NCJ Number
107404
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1987) Pages: 169-184
Date Published
1987
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Data from the Houston Fire Department's Investigation Unit for 1978-1979 formed the basis for an analysis of the differences between arson offenses related to revenge or retaliation and those that are instrumental or nonretaliatory.
Abstract
The analysis included all 377 individuals arrested for arson during that period. It examined information on the age, sex, race, motives, and residential locations of those arrested. Almost 54 percent of those arrested had committed arson for revenge, most commonly because of an argument or a verbal or physical confrontation. Individuals who had been barred or evicted from an establishment or who felt that they had been ripped off also committed arson in retaliation. The revenge category also included people whose actions related to their marital separations or divorces, business competition, and sexual rivalry. Important age and racial differences affected the likelihood that an individual would commit arson for revenge. In addition, the analysis of neighborhood characteristics showed the highest arson rates for the Type 6 environment, which is highly transient and largely lower class. For residents of these areas, arson may represent a self-help strategy used in part because of the perception that legal officials are unconcerned and uncommitted to their problems. These offenders may consider their offense as being justifiable and the target as deserving punishment. Footnotes, tables, and 40 references. (Author abstract modified)