Arson

Paper Summary:

The paper defines arson and explores the reasons or motives behind this destructive crime. The paper talks about pyromaniacs whose motivations are often simply the thrill of the fire. The paper also considers the increase in juvenile crime related arson and discusses how this may stem from a traumatic childhood. The paper then looks at how fire investigators determine whether arson was the cause of a fire.

From the Paper:

"Over thirty thousand structural fires are set annually at a cost of over three-quarters of a million dollars worth of damage and more than three hundred lives lost. Additionally over twenty thousand intentionally set vehicular fires occur causing more than one hundred thirty million dollars in damages and an additional two hundred lives lost. Arson is responsible for twenty five percent of all fires and is the second leading cause of all residential fire related deaths."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Abrahamsen, David. The Psychology of Crime. New York: Columbia University Press, 1960.
• "Arson." US Fire Administration. 2007. FEMA. 12 Nov 2007 <http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/arson/>.
• Grolnick, Wendy S., Robert E. Cole, Loretta Laurenitis, and Paul Schwartzman. "Playing with Fire: a Developmental Assessment of Children's Fire Understanding and Experience." Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 19.2 (1990): 128-135..
• Kolko, David J. "Aggression and Psychopathology in Matchplaying and Firesetting Children: a Replication and Extension." Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 20.2 (1991): 191-201.
• Kolko, David J., Amy D. Herschell, and Deborah M. Scharf. "Education and Treatment for Boys Who Set Fires: Specificity, Moderators, and Predictors of Recidivism." Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 14.4 (2006): 227+.

More papers on Arson:

• Term Paper # 119661 : "The Arson Epidemic"
• Case Study # 149403 : "A Case Analysis of Arson"
• Essay # 63918 : "An Investigation of Arson and Fraud"
• Essay # 74314 : "Arson"

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