THE ENIGMATIC CRIME: A STUDY OF ARSON IN NEW YORK CITY.
Item
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Title
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THE ENIGMATIC CRIME: A STUDY OF ARSON IN NEW YORK CITY.
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Identifier
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AAI8601656
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identifier
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8601656
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Creator
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JACOBSON, MICHAEL PAUL.
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Contributor
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Edward Sagarin
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Date
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1985
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Sociology, Criminology and Penology
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Abstract
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Until recently, fire has been thought of as an accidental and frequently tragic phenomenon. Even in New York City, which over the last several decades has experienced more fires than any city in the country, this attitude has dominated the perceptions of policy makers, law enforcement officials as well as those of the general public. Because of this complacent attitude on the part of government officials, arson has flourished, physically destroyed entire sections of New York City, caused irreparable damage to the city's economy, destroyed the social fabric of several communities, and has maimed and killed thousands of city residents over the last decade.;As New York City officials belatedly began to address arson, a myriad of problems emerged. City agencies battled over turf and official arson statistics greatly underestimated the number of arsons and especially arson for profit.;Due to a number of problems--forensic and investigative difficulties in determining which fires are purposefully set, limited financial resources committed to arson investigation, and the wide range of motivations for committing arson (ranging from revenge and building stripping to sophisticated arson for profit schemes)--the arrest and conviction rate for arson is far lower than for any other violent felony. Thus, very little is known about what types of people commit arson. An examination of a sample of convicted arsonists reveals that almost no one is convicted for arson for profit in New York City and, for those who are convicted, the setting of the fire is usually preceded by a highly stressful event such as the severing of a close personal relationship.;While no existing theory of crime causation can sufficiently explain arson in all its manifestations, a Marxist framework which incorporates other middle range criminological theories has the most explanatory power.;Reforming the insurance industry, which has traditionally done little to stop arson and, in fact, has indirectly encouraged it, instituting multi-government agency anti-arson efforts, training and assisting community groups, and increased prosecutorial and investigative resources are all urgent reforms if arson, and especially arson for profit, is to be significantly reduced.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Sociology
