DevilsReject said:
it usually isn't done for reasons like that, for better or worse reasons. It's usually done for the safety of other prisoners. If you've reached the Lecter-level, you'd more than likely kill anyone that was in the cell with you.
I see. That makes sense.
Cause, don't get me wrong, the things Coyotemike listed sound unpleasant... but not so much as sharing a cell with someone else. But again, maybe that's just me.
he might be talking about the disciplinary cell. Where you're put in isolation, usually dimly lit, no outside windows, no contact. Where you go if you decide to be an asshole.
Yup. I was thinking more of the punishment side than the protective side.
Accuser said:
One thing I've always wondered, and maybe this is the recluse in me speaking... but why is having your own cell worse than sharing it with someone else? I know there are other factors, but what are they exactly?
I figure if I'm going to jail, I may as well go for the Lecter-level facility. His place was nice.
also, the enforced climate of exclusion is pretty well documented to make even the most die hard recluse crazy after a while. while you may not prefer to be around people much, you at least have the option. when that option is taken away from you, your brain can do some funky things.
Accuser said:
Right, but I figure I'll get some Clarice-style action going to keep me on my toes.
Yeah, if you want to get out for some fresh air, you can always wear a guard's face.
55
DevilsReject
Cleveland, OH
February 2007
JAN 06, 2009 12:56 AM
Accuser said:
Right, but I figure I'll get some Clarice-style action going to keep me on my toes.
That's kind of a fallacy too.
The idea that investigators use confined serial killers to catch unconfined serial killers just isn't true.
For one, unless they are a copy-cat, no two serial killers usually act in the exact same manner.
The majority of the time, serial killers are caught through DNA evidence, stupid mistakes that plain old flatfoots pick up or just a completely stupid mistake.
For example:
Ted Bundy blew a stop sign and failed to stop for a police officer and was subsequently arrested, and further investigation lead to his conviction. Even when he escaped during his trial, he got pulled over for suspicion of driving under the influence because he was weaving, was immediately recognized and incarcerated.
Gary Ridgeway (The Green River killer, who was convicted of killing and raping 48 women) was caught using DNA evidence. When he first started murdering and raping women (usually their corpses) he left sperm behind. Investigators knew that DNA evidence was the up and coming technology and preserved samples, it eventually caught up to him.
John Wayne Gacy Jr. got caught because he got drunk and told one of his employees that he murdered 30 boys. The employee went to the cops.
Ed Gein (Buffalo Bill, Norman Bates and LeatherFace were based off of him) was simply suspected in the disappearance of a local, police had enough to get a warrant for his property and started finding fun stuff in his shed, which eventually lead to his trial and conviction.
David Berkowitz (son of sam, my neighbor's dog told me to do it!) Was caught more out of dumb luck than anything. Investigators initially thought he was a witness to the crimes rather than the killer. A neighbor called police because he was acting shifty the night of one of the shootings.
Jeffery Dahmer got caught because he lost control of one of his victim's and the victim fled to police. Police initially showed up just to question him, he turned hostile and was arrested, his house was searched and well, dead bodies stored in freezers.....kind of hard to deny murder. He also sexually assaulted most of his victims before consuming them.
Profiling is more TV/Movie fascination more than anything else. It does help in some situations, but it rarely is the knock-out blow that solves the crime. 99.9% of the time a Serial Killer is usually described with the following sentence:
"Omg! he seemed so normal, i didn't think he was capable of this".
Usually, it's the public that helps catch serial killers. Charles McCoy (the guy who was shooting people driving, from overpasses in the Columbus, Ohio area) was caught because the police flooded the general public for anything and everything they thought was odd. Eventually it lead to his arrest.
Serial killers don't tend to be as theatrical as the movies and TV make them out to be. They usually integrate into society well enough to gain the trust of their victims like in the case of Ted Bundy. There are several types of serial killers, there really is no way to profile one, to figure out how another is going to act.
Most of the time psychologists and psychiatrists talk to serial killers just to see how their mind works, to get details of their childhood and their life so they can see signs in other people. The problem with that is, that just because their childhood is similar, it doesn't necessarily mean that the person is going to grow up to be a serial killer.
Coyotemike
USA
May 2006
JAN 05, 2009 10:34 PM