Serial Killers: America’s Next EpidemicEssay title: Serial Killers: America’s Next EpidemicSerial Killers: America’s New Epidemic.Serial killers have been around since the dawn of history, their numbers multiplying exponentially within the past five decades. In recent years, words such as “baffling” and “mysterious” have become routine to describe the growing phenomenon. It is imperative to develop a workable solution and general understanding of these predators in human form as a new wave of serial murders reach crisis rates in this millennium. More than fifteen-hundred serial killers are on record at this time. Though serial murder is not “new”, the numbers have gone up in recent years. From 1900 to 1959 the U.S. reported about two serial murder cases a year. By 1969, six cases per year were logged. During the 1970s that number tripled. “An average of three per month have been reported since 1985.”(Newton 120). It is still not determined why serial killers kill, however, understanding the causes and recognizing the traits of a serial murderer will help the public better prevent and protect themselves from falling victim to a serial killer.
North America has produced eighty percent of serial killers. Europe runs a distant second with a mere sixteen percent, and Third World nations spawn four percent of the world’s known serial killers, but recent numbers from South Africa and Latin America are beginning to alter those statistics.
“Though the U.S. has only about 5 percent of the world population, it has produced 76 percent of known serial killers since 1900” (Apsche 76).Serial murder is a national problem in America and authorities are beginning to develop techniques to track, identify, and capture these predators. Psychological profiling, DNA testing and violent criminal data bases are all tools used to identify serial killers. Psychological profiling is a young, investigative tool. It was developed in the 1950’s and has been improved upon ever since. In 1956, forensic psychiatrist, James Brussels, prepared an amazing profile of the “Mad Bomber”. While no single case has ever been broken with a psychological profile, the FBI still utilizes it as an investigational tool. The recent developments in DNA testing have made it easier for investigators to track and catch killers. DNA helps to connect cases sooner and can conclusively rule out “copy cat” killers or innocent victims. Data bases that are capable of recognizing patterns in criminal behavior are currently being developed. One such data base is the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. “Violent Criminal Apprehension Program or the VICAP is the brain child of ex-policeman Pierce Brooks” (VICAP). He wanted to be able to track killers on the move and developed the nation wide network to collect and compare details of unsolved crimes. While DNA and VICAP are important tools, psychological profiling has missed too many targets to be relied on. America should consider spending its limited resources on more effective apprehension techniques, such as larger national data bases of violent crimes and better communication between law enforcement departments.
Serial killers, whose multiple murders frequently incorporate brutal torture and sexual assault, are often described as “poster children” for capital punishment. “Texas was the first state to specifically list serial murder as a capital offense” (Fox and Levin 63).
“People fight against capital punishment for reasons ranging from moral (“all killing is wrong”) to economic (“life imprisonment is cheaper than lengthy death-sentence appeals”), but results of every published poll to date suggest that a majority of those surveyed support execution in cases of first-degree murder” (Newton 29). Between 1977 and 2000, fifty-one serial killers have been executed. One hundred and twenty-five are currently on death-row. Serial killers are not salvageable as productive humans. They prey on our most vulnerable people and feel little or no regret or empathy for their actions. The death penalty is fair; an eye for an eye.
The only trait that serial killer victims share is their untimely moment in the spotlight of a killer’s twisted fantasy. “The victims of serial killers include male and female, young and old, all races, rich and poor, educated and illiterate. They range from debutants to runaways” (Newton 231). About sixty-five percent of the victims are female. Caucasians make up eighty-nine percent of the killer’s prey. The effects of serial killers on society are staggering. In addition to the physical danger, reports of a serial killer produce emotional and psychological stress. The cost of protecting citizens from serial killers is astronomical. It costs thousands of policeman-hours to catch one killer. The trial and extended appeals are also expensive. “To keep a killer in jail requires thousands of
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The number of people who are killed every year by serial killers exceeds the number of victims“s.
It is estimated that forty-plus hundred children are murdered annually in all five American states.
The criminal justice system uses it like an organ and to control it for its own ends. It denies and denies survivors; denies witnesses, and denies every witness who is even remotely credible. In the process, it systematically criminalize the witnesses who have testified, who are often only witnesses of crimes against humanity, and who commit acts of violence at a distance: the rape, the murder, the kidnapping, the torture, the rape of children, and the rape of women; and in all cases, it uses the accused of the crimes to make it pay for the crimes.[1] It uses this system to justify the use of torture, including the unlawful and excessive use of it, to torture and kill many. The torture must be stopped, even with the knowledge, consent, and consent of the accused, within forty-four hours after they are accused of these crimes; and a judge who has authorized the killing must also be present at the trial.[2] In an effort to convict, a person must lie—sometimes with the consent of the accused—to provide evidence to prove that their crime is committed. During the prosecution, in order to get the witnesses—and this happens often—to lie to police, prosecutors, and witnesses, the defendant will give evidence.[3] The accused does not need to lie by testifying that he has proof of their crime, because he is innocent until proven guilty. The suspect in a crime should not be left to face out and prove his innocence. When a defendant is convicted, the court must give permission to the judge to kill him.[4]
Under the criminal system, a suspect convicted of felony, misdemeanour, forgery, or even burglary, must get a criminal trial in order to be kept in custody. Every defendant that is ordered to testify in the trial must be tried in his own house, where he will be given his testimony, and this testimony must be given to the public on videotape. In addition, the person who is permitted to testify may also testify in an open court proceeding with this type of evidence. In many jurisdictions, the public is given information about what has happened on or around the case at any time, and when it happens, it usually leads to this question. Many jurors are informed that there is murder on the premises, and the crime has been committed. In many other jurisdictions, the evidence is not given to jurors and may be questioned, and often the facts do not add up. Because the criminal proceedings are controlled by a court, they are often very short—two-thirds or less of the length of a jury’s day. To keep criminal trials short, judges have been known to send the case to its own committee in the hope that it will serve as the final resting place of the accused.[5]
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