Criminology Case Study - Mass Murder Research Paper

Criminology Case Study - Mass Murder - Research Paper Example This time of murders mostly occur in single locations where victims are killed by the murderer. The aim of this paper will be explaining the crime of mass murder and its relationship with the above three theories. A case in point will be on a mass murder of an individual who shot dead 12 movie goers in a movie theatre in Denver. James E.Holmes is accused of acting alone in the incident. According to Burke (2009), a mass murder can be committed by an individual or by organizations. This type of mass shootings has in recent times increased in number and magnitude. Shootings are occurring in schools and other social places in alarming frequency. Innocent children and adults have lost their lives due to indiscriminate mass shootings. After carrying out investigations, the FBI concluded that Holmes was acting alone. Crimes have a background and objectivity to occurrence (Carole et al, 2010) and this paper will try understanding the crime of mass murders from this perspective. The Crime Th e suspect, Holmesis accuse of indiscriminately shooting 12 victims dead and seriously injuring 58 others in a movie theatre in Denver Colorado. Holmes legally bought guns and ammunition in the Denver area and proceeded to a movie theatre that was screening a movie by the title â€Å"The Dark Knight Rises†. ... According to the law, Holmes faces charges of mass murder among other charges and accordingly faces a life sentence in jail if found guilty. Hagan (2010) explains that crimes are committed by criminals and therefore Holmes could be inadvertently a serialized criminal even though his criminal past only consisted of a single traffic summon.According to Fox & Levin (2012), over 90% Americans of Americans advocate for background checks on individual who purchase arms as a way of controlling who owns arms.Crimes of this nature have and still continue to occur. Mass murders are becoming a common scenario in the everyday life of American Citizens. There has been a gradual increase in use of lethal force during these incidents. The reason behind an individual taking up arms and killing fellow humans according to Brent &Kraska (2013) can be attributed to personality as well social structures around the individual among other factors. In light of these factors, the three theories shed light on the reason behind this crime of mass shootings. Rational Theory Starting with the rational theory that seeks to explain the reason why individuals behave the way they do, especially so for criminal related behaviors. According to (Hagan, 2010), blame is directed toward personal choice as the reason behind crime. An individual like Holmes might have carried out the mass shootings in the movie theatre out of personal choice. The authorities determined that Holmes was working alone and therefore there could be incidents of persuasion on him. Welsh (2008)states that human beings are rational and thus individuals choose behavior, criminal on otherwise, based purely on rationality. The basis of this rational behavior is an analysis on cost versus benefit of choice.