Summary: |
"This book reframes the study of multicide (that is, serial and mass murder) to use objective measures, and aims to expand our understanding of multicide offending through descriptive and inferential statistical analyses of different homicide patterns of the offenders. Criminal homicide and multiple murders are rare occurrences that typically account for a very small percentage of all violent crimes in most countries. Despite this low occurrence, homicide continues to be an area of intense study, with a focus on subjective measures and classifications. The research and analysis based on a database of 400 cases contributes to the criminological study of violence and draws distinctions between types of offenders (partnered and solo, serial and mass, male and female, etc.) from a range of different countries and across decades. Traditionally, studies of homicide focus on male offenders, and theories of offending are then applied to females and co-offenders. The research presented in this book reveals that women who kill alone have very different homicide patterns from men, or from those who kill with partners. Looking at the history of female multicide offending and these differences in offending patterns, this book helps to bring the nature of female offending into view. This exploration of the multidimensionality of homicide at an international level is useful for scholars and students interested in criminal justice, criminology, psychology, sociology, or law"-- |