Pickton Case Assessment

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08 Fall 08 Fall Knowing the Social Sciences: Pickton Case Assessment Lucy Kervin HSB4ME Bradford 22/02/13 Psychology * Does the perpetrator suffer from any mental disorders that could have lead to the committing of crimes? * What were the reasons behind the committing of the crimes? * Did the perpetrator target only women? What is the reason(s) for this? Psychoanalytic: was the perpetrator exposed to any traumatizing events that could have lead to this behavior? (Ex. aggression towards women by father, etc.) Behaviourism: what was it about the perpetrator’s surroundings that could have had an influence over his criminal behavior? Learning theory: how did the murderous behavior develop? Was the perpetrator taught to murder? Did the method by which he committed the murders develop/change over time (become more refined, better planned or possibly less carefully executed due to increase in confidence)? Sociology * Location of crime (is this important?) * Does the perpetrator’s social network encourage his behavior? * What is it about Vancouver’s culture that allowed the perpetrator to commit crimes for such a long period of time? Could it be that missing addicts and prostitutes are so common that their cases are not taken as seriously? * Are there trends in locations of mass murder? (Pickton had access to vulnerable women through Vancouver’s red light district *prostitutes, drug addicts, easily manipulated Structural functionalism: could it be argued that murder like those committed by Pickton serve a purpose? If he was targeting only prostitutes and drug addicts, could Pickton have felt that he was aiding society in ridding the streets of ‘degenerates’? Neo-Marxism: By murdering women who were drug addicts, was Pickton removing a financial burden from society? Could Pickton’s motives possibly have something to
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