NCJ Number
209641
Journal
Homicide Studies Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2005 Pages: 109-148
Date Published
2005
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This article establishes the benefits of utilizing the criminal events perspective (CEP) in studying serial offending.
Abstract
The CEP is not a theory but rather a way to redefine the arena in which theory operates. Data gathered for this perspective require that researchers examine reports on offenders and victims as well as information on what the offender and victim did together, police response, if any, and other factors related to the social context of the criminal event. This article details the case study of a serial offender currently incarcerated in the southeastern United States that used both the CEP and the life course history method. Data for the study came from several sources including police reports, newspaper articles, police interrogations of the respondent, as well as an interrogation of his last rape/attempted murder victim. This study was conducted, not to test or verify a theory, but rather to develop hypotheses from the emerging patterns based on existing criminological theory. The data collected for this study allowed the author to verify with reasonable certainty the reliability of the respondent’s responses. After categorizing the data, the author incorporated academic theories and concepts from various disciplines in the narrative of the offender to demonstrate how the CEP can be used to explain serial offending. The theoretical and methodological implications of this study for future research on serial offending are discussed. References