Rational Murderers Research Paper

Rational Murderers

Murder is, by the world’s definition, the worst criminal offense possible. According to Vito & Maahs (2012), murder is defined as the willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another. The United States punishes murderers by giving them extremely long sentences in prison, usually life long, or a sentence of death where the offender’s own life is taken. Even though this punishment is universally known throughout the nation, murders are still committed.
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (2011) Uniformed Crime Report, 14,748 murders were committed in 2010. Compared to the 24,703 killings of 1991, murder is on the decline. The murder rate dropped from 9.8 per 100,000 in
These motivations include anger motivation, sadistic motivation, and sexual motivation. In anger motivation, rage causes the crime to occur. Sadistic motivation requires sexual sadism where the offender is aroused by the suffering or torture of the victim. Finally sexual motivation requires just the sexual arousal given by the victim to the offender in which the offender wants to achieve at any cost. (Kerr, Beech, & Murphy, 2012).These motivations are based from the rational choice of the individual seeking maximum benefit at minimum cost. If the offender commits sexual homicide with anger motivation then that offender has chosen the benefit of satisfying his or her rage outweighs that of the consequences of punishment. Far as sadistic motivation, the offender weighs the pleasure of committing the homicide act over the punishment. The same goes for sexual motivation. The punishment or cost of the act is outweighed by the benefit of committing the sexual act with the victim.
Rational choice theory is combined with motivation and physical acts in order to establish programs that will counteract, punish, and prevent criminal activity. Homicide and violence programs have been constantly brought to the forefront. Some have even failed and since then been revamped and are at the forefront again. This is due to the seriousness of these crimes. Two examples of these programs are Project Safe Neighborhoods and Operation
Chicago holds Offender Notification Meetings that are targeted toward ex-offenders involved in gang activity or have a history of gun violence or possession. These meetings are held twice a month and consist of three segments. The segments involve law enforcement officials making offenders aware of Project Safe Neighborhoods’ initiative, of gun laws, and of the sentencing of reoffenders. Ex-offenders are told of the heightened probability for federal prosecutions and federal sentencing which involves harsher punishment and lengthier sentences.
According to The Office of Justice and Programs, Chicago’s Project Safe Neighborhoods is a promising program. This is based from the evaluation of Papachristos, Meares, and Fagan (2007). Their study spanned over a 72 month period and was collapsed to 24 quarter –year periods. The measures of crime used were the total homicide rate, gun related homicide, gang related homicide, and the aggravated assault/aggravated battery arrest