NCJ Number
179651
Date Published
1998
Length
379 pages
Annotation
This book by John Douglas, a former head of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit and the pioneer of modern behavioral profiling of serial criminals, focuses on the "obsessions" that lead to predatory crimes, primarily against women: rape, stalking, and sexual murder.
Abstract
Case studies presented in the book include those of Ronnie Shelton, the serial rapist who terrorized Cleveland; Joseph Thompson, New Zealand's South Auckland rapist; the stalking and killing of television star Rebecca Schaeffer; and New York's "Preppie Murder." Douglas analyzes the minds and motives of those who commit such offenses by using as examples three notorious obsessional killers: Ed Gein, Gary Heidnick, and Ted Bundy. The book also profiles the commitment and tactics of those whose careers have been devoted to removing such predators from society. Among the programs documented are a Virginia police department's victim's program that serves the survivors of predatory crime; an innovative school in Harlem established to combat crime, drugs, and despair; and the efforts of a family of a murdered rape victim to galvanize the victim's rights movement. The final section of the book explains how anyone and everyone can protect themselves and their families from violent predators. A subject index