Criminology Case Study on Mass Murder - Research Paper Example

? Criminology Case Study on Mass Murder Criminology Case Study on Mass Murder Introduction Crimes are committed the worldover and the reasons individuals commit crimes can be tied down to the three theories of rational choice, Trait theory and Social Structure theory (King 2004). A case in point is the crime of mass murder. Mass murder according to Fox & Levin (2005) involves an act of killing four or more individuals concurrently within a short time period. There is really no time breaks in between the murders as they murders occur at the same time. This time of murders mostly occur in single locations where victims are killed by the murderer. The aim of this paper will be explaining the crime of mass murder and its relationship with the above three theories. A case in point will be on a mass murder of an individual who shot dead 12 movie goers in a movie theatre in Denver. James E.Holmes is accused of acting alone in the incident. According to Burke (2009), a mass murder can be committed by an individual or by organizations. This type of mass shootings has in recent times increased in number and magnitude. Shootings are occurring in schools and other social places in alarming frequency. Innocent children and adults have lost their lives due to indiscriminate mass shootings. After carrying out investigations, the FBI concluded that Holmes was acting alone. Crimes have a background and objectivity to occurrence (Carole et al, 2010) and this paper will try understanding the crime of mass murders from this perspective. The Crime The suspect, Holmesis accuse of indiscriminately shooting 12 victims dead and seriously injuring 58 others in a movie theatre in Denver Colorado. Holmes legally bought guns and ammunition in the Denver area and proceeded to a movie theatre that was screening a movie by the title “The Dark Knight Rises”. Dressed in costumes that partly represented a villain in the movie, Holmes entered the theatre hall, took his and took his seat. Minutes into the movie, He got up and went out of the hall through an exit door. Minutes later he returned to the hall, carrying guns that he used to shoot into the crowd. Many of the attendees in the hall were taken by surprise. At the end of it all, 12 ended dead and numerous injured. According to the law, Holmes faces charges of mass murder among other charges and accordingly faces a life sentence in jail if found guilty. Hagan (2010) explains that crimes are committed by criminals and therefore Holmes could be inadvertently a serialized criminal even though his criminal past only consisted of a single traffic summon.According to Fox & Levin (2012), over 90% Americans of Americans advocate for background checks on individual who purchase arms as a way of controlling who owns arms.Crimes of this nature have and still continue to occur. Mass murders are becoming a common scenario in the everyday life of American Citizens. There has been a gradual increase in use of lethal force during these incidents. The reason behind an individual taking up arms and killing fellow humans according to Brent &Kraska (2013) can be attributed to personality as well social structures around the individual among other factors. In light of these factors, the three theories shed light on the reason behind this crime of mass shootings. Rational Theory Starting with the rational theory that seeks to explain the reason why individuals behave the way they do, especially so for criminal related behaviors. According to (Hagan, 2010), blame is directed toward personal choice as the reason behind crime. An individual like Holmes might have carried out the mass shootings in the movie theatre out of personal choice. The authorities determined that Holmes was working alone and therefore there could be incidents of persuasion on him. Welsh (2008)states that human beings are rational and thus individuals choose behavior, criminal on otherwise, based purely on rationality. The basis of this rational behavior is an analysis on cost versus benefit of choice. Choice, all other factors assumed constant will be measured against pleasure (Glaser, 2010). The individual understands the cost of pain as well as the punishment for his actions. Holmes swiftly surrendered to the police without much resistance. Psychologically he understood well his actions and the consequences of the same. According to Welsh (2008) and in context to this theory, and individual is rational enough that he balances between cost and benefit of carrying out a criminal undertaking. He/she understands the consequences of his behavior, and for Holmes, surrender to the authorities meant that he understood well the cost of his crime. The state, through bodies such as the police, is responsible for maintaining law and order and thus Holmes expected the cost of his crime to be administered as a punishment by the state. Trait Theory Moving on to the Trait theory, according to Northouse (2004), traits determine the basis of our actions. Traits are patterns of human behavior and vary from one individual to another. Different individuals have varying patterns. This patterns or traits have been found to be consistent over time Northouse (2004)and therefore looking at our case in point, Holmes might have always had the trait of being a mass murderer. Recent killings through shootings in the US might have acted in emboldening him to carry out the attacks. According to Northouse (2004), he found traits in individual’s personality either being central to one’s personality or secondary. Based onthis, central traits become hugely responsible for individuals actions while the secondary traits mildly influence actions of people. Therefore Holmes might have always had the trait of being a serial killer as a center trait. Secondary traits about him reflect and individual who was averse to committing crimes and this might explain the fact that his previous crime record consisted of a single traffic summon only. Northouse (2004) argues that these two combinations of factors influence day to day behavior regarding a large percentage of our actions and choice in life. No one could associate Holmes to being a mass killer, based on the fact that his secondary acted as a cover for his center traits. Social Structure Theory The third theory leads us to view the crime form the perspective of whether crimes are committed based on social structures existent in the society today. Social structures in the society are influenced mainly by issues such as wealth, social classand values of individuals in the society as well as power that certain individuals wield. King (2004) argues that social segments in the society are created through distribution of wealth to individuals. A fifth of the United States population lives in poverty and this group faces problem such as lack of adequate income, unstable family lives as well as lack of motivation for life King (2004). This creates a divide between the haves and the have not in the American society. According to (King 2004), the primary cause of crime is poverty. Individuals who are disadvantaged in life are more likely to get involved in crime. Poverty ridden neighborhoodsincrease the likelihood of its members engaging in crime related activities. Holmes was a 24 year old individual. The story points to the fact that he lacked motivation for living. Causing pain and harm to individuals through the shooting might have brought satisfaction to him. Having given himself up to the police points to the fact that Holmes did not see a reason for trying to escape as an escape would only lead to the same life that he used to live. King (2004) explains that under the ecological social and theory, towns can be classified into zones based on the economic endowment of individuals living there. Crimes were mostly related to areas where economic levels were poor and thus from this theory we can deduce that if the Denver neighborhood is composed of a mixture of rich and poor individuals, this could have been a major reason for the shooting. Conclusion The nature of the mass murders is of criminal nature. Holmes might have a choice and reason for carrying out the shooting and several factors could have contributed to him finally committing the crime. Glaser (2010) explains that individuals, having their choice measured against the cost of committing a crime will ultimately arrive on the choice that suits them best, which accordingly Holmes did. Based on the rational theory of choice we find that Holmes had a choice of committing the crime or not doing so. He understood well the consequences of his actions and the pleasure he would derive from committing the crime. Cullen (2007) tries to explain how one could try and protect oneself from crime. Lack of security at the theatre also contributed to the large number of casualties recorded as a result of the shooting. Looking at the trait theory, there are certain traits in the personality of Holmes. A mass murder is a serious crime that in most cases is punishable by life sentence. Hagan (2010) explains that crimes are committed by criminals and though people cannot ascertain whether Holmes has committed other killings before, it is noticeable that whether or not he perceives murder as right or wrong, he goes ahead and carries out a mass murder. Traits of an individual greatly influences the final outcome of an activity (Hagan, 2010) therefore the center and secondary traits of Holmes significantly contribute to him committing the mass shootings. Considering the social structure theory as explained by King (2004), the society is often divided into segment, mostly based on the rich and poor modes of living. While poverty is never out of choice, if often forms a contributory factor to violence related incidents (Fox & Levin 2012). King (2004) explains that social structure of the physical environment around us determines our behavior and this might have caused the mass shooting and continued shootings in the US today. References Burke, J. L. (2009). Rain gods. 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