Dr. Edward Blackwelder

30^th Annual Social Work Seminar

Jacksonville State University

Department of Sociology and Social Work

April 1, 2011

My eleventh grade term paper assignment was to research and write a report on Crime in America.  It sounded interesting but I knew very little about the subject.  I went to my high school library and began to search for book and articles on the subject of crime.  I found several books and the more I read the more interesting the subject became; I was hooked.  Forty nine years later I am as hooked as ever and see no end in sight for my craving to learn more and more, not about what people in society do but why they do it.

I was fortunate in that I went on to college, earned degrees in crime related fields—political science, sociology and criminal justice and then move into the realm of theology where crime is often mentioned.  After graduating from college I landed a job as department chairperson for a criminal justice/sociology program at a North Alabama college and remained in this position until my forced retirement due to Parkinson’s disease and related health issues.

If the is one thing you learn after forty six years as a student of crime it’s that the world is full of predators and they are often very difficult to spot.  They come in all shapes and sizes, from every nationality, from the nicest neighborhoods to the poorest, and from every walk of life, men and women.

They come in many forms: the seemingly nice elderly man who scams you of your life’s savings, the priest that repeatedly rapes the choir boy, the stalker who kills college women, the neighbor who lures innocent children, the toxic boss who makes life miserable for his employees, the nurse that wants to rid the world of the elderly, the father who iimprisons and rapes his own daughter, or the husband who terrifies and beats his wife daily.  They are all predators; they are in every way psychopaths.

What psychopaths have in common is a profound sense of entitlement to do as they please, to seek reward by any method, to deviate from rules and social norms, to violate laws as well as the dignity of others.  They feel no compassion for those they offend or victimize.  They suffer no guilt feelings and have no remorse, they are without conscience.

Most people think of psychopaths as violent offenders, such as my friend and serial killer Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, the worst I ever met, David Berkowitz the prisoner turned preacher, Jeffrey Dahmer, Dennis Lynn Rader the BTK killer and others.  To be sure there are many like these guys, but most psychopaths operate under the radar of judicial or law enforcement scrutiny.  They are embezzlers, white-collar criminals, politicians, government leaders, teachers, attorneys, ministers, even members of law enforcement.

Like snakes, psychopaths are plentiful, but only a few snakes will kill you; the others, make us uncomfortable, fearful, and ruin a good day.  Psychopaths can have dreadful, long-term effects when they are leaders of countries—Stalin, Hitler and Castro for instance—or when they live or work close to us.  Their capacity to ruin lives fills the front pages of our newspapers and certainly constitutes the vast majority of cases that are brought to criminal trial.  In fact, it is estimated that anywhere from 60-80% of our prison population—most of the recidivists—is composed of psychopaths as I define the term.  I say “as I define” because not everyone can agree on what definition is most accurate for a psychopath.

Psychopaths or psychopathy are not recognized by the American Psychiatric Association.  They prefer the gentler euphemistic term “Antisocial Personality Disorder.  The APA says that these Antisocial Personalities have a “pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others,” and who do at least three of the following things:

1. Fail to conform to social norms—they commit criminal acts.
2. Are deceitful, lies, use aliases, con others.
3. Are impulsive or fail to plan ahead.
4. Are irritable and aggressive—fighting, punching, kicking or assaulting.
5. Have reckless disregard for the safety of self and others.
6. Are irresponsible when it comes to jobs, chores, obligations, or commitments.
7. Lack remorse and are indifferent to suffering of others or rationalizes injuries caused to others.

This list may work for those that are not on the front line of dealing with humanity but for those of you that are on the front line, in the trenches, dealing with humanity, many times at its worst you want and need more information.

It doesn’t help us to properly identify these individuals until their acts are so terrible either we, or someone we know, is victimized.  You and I must deal with them as neighbors, workmates, spouses, or leaders.  And we must deal with them in real time without the expectation that anyone else is going to step in and identify these individuals for us. 

These has to be a better way to identify these social predators who do such great harm, who violate rules, know no boundaries, steal or plunder, all without remorse.

Dr. Robert Hare, considered the world’s leading expert on psychopathy has stated; psychopaths are “intra-species predators.”  They have the “capacity to do great harm, repeatedly, without remorse.” 

Lacking a conscience or remorse, they violate rules, laws, norms, and human rights with no regard for those they offend.  And while they can be charismatic, charming, witty, intelligent and good looking, they can also be smelly, ugly, and creepy.  They can be the nice looking older couple next door or the good-looking guy going to the gym.  What they do have in common is a lack of empathy or concern for you and me.

They are cold and indifferent, almost reptilian in their attitude toward others.  They suffer no guilt and are not bothered by socially restraining norms of decency.  They hate getting cause, but not committing their offense.

It’s difficult for us to understand why someone would kill a young child and it becomes almost impossible to understand the killing of 30 million people, but that’s exactly what Joseph Stalin, a psychopath, did.  Look to at Theodore Robert Bundy, a friend of mine for a number of years leading to his execution in Florida; Wayne Williams the infamous Atlanta child murderer, Ken Bianchi, an inmate I have come to know quite well.  Then there is Charlie….Charles Milles Manson, the one psychopath more people ask me about that all others combined even after forty plus year since his rampant crime spree took place.

It’s difficult for us to understand because we aren’t psychopaths.  Stalin made the statement, “Kill one person and it’s a national tragedy, kill a million people it is a statistic.”  And so he did because he could and that is the nature of the psychopath.  They get away with as much as they can.

When Ted Bundy was on Florida’s death row and facing the electric chair in less than twenty-four hours his question to a corrections officer was, “how does my hair look?”  This was as he was about to begin the standard press conference given to a condemned inmate the day before his or her execution. 

Some of these individuals live in our neighborhoods and it’s up to us to try to identify them, not law enforcement because they don’t have the manpower and police officers can’t be everywhere.  Some of these psychopaths work with children or even as church leaders.  A case in point is Jack Walls III the Lonoke, Arkansas, Chamber of Commerce Man of the Year, son of a prominent Chancery Judge, strong church worker and Boy Scout Troop Leader. 

Of course not all psychopaths kill in brutal ways.  Sometimes their need for power, control, and God-like dominion over others can be exercised in more subtle ways.  We must be prepared to look for clues because the police can’t do it alone, and the people who do these kinds of crimes are psychopaths.

And then there are the parental psychopaths, these are the ones that main, torture, humiliate, degrade, or kill their own children.  Some do it slowly over the years, breaking bones, burning them, binding them to poles and there are others who do is swiftly as a matter of convenience. 

FBI HIGH RISK REGISTER

1. Alcohol abuse
2. Drug abuse
3. Psychiatric history
4. Criminal history
5. Sexual problems
6. Physical abuse
7. Psychological abuse
8. Dominant father figure
9. Negative relationship with male caretaker figures
10. Negative relationships with both natural mother and/or adoptive mother
11. Treated unfairly
12. Head trauma
13. Demon seed

Lee (1988) also created a variety of labels to differentiate killers according to motive.  Serial murderers generally fall within “power or domination.”  Lee’s label listing includes:

     1.  Profit

     2.  Passion

     3.  Hatred

     4.  Power or domination

     5.  Revenge

     6.  Opportunism

     7.  Fear

   8.  Contract killing

   9.  Desperation

 10.  Compassion

 11.  Ritual

A serial killer is typically defined as an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time (a “cooling off period”) between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is largely based on psychological gratification.  Other sources define the term as “a series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually, but not always, by one offender acting alone” or, including the vital characteristics, a minimum of at least two murders. Often, a sexual element is involved with the killings, but the FBI states that motives for serial murder include “anger, thrill, financial gain, and attention seeking.” The murders may have been attempted or completed in a similar fashion and the victims may have had something in common; for example, occupation, race, appearance, sex, or age group.

Don’t walk in front of me,

I may not follow.

Don’t walk behind me,

I may not lead.

Walk beside me

And just be my friend.

 ———————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

• § In 2009, the estimated number of violent crime offenses was 1,318,398, a decrease of 5.3 percent over the 2008 estimate.
• § All violent crime offense estimates decreased in 2009 when compared with the 2008 estimates. Robberies decreased 8.0 percent; murders decreased 7.3 percent; aggravated assaults decreased 4.2 percent; and forcible rapes decreased 2.6 percent.
• § The 2009 violent crime rate was 429.4 per 100,000 inhabitants, a decrease of 6.1 percent when compared with the 2008 violent crime rate.
• § When compared with 2008 rates, violent crime rates in 2009 declined in all offense categories.
• § In 2009, the murder rate was 5.0 per 100,000 inhabitants, an 8.1 percent decrease when compared with the rate for 2008.
• § The estimated number of property crimes in 2009 was 9,320,971, a 4.6 percent decrease from the 2008 estimate. The 2009 property crime rate, 3,036.1, was down 5.5 percent when compared with the 2008 figure.
• § The estimated number of motor vehicle thefts decreased 17.1 percent and larceny-theft and burglary decreased 4.0 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.

In fact, the FBI was only occasionally involved in investigating the possibility of UFOs and extraterrestrials over the years. The first Bureau investigations we are aware of began in the summer of 1947—the time of the now well-known incident in Roswell, New Mexico. A rash of reports of flying objects—some shaped like “flapjacks,” saucers, discs, and even a large circular saw blade that supposedly hit a lightning rod on top of a church—started to surface and make headlines across the nation.

Concerned citizens reported many of these strange sightings to the FBI. That wasn’t surprising, given that the Bureau had investigated airline crashes such as the Hindenburg disaster in 1937 and aerial dangers like the balloon bombs launched by Japan toward the U.S. Pacific Northwest near the end of World War II. The FBI’s lead role in protecting the homeland during the war was also well known, and the Bureau remained front and center in ensuring national security as the Cold War began to unfold.

Initially, it was not clear how UFO sightings should be handled. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover recognized that the Air Force—then part of the U.S. Army—clearly had the lead in such issues, but he did want his agents to investigate any “discs” recovered for their potential impact on FBI responsibilities.

The Army did want the FBI’s help—at least at first. On July 30, 1947, the Bureau issued this notice to all of its offices:

(B) Flying Discs – The Bureau, at the request of the Army Air Forces Intelligence, has agreed to cooperate in the investigation of flying discs….You should investigate each instance which is brought to your attention of a sighting of a flying disc in order to ascertain whether or not it is a bona fide sighting, an imaginary one or a prank.

Three years later, that policy changed. A July 1950 FBI statement said that “the jurisdiction and responsibility for investigating flying saucers have been assumed by the United States Air Force. Information received in this matter is immediately turned over to the Air Force, and the FBI does not attempt to investigate these reports or evaluate the information furnished.”

From this point, the FBI’s cases on UFOs dropped off dramatically. Neither the public nor the Air Force sought our expertise as they had during the first few years of the Cold War.

There were a few exceptions. In 1977, for example, the Air Force informed us of the end of their “Project Blue Book” investigation of UFO reports. And in 1988, we were asked to look into the release of what appeared to be a 1952 classified document concerning a UFO-related top secret government group called “Majestic 12”—we determined that the document was a fake.

To learn more, see the investigations of “Unusual Phenomena” in our Freedom of Information Act Reading Room.

Resources:
- FBI History website ]]> http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/04/unidentified-flying-objects/feed/ 0 http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/03/public-corruption-federal-bureau-of-investigation-criminal-priority/ http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/03/public-corruption-federal-bureau-of-investigation-criminal-priority/#comments Sat, 27 Mar 2010 05:57:50 +0000 Blackwelder http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/?p=266 PUBLIC CORRUPTION
Why It’s Our #1 Criminal Priority   03/26/10      

Public corruption is a breach of trust by federal, state, or local officials—often with the help of private sector accomplices. It’s also the FBI’s top criminal investigative priority. To explain why the Bureau takes public corruption so seriously and how we investigate, we talked with Special Agent Patrick Bohrer, assistant section chief of our Public Corruption/Civil Rights program at FBI Headquarters.

Question: Why is public corruption so high on the FBI’s list of investigative priorities?
Answer: Because of its impact. Corrupt public officials undermine our country’s national security, our overall safety, the public trust, and confidence in the U.S. government, wasting billions of dollars along the way. This corruption can tarnish virtually every aspect of society. For example, a border official might take a bribe, knowingly or unknowingly letting in a truck containing weapons of mass destruction. Or corrupt state legislators could cast deciding votes on a bill providing funding or other benefits to a company for the wrong reasons. Or at the local level, a building inspector might be paid to overlook some bad wiring, which could cause a deadly fire down the road.

Q: Can you describe the kinds of public corruption that the FBI investigates?
A: It really runs the gamut. Bribery is the most common. But there’s also extortion, embezzlement, racketeering, kickbacks, and money laundering, as well as wire, mail, bank, and tax fraud. Right now, based on our intelligence on emerging trends, we are focused specifically on several major issues: corruption along our national borders; corrupt officials who take advantage of natural disasters or economic crises to divert some of the government’s aid into their own pockets; and a myriad of officials who may personally benefit from the economic stimulus funding.

Q: Where do you find this corruption?
A: Just about everywhere—at the federal, state, and local levels throughout the country. And I should point out, the vast majority of our country’s public officials are honest and work hard to improve the lives of the American people. But a small number make decisions for the wrong reasons—usually, to line their own pockets or those of friends and family. These people can be found—and have been found—in legislatures, courts, city halls, law enforcement departments, school and zoning boards, government agencies of all kinds (including those that regulate elections and transportation), and even companies that do business with government.

Q: How does the FBI investigate public corruption?
A: We’re in a unique position to investigate allegations of public corruption. Our lawful use of sophisticated investigative tools and methods—like undercover operations, court-authorized electronic surveillance, and informants—often gives us a front-row seat to witness the actual exchange of bribe money or a backroom handshake that seals an illegal deal…and enough evidence to send the culprits to prison. But we have plenty of help. We often work in conjunction with the inspector general offices from various federal agencies, as well as with our state and local partners. And we depend greatly on assistance from the public. So let me end by saying, if anyone out there has any information about potential wrongdoing by a public official, please submit a tip online or contact your local FBI field office. Your help really makes a difference.

Resources ]]> http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/03/public-corruption-federal-bureau-of-investigation-criminal-priority/feed/ 0 http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/03/federal-bureau-of-investigation-top-ten-most-wanted/ http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/2010/03/federal-bureau-of-investigation-top-ten-most-wanted/#comments Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:34:58 +0000 Blackwelder http://criminologyresearch.org/blog/?p=263

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Ten Most Wanted Fugitives   March 14, 2010 marks the 60th Anniversary of the FBI’s “Ten Most Wanted Fugitives” list. View information regarding the current Top Tenners.

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