Week 11 Assignment

Research question:

What were the contributing factors Jeffery Dahmer experienced in his childhood and adolescence that led to his criminal behavior?

Citation:

Schlesinger, L., Kassen, M., Mesa, V., & Pinizzotto, A. (2010). Ritual and signature in serial sexual homicide. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 38(2), 239-246.

Theme:

• The authors examine the consistency in behavioral aspects and the uniqueness of crime scenes from a sample of 38 offenders and their 162 victims. The article looks at the rituals and signatures that can occur in serial sexual homicide. The authors of the article find that their data does not support certain notions about serial sexual murderers. Their findings are covered for forensic and criminal investigations.

Audience:

• The authors wrote this article for professionals within the criminal justice field.

Evaluative:

• Include one or more sentences that evaluate the authority or background of the author. All of the authors of the article are deemed credible. Schlesinger is a professor of Forensic Psychology, Kassen and Mesa are students in the Doctoral Program in Clinical-Forensic Psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, Pinizzotto was the senior scientist in the behavioral science unit for the FBI Quantico, VA when the article was written. (credibility/authority)
• The information presented in the article fits with what I have learned in my criminal justice class and with what I have read in other sources. The data in the article can be verified through other sources. (accuracy)
• There isn't a particular bias that is apparent in the article. It is written objectively. The article states “This study was an empirical examination of ritualistic and signature behavior in serial sexual-homicide offenders.” (reliability/ objectivity)
• The article is relevant to my topic/research question because my research question is about Jeffrey Dahmer, a serial murderer who sexually assaulted his victims before murdering and dismembering them. The article discusses ritualistic behavior among serial sexual murderers. The material presented in the article may be too technical for me but I will be able to utilize it for my research paper. (relevance)
• The article was written in 2010. (currency)
• The article is focused on one specific aspect of your research topic. It is meant to inform the intended audience. I chose the article because I like seeing data about a study or search topic that is clear and concise. Concise data presentation cuts down the need to decipher overly descriptive or vague writing that is often seen in non-scholarly articles and books. (scope and purpose)