Serial Offenders

by Richard B. Krueger (Contributor)

Although serial offenders have been a recognized problem in society for centuries, only recently have the complexities of these individuals come to light. Serial Current Thought, Recent Findings presents current and inclusive information on serial offending in a clear and straightforward manner.

Citing numerous case examples, this book will provide forensic psychologists and psychologists, as well as criminologists, social workers and corrections officials with relevant and informative data.

Author Louis B. Schlesinger presents current thinking on serial offenders in the first of three parts contained in the text. In Part I, he covers serial homicide, child molestation, rape, arson, and the nonviolent serial offender, while offering new information and perspectives on these traditional problems.

Part II reverses thought, and takes a look at recent clinical and research findings. From profiling by law-enforcement and health-care workers to the neurobiological approach to understanding why people continually commit these crimes, Part II delves beyond right and wrong to illuminate and identify the many shades of gray.

Part III focuses on the unusual aspects of serial offending and on special populations of offenders. From infantophilia to serial offending by females, adolescents and members of the clergy, Schlesinger provides insight into a world that few have witnessed in such a comprehensive manner.

368 pages, Hardcover

First published July 31, 2000

Reviews

[Ruxandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume covers a plethora of subjects, from serial homicide to child sexual abuse, arson, stalking, burglary, and even rare offender categories such as infantophiles and clerical abuse. The book’s strongest feature is its interdisciplinary integration of neuroscience, criminology, evolutionary psychology, and clinical practice, which converge to illuminate why serial offenders act as they do. Taken together, the material illustrates how serial offending cannot be reduced to a single cause or profile; instead, it emerges from the interplay of biological predispositions, psychological development, environmental stresses, and situational triggers. Key concepts include the triad of sadism, fantasy, and compulsion in sexual homicide. The book also highlights systemic issues: technological change enabling new forms of victimisation, the limits of legal and mental-health responses, and the secondary trauma experienced by families and professionals.