Serial Killers and the Phenomenon of Serial Murder

A Student Textbook

Wilson, David, Yardley, Elizabeth

• Publisher: Waterside Press
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781906534257
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Criminology
• Index: Social Sciences

A superbly targeted resource for those learning about serial killings. Serial Killers and the Phenomenon of Serial Murder examines and analyses some of the best known (as well as lesser) cases from English criminal history, ancient and modern. It looks at the lifestyles, backgrounds and activities of those who become serial killers and identifies clear categories of individuals into which most serial killers fall. Led by Professor David Wilson the authors are all experts and teachers concerning the ever-intriguing subject of serial killing: why, when and how it happens and whether it can be predicted. Taking some of the leading cases from English law and abroad they demonstrate the patterns that emerge in the lives and backgrounds of those who kill a number of times over a period. The book is designed for those studying the topic at advanced level, whether as an academic discipline on one of the many courses now run by universities and colleges or as a private quest for understanding. It contains notes on key terms and explanations of topics such as co-activation, Munchausen syndrome, cooling-off period, psychopathy checklist, social construction, case linkage, family annihilation, activity space, rational choice theory, medicalisation and rendezvous discipline. As the first textbook of its kind it will be an invaluable resource for teachers and students of serious crime.The authors are colleagues at Birmingham City University where David Wilson (who also regularly presents TV programmes on the topic of Serial Killing) is one of the UK's leading criminologists, a National Teaching Fellow and Founding Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology. His books for Waterside Press include Serial Killers: Hunting Britons and Their Victims 1960-2006 (2007) and Mary Ann Cotton: Britain's First Female Serial Killer (2013).Steve Hall is Professor of Criminology at Teesside University and the co-founder of the Teesside Centre for Realist Criminology. He is an internationally leading criminological researcher and theorist.

Index

A

abandonment 158

“Acid Bath Murders” 119

“act focused” 73

active killing period 93, 125, 159

activity space 141

age 151, 155, 159

alcohol 73, 154

alibi 200

Allitt, Beverley 22, 23, 93, 117, 150, 198

altruism 170

Amurao, Corazon 51

anatomists 88

Anderson, Robert 67, 68, 82

“Angel of Death” 117, 118, 157

anger 52, 160

anti-Semitism 83

antisocial behaviour 54, 187

architecture

area of residence 60

arsenic 22, 167, 180

arson 57

asylums 172

Atkinson, Patricia 133

Attica Correctional Facility 57

attitudes 151

autopsy 98

awareness 141

B

babies 65, 92, 108, 157

badness 154, 173, 186, 203

Barr, John 32, 45

“Beast in the Night” 114

“Beast of Birkenshaw” 113

bed-wetting 50, 54

Begg, Paul 70, 73

behaviour

behavioural clues 60

behavioural consistency hypothesis 60, 65

Behavioural Science Unit 35, 39

explaining behaviour 19

beliefs 151, 162

Bellfield, Levi 125

Berkowitz, David 57

Berner Street 76

“Bible John” 89, 109

bigamy 113, 167

biolog...

Table of contents

• Copyright and Publication Details
• About the Authors
• Acknowledgements
• The Author of the Foreword
• Foreword
• Introduction
• What is Serial Murder?
• Theoretical Perspectives on Serial Murder
• How it all Began: Jack the Ripper
• An Overview of British Serial Murder
• Serial Murder and Occupational Choice
• Case Study: Peter Sutcliffe
• The Female Serial Killer
• Mary Ann Cotton
• Serial Killers and the Media
• Conclusion
• Index