The Myth of the Out of Character Crime

The Myth of the Out of Character Crime
Author: Stanton E. Samenow
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2007-10-30
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0313083592

From time to time, into the news burst accounts of regular people who commit crimes that seem totally out of character according to those who know them well. Lee Malvo, one of the D.C. snipers, was known to his friends and family as a smart, promising man. Steven, was a talented, young scientist with no criminal record. No one suspected he was capable of injuring another-until he was arrested for abducting a man, handcuffing him, and threatening to blow off his head with a pistol. What makes these otherwise stable and respected men and women commit crimes? Why do those who know them best not see the signs? Are there clues people can look out for when a person is about to snap? What in the psychological makeup of defendants resulted in their committing crimes? Here, a seasoned forensic psychologist delves into the psyches of these otherwise normal people, whom he has treated and researched for many years. With first-hand experience interviewing and treating such offenders, Samenow is able to offer numerous case examples of everyday people committing extraordinary crimes. He reveals the significant clues that help to unmask these criminals and the seemingly mundane aspects of their daily lives. The way a person handles money, consumption of alcohol, sexual history, marital conflicts, job history and performance, interests and hobbies, reading preferences, ambitions and goals, and reactions to frustrations all contribute to the factors leading up to the criminal act. By probing into these and other aspects of the offenders' lives, the author finds a context for the crimes they commit. He concludes that the out of character crime does not exist, that the crime is merely the outer manifestation of what lies beneath the surface. By taking readers through the steps necessary to understand these criminals, the author shows how we can all read the signs before it is too late. He uses real life examples in every chapter to illustrate his points and readers will come away with a better understanding of how these criminals operate.

Inside the Criminal Mind (Newly Revised Edition)

Inside the Criminal Mind (Newly Revised Edition)
Author: Stanton Samenow
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 417
Release: 2014-11-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0804139911

A brilliant, no-nonsense profile of the criminal mind, newly updated in 2022 to include the latest research, effective methods for dealing with hardened criminals, and an urgent call to rethink criminal justice from expert witness Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D. “Utterly compelling reading, full of raw insight into the dark mind of the criminal.”—John Douglas, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Mind Hunter Long-held myths defining the sources of and remedies for crime are shattered in this groundbreaking book—and a chilling profile of today’s criminal emerges. In 1984, Stanton Samenow changed the way we think about the workings of the criminal mind, with a revolutionary approach to “habilitation.” In 2014, armed with thirty years of additional knowledge and insight, Samenow explored the subject afresh, explaining criminals’ thought patterns in the new millennium, such as those that lead to domestic violence, internet victimization, and terrorism. Since then the arenas of criminal behavior have expanded even further, demanding this newly updated version, which includes an exploration of social media as a vehicle for criminal conduct, new pharmaceutical influences and the impact of the opioid crisis, recent genetic and biological research into whether some people are “wired” to become criminals, new findings on the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy, and a fresh take on criminal justice reform. Throughout, we learn from Samenow’s five decades of experience how truly vital it is to know who the criminals are and how they think. If equipped with that crucial understanding, we can reach reasonable, compassionate, and effective solutions. From expert witness Dr. Stanton E. Samenow, a brilliant, no-nonsense profile of the criminal mind, updated to include new influences and effective methods for dealing with hardened criminals

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu

The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu
Author: Tom Lin
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2021-06-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316542172

Winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence Finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award A Chinese American assassin sets out to rescue his kidnapped wife and exact revenge on her abductors in this New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice: a twist on the classic western from "an astonishing new voice" (Jonathan Lethem). Orphaned young, Ming Tsu, the son of Chinese immigrants, is raised by the notorious leader of a California crime syndicate, who trains him to be his deadly enforcer. But when Ming falls in love with Ada, the daughter of a powerful railroad magnate, and the two elope, he seizes the opportunity to escape to a different life. Soon after, in a violent raid, the tycoon's henchmen kidnap Ada and conscript Ming into service for the Central Pacific Railroad. Battered, heartbroken, and yet defiant, Ming partners with a blind clairvoyant known only as the prophet. Together the two set out to rescue his wife and to exact revenge on the men who destroyed Ming, aided by a troupe of magic-show performers, some with supernatural powers, whom they meet on the journey. Ming blazes his way across the West, settling old scores with a single-minded devotion that culminates in an explosive and unexpected finale. Written with the violent ardor of Cormac McCarthy and the otherworldly inventiveness of Ted Chiang, The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu is at once a thriller, a romance, and a story of one man's quest for redemption in the face of a distinctly American brutality. "In Tom Lin's novel, the atmosphere of Cormac McCarthy's West, or that of the Coen Brothers' True Grit, gives way to the phantasmagorical shades of Ray Bradbury, Charles Finney's The Circus of Dr. Lao, and Katherine Dunn's Geek Love. Yet The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu has a velocity and perspective all its own, and is a fierce new version of the Westward Dream." —Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn

The Criminal Personality

The Criminal Personality
Author: Samuel Yochelson
Publisher: Jason Aronson, Incorporated
Total Pages: 594
Release: 1995-04-01
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1461631157

This is the second of a three volume landmark study of the criminal mind. This book describes an intensive therapeutic approach designed to completely change the criminals way of thinking. The authors reject traditional treatment approaches as reinforcing of the criminals sense of being a victim of society. Rather Yochelson and Samenow stress that the criminal must make a choice to give up criminal thinking and learn morality. A Jason Aronson Book

Crime Human Nature

Crime Human Nature
Author: James Q. Wilson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 644
Release: 1998
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0684852667

From Simon & Schuster, Crime & Human Nature is the definitive study of the causes of crime. Assembling the latest evidence from the fields of sociology, criminology, economics, medicine, biology, and psychology and exploring the effects of such factors as gender, age, race, and family, two eminent social scientists frame a groundbreaking theory of criminal behavior.

Crime, Shame and Reintegration

Crime, Shame and Reintegration
Author: John Braithwaite
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 242
Release: 1989-03-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780521356688

Crime, Shame and Reintegration is a contribution to general criminological theory. Its approach is as relevant to professional burglary as to episodic delinquency or white collar crime. Braithwaite argues that some societies have higher crime rates than others because of their different processes of shaming wrongdoing. Shaming can be counterproductive, making crime problems worse. But when shaming is done within a cultural context of respect for the offender, it can be an extraordinarily powerful, efficient and just form of social control. Braithwaite identifies the social conditions for such successful shaming. If his theory is right, radically different criminal justice policies are needed - a shift away from punitive social control toward greater emphasis on moralizing social control. This book will be of interest not only to criminologists and sociologists, but to those in law, public administration and politics who are concerned with social policy and social issues.

Life After Murder

Life After Murder
Author: Nancy Mullane
Publisher: Public Affairs
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2012-06-26
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1610390296

An award-winning journalist and producer of This American Life traces the stories of five convicted murderers to assess their struggles for redemption, efforts toward parole and first steps in transitioning back to civilian life. 25,000 first printing.

The Less Dead

The Less Dead
Author: Denise Mina
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2020-08-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316528528

In this "thought-provoking" thriller from the author of the Reese Witherspoon book club pick and national bestseller Conviction, a woman in crisis finds herself on the hunt for her own mother's murderer (People). Dr. Margo Dunlop is at a crossroads. Her adoptive mom just passed away, and Margo misses her so much she can't begin to empty the house-or, it seems, get her brother on the phone. Not to mention she's newly single, secretly pregnant, and worried about her best friend's dangerous relationship. In an effort to cheer herself up she goes in search of her birth mother. Instead she finds Nikki, her mother's sister. Aunt Nikki isn't what Margo expects, and she brings upsetting news: Margo's mother is dead. Worse, she was murdered years ago, and her killer is still at large—and sending Nikki threatening letters. Margo is torn. Should she stay out of this mess, or try to find justice? But then Margo receives a letter, too. Someone out there has been waiting and watching, and in Margo sees the spitting image of her mother . . . Darkly funny and deeply affecting, The Less Dead is a sharply modern new thriller from the bestselling author of Conviction, and a surprisingly moving story of daughters and mothers, secrets and choices, and how the search for the truth—and a long-hidden killer—will lead one woman to find herself.

The Myth of Achievement Tests

The Myth of Achievement Tests
Author: James J. Heckman
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 469
Release: 2014-01-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 022610012X

Achievement tests play an important role in modern societies. They are used to evaluate schools, to assign students to tracks within schools, and to identify weaknesses in student knowledge. The GED is an achievement test used to grant the status of high school graduate to anyone who passes it. GED recipients currently account for 12 percent of all high school credentials issued each year in the United States. But do achievement tests predict success in life? The Myth of Achievement Tests shows that achievement tests like the GED fail to measure important life skills. James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, Tim Kautz, and a group of scholars offer an in-depth exploration of how the GED came to be used throughout the United States and why our reliance on it is dangerous. Drawing on decades of research, the authors show that, while GED recipients score as well on achievement tests as high school graduates who do not enroll in college, high school graduates vastly outperform GED recipients in terms of their earnings, employment opportunities, educational attainment, and health. The authors show that the differences in success between GED recipients and high school graduates are driven by character skills. Achievement tests like the GED do not adequately capture character skills like conscientiousness, perseverance, sociability, and curiosity. These skills are important in predicting a variety of life outcomes. They can be measured, and they can be taught. Using the GED as a case study, the authors explore what achievement tests miss and show the dangers of an educational system based on them. They call for a return to an emphasis on character in our schools, our systems of accountability, and our national dialogue. Contributors Eric Grodsky, University of Wisconsin–Madison Andrew Halpern-Manners, Indiana University Bloomington Paul A. LaFontaine, Federal Communications Commission Janice H. Laurence, Temple University Lois M. Quinn, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Pedro L. Rodríguez, Institute of Advanced Studies in Administration John Robert Warren, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

The Myth of Sisyphus And Other Essays

The Myth of Sisyphus And Other Essays
Author: Albert Camus
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2012-10-31
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 0307827828

One of the most influential works of this century, The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is a crucial exposition of existentialist thought. Influenced by works such as Don Juan and the novels of Kafka, these essays begin with a meditation on suicide; the question of living or not living in a universe devoid of order or meaning. With lyric eloquence, Albert Camus brilliantly posits a way out of despair, reaffirming the value of personal existence, and the possibility of life lived with dignity and authenticity.