Case Study Analysis and Findings

Lisa Braden

CRJ 522: Psychological Factors in Criminal Justice

Professor Blake Lafond

December 21, 2021

Jeffery Dahmer Criminal investigation

Psychological history and evaluation of the offender

The following assignment is based on the case analysis of Jeffery Dahmer, who is also known as Milwaukee Cannibal because of his affinity for human meat. Jeffery Dahmer was a famous sexual offender and serial killer responsible for the death of approximately 17 men and boys between 1978-1991. Eventually, Dahmer was convicted for 15 of these murders and got life sentences in 1992 after being classified as mentally able to participate in a trial. It is essential to have a psychological evaluation of Dahmer, who was born in 1960; he was suffering from a borderline personality disorder.

The criminal mental state was the real culprit that caused him to preserve the body parts of his victims, participating in necrophilia and digesting their body parts. The case received worldwide attention because of the sheer insanity and lurid details that came along with it. However, Dahmer could only spend two years inside the jail because he got killed by his fellow inmate Christopher Scarver. The following assignment is based on the concepts studied in the course and Curtis R. Bartol's book.

Analysis of the behavioral, psychological, and environmental factors

According to experts, the behavioral outcomes in the cases were the results of specific activities that happened throughout the childhood of Dahmer. In this particular case, Dahmer seemed to be an average child until he recovered from his hernia surgery at the age of 6. When he was 8, Dahmer's parents realized that he was having issues developing social relationships and participating in combined events (Havela, 2020). In simple words, ever since Dhamer was a child, he was withdrawn, aloof, and did not like to participate in the conversation. When Dahmer reached the age of 13, he further developed issues with alcohol that led him to have schism with his father, and he was also kicked out of the army because of his alcoholism issues. Although Dahmer never killed any animal when he was younger, but he used to strip the skin of animals from roadkill and other various dead animals.

Dahmer was also famous in his school for being a strange child who was often involved in prankish behavior. After three weeks from graduation from high school, Dahmer killed his first victim. It is essential to understand the behavior of Dhamer under "Psychology of crime and delinquency" being discussed in the book. According to scholars, it is a science of the mental and behavioral processes of juvenile and adult offenders.

Summarization of psychological history in the case

The way Dahmer killed his first victim shows the condition of his mental state. Dahmer killed 18 years old Steven Hicks when he was hitchhiking and lured by Dahmer to his home under the influence of alcohol. When Hick was leaving, Dahmer attacked him with 10 pounds of dumbbell; he then masturbated over his body and cut the remains of his body. Dahmer burned Hick's flesh and smashed his bones before burying them under his house. During the investigation, Dahmer agreed that he had always had sexual fantasies of domination since he was 16, but he never thought of following these fantasies before this incident. According to concepts discussed in the course, the book, and the detailed analysis of the case. Dahmer had not experienced any risk issue in his life as he was brought up in a secure and loving environment until his parents got divorced and he dropped out of high school. Dahmer had suffered from any actual barrier in his well-being and health other than what he brought for his anti-social behavior. Dahmer's fascination with animals was odd, but he claimed that it started after he was asked to remove den of rodents by his father when he was 10.

Most serial killers start Killin with animals before getting their hands on Killin humans. Moreover, these serial killers experience traumatic events or events in their childhood that lead them into developing such behavior (Bartol & Bartol, 2019). However, in Dahmer's case, he does not fit this profit. However, he does demonstrate traits of killing people for his sexual excitement as he normally sexually abuses people before strangling them to have a sense of control and power while killing them. For example, he used to drill holes in his victim's heads and damage their brain with acid to have a way of preserving his control.

Evaluation of any psychological influence in the case

Dahmer was diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder reflected from his antisocial behavior. In Dahmer's case, he used to feel lonely after his hernia surgery, and he could never recover from it mentally. He could not develop relationships and could not even make eye contact with people that increased the lack of association for him. The excessive use of alcohol is another essential determination of his mental illness, as many people with mental illness are addicted. Ultimately, lack of treatment and mental illness Lear Dahmer becomes a mass murderer. He enjoyed the feeling of power, control, and sexual fulfillment. Dahmer further said he could not feel like stopping, another important indicator of mental illness.

Mental health referral and identification of psychological issues

Despite many diagnoses from the psychologist, including substance use disorder, borderline personality disorder, psychotic disorder, substance use disorder, necrophilia, and schizotypal personality disorder, Dahmer was never found NGRI. It was because he comprehended the moral and legal wrongfulness for his steps and acts to hide his crimes. Police found two heads in his refrigerator, four torsos in a receptacle and two torsos in the freezer, around seven Bodies with skin completely stripped off. "The police also found a shrine that Dahmer said he used to honor his offerings."

The court argued that Dahmer used to drink before killing his victims to prove that he had complete control over himself as he used to decide to consume. Dahmer also said that he had no memory of killing his victim's ad he only wanted to drug and sexually assault them. According to Ted Cahill, Dahmer's extreme homosexual Daniel was also responsible for his crimes. Dahmer wished to eliminate any homosexual shame by committing these crimes. He further said that his internalized homophobia may have contributed to his violent acts against any men that he deemed attractive (Silva, 2002). One strange thing about Dahmer's crimes is that he never intended to hide his crimes; he told inside that there is no point in hiding his crimes. The behavior is also different from regular Criminal profiling because one famous serial killer Ted Bunty tried to hide his crimes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it can be said that the assignment is based on the concepts of forensic psychology discussed in the book written by Bartol and the course material. The selected case is unique because Dahmer never faced any childhood trauma. Still, his anti-social behavior and shame from his homosexual tendencies forced him into committing these heinous crimes. The case is one of the most known cases in the history of the USA. It can be concluded that specific psychological patterns can be seen from the case. So, it can be said that various factors contributed behind criminal behavior of Dharmen including his addiction for alcohol. Moreover, Dharmen anti-social behavior also made him look for power over other.

References Bartol A., & Bartol C. (2019). Introduction to forensic psychology: Research and application (5th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc. Havela, S. (2020, October 25). Into The Forensic Psychology Of Jeffrey Dahmer And His Crimes. Retrieved from Study Breaks: https://studybreaks.com/thoughts/dahmer/ Silva, J. A. (2002). Case of Jeffrey Dahmer: Sexual Serial Homicide from a Neuropsychiatric Developmental Perspective. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 1347-1359.