Comprehensive Notes on Crimes Against Persons

Chapter 10: Crimes Against Persons

Types of Murder

• Premeditated Murder: This is defined as First-degree murder.

• Second-degree Murder: A spontaneous killing not planned in advance.

• Third-degree Murder: Typically involves negligent homicide, where death occurs unintentionally as a result of reckless behavior.

• Negligent Homicide: A legal charge often associated with unintentional deaths caused by negligent actions—for example, drunk driving.

Homicide Patterns

• Wolfgang's Study on Homicide: Examines the dynamics when a male is killed by a female, often revealing that the offender is likely to be a spouse or girlfriend.

• Nonprimary Homicide: An example includes retaliatory killings, such as a neighbor killing a dog, leading to the dog's owner intervening.

Guns and Homicide

• Availability: Refers to how access to firearms can influence interactions, potentially escalating conflicts leading to homicide.

• Instrumentality: Discusses how the presence of a gun can transform a situation into a lethal encounter.

• Selective Disinhibition: Explains that having access to guns may lower inhibitions against violence.

Serial Killers and Victims

• Male serial killers are statistically more likely to target strangers over acquaintances or family members.

• Mission-oriented Serial Killers: Defined as offenders who kill with a belief that they are serving a societal purpose, like purging evil.

• Disciples: Women who killed under the influence of a leader, as seen in the Manson Family.

Mass Murder Motivation

• Omar Mateen, Orlando Nightclub Shooting: Motivated primarily by terror rather than revenge or profit.

• Predisposer vs. Precipitant: A precipitant is a short-term trigger for mass murder (e.g., a personal crisis).

Rape and Assault

• Groth’s Typology of Rapists: Divides rapists into categories based on motives. For example, Power rapes focus on control over victims.

• Acquaintance Rape: Often occurs in dating scenarios or among cohabitating individuals and differs from stranger rape.

Workplace Violence

• The most common type of workplace violence incident is assault. The group with the highest incidence includes mental health workers, police officers, and taxi drivers.

• Different categories of workplace violence are defined based on the relationship between the perpetrator and the victim, such as Type 1 (criminal intent) or Type 2 (customer/client violence).

Hate Crimes

• The predominant motivation for hate crime offenders is racial bias, followed by religion and sexual orientation.

Stalking Types

• Intimacy Seeking Stalker: Views the victim as a soulmate, differing from rejected or predatory stalkers who may have differing motivations.

This comprehensive overview encapsulates critical definitions, patterns, motivations, and statistics relevant to crimes against persons, aiding in understanding and preparation for further examination of the subject.