NCJ Number
159123
Journal
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 22 Issue: 3/4 Dated: (1995) Pages: 1-10
Date Published
1995
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Numerous psychiatric reports and newspaper articles depict seemingly bizarre cases of murderers who commit their crimes in order to be executed, and this paper briefly describes 20 cases to show patterns in such murders and concludes that the death penalty may serve as an invitation to murder.
Abstract
Literature on capital punishment indicates some individuals will do whatever the law requires in order to be executed, the goal being state-assisted suicide. The analysis of 20 cases involving individuals who said they murdered their victims in order to receive the death penalty offers a profile of the execution-seeking murderer. That profile is a young white male with a mental disorder, an utter disregard for the fate of others, and a history of unsuccessful suicide attempts. Because the death penalty can actually be an attraction to some murderers, the crime of murder is geared toward legal qualifications. Thus, if the death penalty is limited to the death of police officers of Federal marshals, they will become targets. Similarly, if the death penalty is designed to protect prison guards or carjacking victims, these individuals will be vulnerable. The notoriety provided through the mass media to those scheduled for execution provides additional attraction to individuals who murder in order to be executed themselves. The author contends that legislators should vote against the death penalty in order to protect people from crime. 23 references