of unresolved murders are linked to the same murderer.
Big questions to ponder.
Many thanks indeed for your very kind words! I'm glad you enjoyed the article. You make a really good point about the sample of serial killers the FBI used. If I'd been on top form when I was writing, I hope I'd have made the same one. You are quite right that the serial killers researchers have access to are without exception 'failed' ones: the ones who not only got caught, but also found guilty and sentenced. Undoubtedly. we'd learn a great deal more from serial killers who had got away with it. Who can say how many of them there are? Maybe most of them, for all we know, do get away with it. That's an unpleasant thought! Of course, this problem is hardly unique to serial killers - it affects all areas of criminology - but it is an especially big problem given the seriousness of their crimes and the unusual characteristics serial killers tend to have. Excellent thinking, there, and maybe a potential article, too...
Outstanding contribution by Jason Frowley, a primer in murder of varying sorts, serial and otherwise. Twenty-two kinds of murders. That idea makes perfect sense to any court reporter who has sat in on a hundred trials. A serial murderer who lies about his victims to gain favors from investigators. Of course. And even a serial murder who confesses to ones he didn't do so that the cops could mark their cases solved. Yeah, I have seen that, too. A great post from a learned practitioner of psychological analysis.
Many thanks for your kind words, Evan. Much appreciated!