Sadism in sexual homicide offenders: identifying distinct groups

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether it is possible to identify different types of sadistic offenders within a sample of sexual homicide offenders (SHOs).Design/methodology/approachThe study addresses this research question through the use of two-step hierarchal cluster analysi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of criminal psychology 2017-05, Vol.7 (2), p.120-133
Main Authors: Reale, Kylie, Beauregard, Eric, Martineau, Melissa
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Cluster analysis
Crime
Criminal investigations
Homicide
Masochism
Murders & murder attempts
Psychiatrists
Researchers
Sadism
Sadistic personality disorder
Sex industry
Unsolved crimes
Violence
Violent offenders
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Summary:PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate whether it is possible to identify different types of sadistic offenders within a sample of sexual homicide offenders (SHOs).Design/methodology/approachThe study addresses this research question through the use of two-step hierarchal cluster analysis and binary logistic regression utilizing a sample of 350 cases of sexual homicide from Canada.FindingsResults from cluster analysis show that three groups emerge: a non-sadistic group, a mixed group that show evidence of some sadistic behavior and a sadistic group that have high levels of sadistic behavior. Additionally, the sadistic cluster was more likely to destroy or remove evidence at the crime scene than the mixed and non-sadistic cluster and was more likely to leave the victim’s body at a deserted location than the non-sadistic cluster.Originality/valueThis is the first study to examine the dimensionality of sadism within a sample of SHOs.
ISSN:2009-3829
2049-9388
DOI:10.1108/JCP-11-2016-0042