Scenario
You are a criminal profiler with your state law enforcement organization. You will be presenting information on the criminal background of a select serial killer during a conference where local law enforcement officers will be present. You are to provide a full workup of the selected criminal in order to provide a 2–3-page summary to each of the participants at the conference.
focus on serial killers. Select one of the criminals from the list below.
An important part of the job of a criminal profiler is to use criminological theories and evidence to create a profile of criminals such as serial killers. An example of this is the case of accused Long Island Serial Killer, Rex Heuermann. Profilers were relatively accurate in their description of this serial killer more than ten (10) years before he was apprehended.
Please review the following article – Serial Killer Rex Heuermann.
In addition to reading the article above, please take a moment to listen to the experience of your Strayer CRJ Instructor, Edward Spangler. Ed was instrumental in apprehending another serial killer (Harrison “Marty” Graham) while employed as a rookie police officer with the Philadelphia Police Department. Please click on this link to listen – Ed Spangler’s Experience with a Serial KillerLinks to an external site. | TranscriptLinks to an external site.. [Video]
Serial Killers
Once you have selected the criminal you will profile from the list below, use the Criminal Justice Resource Collection Database to begin searching for credible, relevant, and appropriate sources to support your writing. (In addition, you may use Google for reference search purposes.)
Ted Bundy
Dennis Radar
John Wayne Gacy
Sam Little
Jeffrey Dahmer
David Berkowitz
Gary Ridgeway
Wayne Williams
Aileen Wuornos
Kristen Gilbert
Instructions
Complete the following sections of the Week 7 Assignment Template Download Week 7 Assignment Template. The assignment should be 2, not including the cover page or the source page. Please use complete sentences when completing the information below:
Identification and Background.
Identify the criminal and key details from sources about their background that relate to their criminal behavior.
Criminal Behavior
Describe the crime(s) including how the crime was committed, where it occurred, and how many victims were involved.
Theory and Rationale.
Identify the theory that applies to the offender and their criminal behavior. Provide a clear rationale for the selection of the theory.
In order to complete the assignment, you must use at least three scholarly sources to support your writing. Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate. Cite each source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment. For help with research, writing, and citation, access the library or review library guides.
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Serial Killer Profile: Jeffrey Dahmer
Identification and Background
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, often referred to as the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” was an American serial killer, sex offender, and necrophile. Born on May 21, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dahmer’s childhood was marked by feelings of isolation and alienation. He struggled with alcohol abuse and developed a fascination with death and dismemberment.
Criminal Behavior
Dahmer’s crimes were characterized by a pattern of murder, dismemberment, and necrophilia. He lured young men and boys back to his apartment, where he would drug and kill them. After the murders, he would engage in necrophilic and cannibalistic acts, often dismembering the victims’ bodies and preserving body parts. He would store these remains in his apartment, sometimes using them for sexual gratification.
Serial Killer Profile: Jeffrey Dahmer
Identification and Background
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, often referred to as the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” was an American serial killer, sex offender, and necrophile. Born on May 21, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Dahmer’s childhood was marked by feelings of isolation and alienation. He struggled with alcohol abuse and developed a fascination with death and dismemberment.
Criminal Behavior
Dahmer’s crimes were characterized by a pattern of murder, dismemberment, and necrophilia. He lured young men and boys back to his apartment, where he would drug and kill them. After the murders, he would engage in necrophilic and cannibalistic acts, often dismembering the victims’ bodies and preserving body parts. He would store these remains in his apartment, sometimes using them for sexual gratification.
Theory and Rationale
The most applicable theory to explain Dahmer’s behavior is the Neuropsychological Theory. This theory suggests that biological factors, such as brain abnormalities, can contribute to criminal behavior. In Dahmer’s case, it is believed that he may have suffered from frontal lobe damage, which could have impaired his judgment, impulse control, and empathy. Additionally, his childhood experiences of isolation and trauma may have contributed to his deviant behavior.
Other theories, such as Social Learning Theory and Psychodynamic Theory, could also be applied to understand Dahmer’s actions. However, the neuropsychological theory provides the most compelling explanation for his specific behaviors, particularly his fascination with death, dismemberment, and necrophilia.
By examining the psychological and biological factors that contributed to Dahmer’s criminal behavior, we can gain a better understanding of serial killers and develop strategies to prevent future acts of violence.
