Mass Murder, Suicide, and Moral Development: Can We Separate the Adults from the Juveniles?

Mass murder—the sudden, explosive killing of a group of people—when committed by adults often is followed by the offender committing suicide. Recently in the United States, frequent cases of mass murder are reported as committed by adolescents. However, among juvenile mass murderers, there are no re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 8 - 20
Main Authors Palermo, George B., Ross, Lee E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London SAGE Publications 01.03.1999
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Adults
Age
Age Differences
Children
Children & youth
Criminology
Factors
Homicide
Juvenile delinquency
Juvenile Offenders
Mass murders
Moral Development
Moral Judgment
Morality
Multiple murder
Murder
Murderers
Offenders
Social conditions & trends
Social problems
Suicide
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Summary:Mass murder—the sudden, explosive killing of a group of people—when committed by adults often is followed by the offender committing suicide. Recently in the United States, frequent cases of mass murder are reported as committed by adolescents. However, among juvenile mass murderers, there are no reported suicides (or attempts) by the offenders. This article provides a typology of mass murderers and offers a dynamic interpretation of the development of conscience and moral decisional capacity in adult and juvenile offenders. Preventive measures are explored along with methodological techniques that may distinguish between adult and juvenile mass murderers in their propensity to commit suicide after the events.
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ISSN:0306-624X
1552-6933
DOI:10.1177/0306624X99431002