A critical analysis of research related to the criminal mind of serial killers

Abstract

Serial murder is the most common form of multiple murder. Serial murder is characterized by the killing of three or more persons over a period of days, weeks or years with a cooling off period between murders (O'Reilly-Fleming, 1996, p. 17). Research has shown an increase in the amount of serial murders that has occurred in the second half of the twentieth century with a trend that is destined to continue. Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics report that there are 20,000 murders per year and over the past 20 years murder and manslaughter has increased 300%. The field of psychology and law continues to search for a pattern of behavior that can help the mental health field in identifying characteristics of serial killers through interviews and evaluations. The purpose of this study was to examine research related to this problem of developing prospective characteristics of serial killers and to share the findings with professionals in the field of forensic psychology. The research objectives of this study were to examine the history of serial killing in both Wisconsin and the United States, to compare the past trends to the present trends, and to identify and critically analyze the different characteristics identified in research related to topic of serial killers.