Rape, a horrible crime that scars thousands of females each year, it is such a traumatic experiences that it can leave physical and emotional scars for the rest of the victim’s life. “The Serial Rapist” that was written by Robert R Hazelwood, M. S. and Janet Warren, D.
S. V. gives us a lot of valuable information to help us understand whom serial rapist, how they act, and how they choose their victims. Part 1 of The Serial Rapist the authors talk about the rapist’s characteristics and victims. In order to gather information for this book the authors interviewed 41 serials rapist, “rapist who rape ten or more women” as a group these 41 men were responsible for 837 sexual assaults and more than 400 attempted rapes. Through these interviews members of the NCAVC and selected FBI agents were able to come up with a list of demographics that would be necessary in trying to find out who serial rapist are.
The first area of demographics discussed was age; the sample consisted of 35 white males, 5 black males, and one Hispanic, at the time of the interview ages ranged from 22 to 55 years old with the average age being 33. 5 years old. The estimated time of their first rape was 21. 8, middle rape 25. 8 and their last rape was 29 years old. The next area discussed was employment, 54% of the 37 responses claimed to have had a generally stable work history, 14%of the rapist claimed that their work history was unstable, and 3% claimed to be chronically unemployable.
The type of employment positions held by the rapists might surprise you; they range from un- skilled positions to skilled positions and even white-collar businessmen. The majority of the rapists were employed at the time they were committing the assaults. Now, we move to the topic of marital history. Twenty-nine of the 41 rapists had been married at least once.
34% of them had been married more than once. This shows that the presence of a consensual sexual relationship is not directly related to whether a person commits rape. Military history also came to play in these interviews. 51% of the rapists had served in the armed forces, twenty of them were veterans out of that twenty 10 received an honorable discharge.
The others received other then honorable discharge. Eight of the veterans were charged with a criminal offense while in the service. The serial rapist demonstrated an extraordinarily high level of general intelligence. Out of the 41 Rapist 4 scored below average, 12 average, 17 above average, nine scored “bright normal”, and 8 scored “very superior”. 61%of the 41 interviewed obtained a high school diploma or a GED, 22% held an associate or bachelors degree. At the time the majority of the offenses were committed most respondents were living in single family dwellings, a small amount lived in the apartments a smaller amount of the rapists were institutionalized at the time of their offense.
The majority of those interviewed were living with family, spouses, or children at the time the crime committed. This dispels the popular myth that rapists are lone and isolated people who stay to themselves and have little or no contact with the outside world. The type of vehicles, which were driven at the time of the crime, may seem small to the average man, but it also helps us understand who serial rapists are. The majority of the assaults the rapists used their own vehicles. In seven of the rapes the offenders used the victims cars, while in six of the rapes a borrowed car was used.
A Sedan or hard top vehicle was most popular followed by a pickup truck. Nine of the vehicles were equipped with police scanners, spotlight or police antenna. The FBI also considered the rapist personality valuable information. The majorities were neat, well groomed, sense of humor, very friendly, and tried to dominate their relationships.
They were considered leaders not followers; some were not comfortable with this role. Thirty-seven of the forty-one rapists had hobbies, it varied from outdoor activities to music, reading and collecting coins and stamps. In conclusion, the research of serial rapists leads us to believe that the majority of the men who commit these horrible crimes are just like you and me. Their life took a drastic turn somewhere and they ended up committing these hideous crimes, therefore landing themselves in prison. It also proves that some of our misconception or stereotypes of rapist does not hold true according to the research conducted by Mr. Robert R, Hazelwood, M.
S. and Mrs. Janet Warren, D.S.W.Bibliography:
