Serial Arson and Fire-Related Crime Factors (From Handbook of Psychological Approaches With Violent Offenders: Contemporary Strategies and Issues, P 397-416, 1999, Vincent B. Van Hasselt and Michel Hersen, eds. -- See NCJ-179662)

• NCJ Number: 179678
• Author(s): Allen D. Sapp; Timothy G. Huff; Gordon P. Gary; David J. Icove
• Date Published: 1999
• Length: 20 pages
• Sale Source: Kluwer Academic Publishers
• Publication Format: Book (Hardbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter on serial arson and fire-related crime factors presents a statement of the problem, discusses the classification of arsonists' motivations, and describes the Serial Arsonist Project.

Abstract

The information in this chapter resulted from the ongoing research conducted by the National Center of the Analysis of Violent Crime at the Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy in Quantico, Va. The research stemmed from a concern about the extent of serial arson in the United States. Serial arson is an offense committed by firesetters who set three or more fires with a significant cooling-off period between the fires. Following a definition of terms ("arson," "arsonist," and "accelerant"), arson is classified by style and type ("mass" arson, "spree" arson, and "serial" arson). A section on the classification of arsonists' motivations identifies six motive categories that have proven most effective in identifying offender characteristics: vandalism, excitement, revenge, crime concealment, profit, and extremist. The latter category refers to the setting of fires to further social, political, or religious causes. The Serial Arsonist Project, which is described in this chapter, involved the identification and interview of incarcerated serial arsonists. The final sample for the study involved 83 serial arsonists. Study findings are presented according to a motive-based analysis of the offenders. 30 references