The Nature of Instrumentality and Expressiveness of Homicide Crime Scene Behaviors

Adjorlolo, Samuel; Chan, Heng Choon

doi:10.1177/1524838015596528

Cited by 37 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…However, the serial cases did to a higher extent display instrumental crime scene behaviour such as stranger and female victim, planning, strangulation, forensic awareness, and staging. Even though no statistical testing was conducted regarding the instrumental/expressive dichotomy, this study lends support to the evidence reported by Adjorlolo and Chan ().…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Another interesting circumstance is the difference between single‐ and serial‐homicide offences in relation to the instrumental/expressive dichotomy of crime scene behaviour. Adjorlolo and Chan () has in their review on the instrumental/expressive dichotomy concluded that there is strong evidence for the typology from different homicide samples but also different settings. As found in Table , it is evident that the single‐homicide offences in this study to a higher extent involved expressive crime scene behaviour such as intoxication, blunt violence and knife, acquainted victims, defence wounds, and that the victim was hit several times.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparing serial homicides to single homicides: A study of prevalence, offender, and offence characteristics in Sweden

Sturup

2018

Journal Invest Psychology

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Multiple and serial homicides constitute around 1.6% of all homicides but have unusually tragic outcomes. The aims of this study were to report the prevalence serial‐homicide offences and the characteristics of serial‐homicide offenders in a non‐North American context. The study included all convicted serial‐homicide offenders in Sweden from 1973 to 2012 (n = 25), as well as a population‐based control sample of single‐homicide offenders collected during 2007 and 2009 (n = 201). Similar to U.S. findings, approximately 1.6% of homicides could be attributed to serial‐homicide offenders. Serial offenders were more often diagnosed with personality disorders and autism‐spectrum disorders compared with single offenders; and serial offences more often involved victims who were female and unacquainted with the offender, as well as planning, sexual motives, and asphyxia as method of violence. One third of serial offences involved actions aimed at disguising the manner of death; such actions were considerably less common in single‐homicide offences. Few offenders displayed the traditional profile of a serial‐homicide offender; however, one third displayed sexual motives, a rate roughly 10 times higher than that in the single‐homicide group. The study concludes that serial‐homicide offenders should be subjected to forensic‐psychiatric examinations and that research involving cross‐contextual differences and similarities in serial‐homicide offenders is needed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing serial homicides to single homicides: A study of prevalence, offender, and offence characteristics in Sweden

Sturup

2018

Journal Invest Psychology

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“…Sexual violence is generally construed as instrumental, that is, as a means to gain something or some advantage with a measure of forethought or expressive so committed in anger or as a response to perceived provocation (see Adjorlolo & Chan, ). Burgess, Hartman, Ressler, Douglas, and McCormack () defined sexual homicide as the “result from one person killing another in the context of power, control, sexuality, and aggressive brutality” (p. 252).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The primary motivation of sexual homicide offenders in China: Was it for sex, power and control, anger, or money?

Chan

Liu

et al. 2019

Criminal Behav Ment Health

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Background Information on sexual homicides in China is scarce, particularly with respect to the offenders' primary motivation for the offence. Aims Our aim was to examine how offence characteristics of sexual murderers relate to different primary motivations. Methods The offender, victim, and offence characteristics of 67 sexual homicides, derived from police data of three regions and published case reports (1994–2017), were explored and compared according to offenders' primary motivation. Results Heterosexual sexual homicides were committed by offenders who were mainly driven by power and control, sex, and anger, compared with slightly over half of those who motivated primarily by financial gain. Sexual murderers whose killing was mainly driven by sex, money, and anger were more likely to target strangers, whereas offenders who motivated primarily by power and control were more likely to target an intimate partner. Victim abduction was more frequently seen in offenders who were motivated predominantly by money than other motives. Relative to financial gain as primary motivation, sexual killers who were mainly driven by sex, power and control, and anger were more likely to mutilate their victim. Implications for practice This study adds data to a field rarely studied anywhere and hardly at all in China. Findings may offer some help for criminal investigators who need to prioritise their investigative strategies. Once the individual is convicted and sentenced, they may help direct management and/or therapeutic strategies.

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“…Similarly, many research studies have established a homicide classification, based on the Instrumental/Expressive dichotomy of aggressive behavior (Salfati and Park, 2007;Goodwill et al, 2014;Adjorlolo and Chan, 2015;Sea and Beauregard, 2017;Pecino-Latorre et al, 2019b). However, some authors consider that the Instrumental/Expressive instrument is an excessive simplification of the violence as it attributes the behavior to only one psychological construct (Häkkänen et al, 2004b;Thijssen and De Ruiter, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Action System Model: A Typology of Spanish Homicides

et al. 2020

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The Action System model offers a scientific foundation to the differentiation and classification of crimes, based on behavioral indicators, allowing the establishment of relationships between the actions carried out by the offender on the crime scene and their characteristics. Although it was originally developed for application to fires, its utility has been tested in distinct criminal typologies, with few studies having considered homicides. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness and validity of the Action System model to differentiate thematically between the structure of the homicides and to create a typology of simple homicides in Spain, based on the relationships between the modus operandi, characteristics of the victims and characteristics of the offenders. The sample consisted of 448 homicides. Four homicide typologies were identified: Expressive, Adaptive, Integrative and Conservative, which represent 87.5% of the studied cases. Expressive homicides are impulsive, with offenders having criminal records and previously knowing their victims. Adaptive homicides are linked to robberies and sexual aggressions, in which the victim and offender are strangers. Integrative homicides take place in the family environment, specifically female offenders and femicides. Conservative homicides are very well planned, highlighting the presence of post mortem actions. The findings of this work suggest that the Action System model is a useful theoretical framework for the identification of variations in criminal behavior and understanding of the psychological processes underlying the homicides. These results have practical implications in the academic setting, since they offer a global perspective as to how simple homicides in Spain may be differentiated, also within the framework of criminal profiling, specifically, suspect prioritization.

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The Nature of Instrumentality and Expressiveness of Homicide Crime Scene Behaviors

Cited by 37 publications

References 57 publications

Comparing serial homicides to single homicides: A study of prevalence, offender, and offence characteristics in Sweden

Comparing serial homicides to single homicides: A study of prevalence, offender, and offence characteristics in Sweden

The primary motivation of sexual homicide offenders in China: Was it for sex, power and control, anger, or money?

The Action System Model: A Typology of Spanish Homicides

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