Post by CCADP on Aug 27, 2005 21:07:41 GMT -5
Rehabilitating killers: Can it and should it be done?
By DIANE CHUN
Sun staff writer
August 27. 2005 6:01AM
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Profile of a serial killer
The following list of traits are the factors most commonly found in serial killers, according to the FBI. Not every serial killer will have all of them, however.
White males in 85 percent of the cases.
25 to 35 years of age.
Kill same type of victim in the same way.
May have physical deformities.
Average or above-average intelligence.
Abused as a child.
Psychopaths.
Few social attachments.
Interest in violent pornography, bondage, detective magazines.
Keeps records of offenses.
No history of arrests in more than half of cases.
History of head or brain injury.
Alcohol or drug abuse.
hen Danny Rolling stalked his young Gainesville victims 15 years ago, he knew exactly what he was going to do to them.
And when he killed them, it felt good.
Whether or not Rolling or other convicted serial killers might be rehabilitated just isn't an issue, many legal experts say. For an outraged public, rehabilitation is not an option.
"In their outrage, juries and judges conclude that they deserve the ultimate punishment," says Christopher Slobogin, a professor in the University of Florida's Levin College of Law.
Jeanne Singer is now the chief assistant state attorney for the 8th Judicial Circuit. In 1993, she was one of three attorneys assigned to the Gainesville student murders and made the case for the prosecution in the murders of Tracy Paules and Manuel Taboada.
"The issue of rehabilitation is not relevant in a case where a person commits crimes as heinous as Danny Rolling has committed," Singer says. "The issue in our criminal justice system for a person like Danny Rolling is punishment."
Slobogin, who is also affiliated with UF's department of psychiatry, has given more than a little thought to the question of whether the punishment fits the crime when a serial killer like Rolling is sentenced to death.
Some mental health professionals will say that even Ted Bundy, who may have stalked and killed as many as 20 young women, including three in Florida, could have been rehabilitated. It is just a matter of time and resources, Slobogin said.
"You must convert someone from a psychopath to a relatively normal person, but many mental health professionals claim it can be done," he said. "It's just a very tough task."
Speaking from the prosecutor's position, Singer said rehabilitation is not an option to even be considered for someone who killed in the violent and heinous way that Rolling did.
"Under the laws of the state of Florida, we have capital punishment as one of our forms of punishment. In this case, the jury having heard all the facts, the recommendation was that he should receive the ultimate punishment, which is death," she said.
Singer said Rolling knew exactly what he was doing when he stalked his Gainesville victims before raping, torturing and killing them. "After he killed them, he mutilated them and then he left the premises, making sure his fingerprints were wiped clean," Singer said.
"It made him high. It made him feel good, which is what makes it even worse," she said.
"There is no issue of rehabilitation and we are not looking to rehabilitate him."
In drawing a portrait of a psychopathic killer, experts portray someone who is not just antisocial, but also a remorseless predator who uses charm, intimidation and, if necessary, impulsive and cold-blooded violence to attain his ends.
"Most of these people are psychopathic," Slobogin said, picturing someone with a conscience as full of holes as a piece of Swiss cheese.
"They don't react to horrible situations the way that most of us do," he said.
Psychopaths can function very successfully in society, Slobogin said. While some would find them charming, others recognize them as manipulative.
"Some become serial killers and some become CEOs," he said. "It's all a matter of upbringing, opportunities and psychological proclivities."
In 1978, the FBI set up a behavioral science service unit in Quantico, Va., to study what traits serial killers seem to have in common.
By studying how a killer murders his victims, who he chooses as a victim, how the body was left and other characteristics of a case, the FBI can develop a "profile" to describe the probable suspect. Profiles can include details such as the killer's age, race, social ties and personal characteristics.
Critics of such profiles worry that police investigating a crime will take them too literally, searching only for people who match the profile, whether or not they are the killer.
Experts stress that a profile is just one weapon in law enforcement's arsenal used to track repeat killers. It may not be the key to unlocking the case.
Slobogin points to a French saying: "The more you understand, the more you forgive."
"If you understand that these persons may have been born with a birth defect, and almost always had horrible childhoods, as a juror you might not vote to acquit, but you begin to understand why they did what they did and at least relent on recommending the death penalty," the legal expert said.
Danny Rolling didn't even try to convince a jury of his innocence. He pleaded guilty.
In the end, Slobogin said, juries and judges don't care about the mitigating evidence when faced with an accused serial killer; they focus on the number of crimes and their nature.
In Singer's view, that is as it should be.
"I love life, and I understand that Danny Rolling is a human being," the attorney said. "But our system has to have some authority and credibility. When you see the youth and the beauty of the people that he killed, and know how horribly he killed them, it will change your perspective on rehabilitation for a person like him."
Diane Chun can be reached at (352) 374-5041 or chund@gvillesun.com
By DIANE CHUN
Sun staff writer
August 27. 2005 6:01AM
Font Size:
forums
e-mail this
subscribe to us
advertisements
Profile of a serial killer
The following list of traits are the factors most commonly found in serial killers, according to the FBI. Not every serial killer will have all of them, however.
White males in 85 percent of the cases.
25 to 35 years of age.
Kill same type of victim in the same way.
May have physical deformities.
Average or above-average intelligence.
Abused as a child.
Psychopaths.
Few social attachments.
Interest in violent pornography, bondage, detective magazines.
Keeps records of offenses.
No history of arrests in more than half of cases.
History of head or brain injury.
Alcohol or drug abuse.
hen Danny Rolling stalked his young Gainesville victims 15 years ago, he knew exactly what he was going to do to them.
And when he killed them, it felt good.
Whether or not Rolling or other convicted serial killers might be rehabilitated just isn't an issue, many legal experts say. For an outraged public, rehabilitation is not an option.
"In their outrage, juries and judges conclude that they deserve the ultimate punishment," says Christopher Slobogin, a professor in the University of Florida's Levin College of Law.
Jeanne Singer is now the chief assistant state attorney for the 8th Judicial Circuit. In 1993, she was one of three attorneys assigned to the Gainesville student murders and made the case for the prosecution in the murders of Tracy Paules and Manuel Taboada.
"The issue of rehabilitation is not relevant in a case where a person commits crimes as heinous as Danny Rolling has committed," Singer says. "The issue in our criminal justice system for a person like Danny Rolling is punishment."
Slobogin, who is also affiliated with UF's department of psychiatry, has given more than a little thought to the question of whether the punishment fits the crime when a serial killer like Rolling is sentenced to death.
Some mental health professionals will say that even Ted Bundy, who may have stalked and killed as many as 20 young women, including three in Florida, could have been rehabilitated. It is just a matter of time and resources, Slobogin said.
"You must convert someone from a psychopath to a relatively normal person, but many mental health professionals claim it can be done," he said. "It's just a very tough task."
Speaking from the prosecutor's position, Singer said rehabilitation is not an option to even be considered for someone who killed in the violent and heinous way that Rolling did.
"Under the laws of the state of Florida, we have capital punishment as one of our forms of punishment. In this case, the jury having heard all the facts, the recommendation was that he should receive the ultimate punishment, which is death," she said.
Singer said Rolling knew exactly what he was doing when he stalked his Gainesville victims before raping, torturing and killing them. "After he killed them, he mutilated them and then he left the premises, making sure his fingerprints were wiped clean," Singer said.
"It made him high. It made him feel good, which is what makes it even worse," she said.
"There is no issue of rehabilitation and we are not looking to rehabilitate him."
In drawing a portrait of a psychopathic killer, experts portray someone who is not just antisocial, but also a remorseless predator who uses charm, intimidation and, if necessary, impulsive and cold-blooded violence to attain his ends.
"Most of these people are psychopathic," Slobogin said, picturing someone with a conscience as full of holes as a piece of Swiss cheese.
"They don't react to horrible situations the way that most of us do," he said.
Psychopaths can function very successfully in society, Slobogin said. While some would find them charming, others recognize them as manipulative.
"Some become serial killers and some become CEOs," he said. "It's all a matter of upbringing, opportunities and psychological proclivities."
In 1978, the FBI set up a behavioral science service unit in Quantico, Va., to study what traits serial killers seem to have in common.
By studying how a killer murders his victims, who he chooses as a victim, how the body was left and other characteristics of a case, the FBI can develop a "profile" to describe the probable suspect. Profiles can include details such as the killer's age, race, social ties and personal characteristics.
Critics of such profiles worry that police investigating a crime will take them too literally, searching only for people who match the profile, whether or not they are the killer.
Experts stress that a profile is just one weapon in law enforcement's arsenal used to track repeat killers. It may not be the key to unlocking the case.
Slobogin points to a French saying: "The more you understand, the more you forgive."
"If you understand that these persons may have been born with a birth defect, and almost always had horrible childhoods, as a juror you might not vote to acquit, but you begin to understand why they did what they did and at least relent on recommending the death penalty," the legal expert said.
Danny Rolling didn't even try to convince a jury of his innocence. He pleaded guilty.
In the end, Slobogin said, juries and judges don't care about the mitigating evidence when faced with an accused serial killer; they focus on the number of crimes and their nature.
In Singer's view, that is as it should be.
"I love life, and I understand that Danny Rolling is a human being," the attorney said. "But our system has to have some authority and credibility. When you see the youth and the beauty of the people that he killed, and know how horribly he killed them, it will change your perspective on rehabilitation for a person like him."
Diane Chun can be reached at (352) 374-5041 or chund@gvillesun.com