This thesis explores the notion that we may be able to more fully understand the etiology of serial murder. Specifically, it concludes that the behaviours of serial murderers can be allegorical of unresolved childhood trauma - that in the murderous actions of the adult there can be a depth of subconscious allegorical connection to the repressed (forgotten) and unresolved trauma of the murderer's own childhood. The focus for this hermeneutic inquiry is the intersection that can be constructed between the phenomenon of serial murder and the assertion of the psychoanalyst Alice Miller that every perpetrator of violence was once a child who was (himself or herself) a victim. Alice Miller's concept of Poisonous Pedagogy is explained and critiqued. Her belief that our childhoods tell the stories of our adult behaviours is questioned in light of the similar theoretical ground of Life History, Life Narrative, Psychobiography, and Psychoanalytic Narrative. Miller's contention that there are directly allegorical connections between childhood abuse and adult murderous behaviours is illustrated by her analysis of the life of Jurgen Bartsch. A hermeneutic examination of the biographic records of two other serial murderers (Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy) is then undertaken to question the available support for Miller's contentions It is concluded that there is strong support for Miller's assertions regarding the etiology of violence, and that violent adult behaviour, even serial murder, can be allegorical of unresolved childhood trauma. It is suggested that there is a need to extend this area of research through face-to-face engagement with perpetrators of violence. It is recommended that we directly engage serial murderers in personal discourses that will allow further exploration of Miller's notion that serial murderers' behaviours are allegorical echoes of harm that was done to them.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, Department of English, General Literature and Rhetoric, 2007. / Free verse and prose poems. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 361-393).

Thesis (MA(Criminology))-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Abstract in English and Afrikaans. Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

Approximately a third of homicide cases go unsolved each year. Research focused on understanding what affects homicide clearance rates is often methodologically underdeveloped and has produced mixed findings. These deficiencies compromise the ability of researchers to provide important guidance to police practitioners seeking to develop best practices. Under-specified modeling and limited access to accurate sources of homicide investigation data are two potential and interconnected reasons for the inconsistencies found in previous studies. The purpose of this study was to expand the literature on homicide case outcomes as follows: 1) to organize predictors into five substantive domains (involved subjects, event circumstances, case dynamics, ecological characteristics, and investigator factors) and operationalize multiple measures of each as viable predictors of clearance outcomes; 2) to explore the utility of using original and verified police data with a larger number of nuanced data points than previously documented in modeling efforts; and 3) to forward a unique multi-method account of the factors that predict homicide case outcomes that can be readily replicated in future studies. Data were collected from one Southern metropolitan police department's 2009 to 2011 homicide investigations (N = 252). Access to official homicide case files allowed for key subject, incident, and evidentiary information to be obtained. Critical investigation details and context were added to the case file data via interviews and survey administration efforts involving the lead detectives that worked the cases. The dataset was further supplemented with Census data. Subsequent analyses included examination of the data quality and multivariate logistic regressions. A comparison of the dataset after the first stage of data collection to the final product was conducted to understand the extent to which the dataset were improved. The multi-method process resulted in more precision to the data recorded from case files, significant reductions in missing data, and heightened detail on key variables. Consequently those data allowed for specification of a multivariate model that included multiple measures from all of the homicide investigation domains. Those results suggest the expanded data more accurately captured the factors that predict clearance outcomes as measures within all five domains were significant predictors of investigation closure.

This thesis deals with the crimes of murder and manslaughter which are regulated under section 140 and 141 of the effective criminal code. The main objective of this thesis is to perform an analysis of the bodies of the mentioned crimes with the help of specialised literature and case law. This thesis is divided into seven parts further split into chapters and points. The first part, which is focused on the historical development of the examined crimes, especially in the period from the foundation of the independent Czechoslovakia to the moment of the enactment of the current criminal code, is split into two chapters. The dividing line between these chapters is the "legal biennial," more precisely the moment of the enactment of the criminal code from 1950 that unified and simplified the existing regulation of the intentional killings as well as the substantive criminal law as a whole. The second part is also divided into two chapters and it places the crimes of murder and manslaughter into a wider context of the first head of the special part of the criminal code and of the systematics of the intentional killings as well. The third part of this thesis is focused on the object (protected value) of the crimes of murder and manslaughter, which is the human life, more precisely the part of the human...

There is growing evidence investigating the aftermath of homicide on those families bereaved. The literature suggests a potentially devastating emotional and psychological impact on family members and loved ones. Despite this, the research focused on developing and empirically evaluating service provision and clinical interventions for this population is sparse and lends its focus to support groups (Blakley & Mehr, 2008) and family therapy (Hatton, 2003). The aim of the current thesis is to conduct an evaluation of a service that provides therapeutic interventions with those bereaved by homicide. It will present a mixed methods approach, utilising thematic analysis of interviews with staff members and quantitative analysis of service user’s psychological distress outcomes. Finally, based on key findings presented, implications for future research, policy development and practice are included.

Resumé The goal of this thesis is to analyse corpora delicti of the crimes of murder and manslaughter according to sections 140 and 141 of the Criminal Code, evaluate their present application by Czech courts, and to point out possible solutions to some problematic or unclarified questions. In the beginning, the thesis concerns itself with historical development of intentional homicides in the Czech country with emphasis on great codifications of 18th and 19th century. Subsequently, the interest shifts onto the question of human life as an object of intentional homicides. The core of the thesis is a thorough analysis of the crimes of murder and manslaughter, their mutual relation, and systematic incorporation in the Criminal Code. After that, there follows a short comparative assessment of the same topic in French law according to Code pénal. Then, attention is paid to developmental stages of mentioned crimes. The chosen topic is methodologically addressed in a way that every subtopic is first examined from the doctrinal theoretical point of view, and then treated in the light of judicial practice. Thus, it is presented how Czech practise of the courts interprets the written law with emphasis on terms and features that have not been used in Czech law so far. The result of this thesis is mainly the discovery...

This master's thesis entitled "The Crime of Murder under Section 140 of the Czech Criminal Code, Criminal-law and Criminological Acpects" provides a comprehensive analysis of the most relevant criminal-law and criminological aspects of the crime mentioned above. As the aim of this thesis is to compose a comprehensive text, this thesis also refers to related legal institutes. It is composed of seven chapters and other subchapters and parts, which are connected and arranged in a logical order. There are also considerations de lege ferenda throughout the entire text. The opening part of this thesis deals with the historical development of the legal codification of murder from the Middle Ages until the contemporary Criminal Code which came into effect in 2010. This Criminal Code introduced some significant changes to the area of intentional killings and murders, especially. This thesis also characterises human life and precisely defines the beginning and end thereof. Such moments are pivotal for the purpose of this thesis as these moments are important for determination whether the murder may have been commited or not. A summary of international and internal legal codification which protect human life is also included. The main part of this thesis analyzes systematically the valid legal regulation of...

Political Trials in the 50's - Karel Vaš The main intention behind this master thesis was to provide a general overview over the historical phenomenon of political trails that took place in the era of early years of communist regime in Czechoslovakia and to put together a life story of the communist prosecutor and the judge Karel Vaš within this grim mosaic. The thesis encompasses the broader historical background and regional frame, the development of related legislation and the apparatus of the state and the communist party involved in political trials. There is also great concern in types and directions of judicial and other persecution, the theme of the rehabilitation of victims and the prosecution of persons involved in making these trials. The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter gives a brief description of the situation in Czechoslovakia after the Second World War. It covers the most important events that led to communists taking over the absolute power in the state and carrying out political trials in the 50's as means for the stabilization of the society. The second chapter is dedicated directly to political trials themselves. This chapter is divided into four subchapters. The first subchapter is about the context, the definition of the term and historical origin of the political...