Toward an etiology of arson: Issues of classification and homogeneity.
Item
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Title
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Toward an etiology of arson: Issues of classification and homogeneity.
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Identifier
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AAI9000723
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identifier
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9000723
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Creator
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Pisani, Angelo Louis, Jr.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Carl Wiedemann
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Date
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1989
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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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This study examines research on the etiology of arson which sees arsonists as a homogeneous group suffering from psychopathological disorders. The review of the literature depicts a body of literature fraught with methodological problems. It demonstrates--through the quantitative analysis of data on 1507 offenders convicted for a variety of crimes in New York State--that the major reason researchers have failed to gain any useful knowledge about the etiology of this crime is due to the utilization of the legal offense classification system which assumes that this group (arsonists) is homogeneous, when in fact it is more likely that it consists of offenders who committed a variety of crimes and who for some reason chose the instrument/ weapon fire to facilitate the instant offense.;In addition, the study also cautions policy makers that by engaging in juvenile firesetter programs (which are inevitably based on the historical perception of arsonists being "sick") they may be wasting valuable resources and chancing more harm than good by subjecting such juvenile offenders to differential "treatment" and thereby labeling them.
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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.
