avid Berkowitz was known as the “Son of Sam”. He was a serial killer in the NYC
ID: 3465245 • Letter: A
Question
avid Berkowitz was known as the “Son of Sam”. He was a serial killer in the NYC area during the span of 1976-1977. Prior to his apprehension, the media coverage of the events were at a fever pitch. The newspapers, to some degree, sensationalized the events and aided in spreading a panic across the city. People were scared, curfews were observed and it made a significant social impact. This week, we’ll explore the effect of serial killers on society and on criminological policy. Address the following prompts:
• What are the Son of Sam Laws and how did this case influence them? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_Sam_law)
• In your opinion, what kind of social and psychological pressure/effects did these crimes have on the surrounding area? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/nyregion/07sam.html?rref=collection/ti&_r=0)
• What is “Rational Hedonism”? How does this contradict the actions of a serial killer? (http://www.rationalhedonism.org/ethics.html)
• We know that formal and informal social controls keep society in check. For serial killers, do these “work”? Why/Why not?
Explanation / Answer
A Son of Sam law is any law designed to keep criminals from benefitting from the publicity of their crimes. It can influence them because it does not intend to enable asset forfeiture.Criminals are unable to take advantage of their crimes.It can also go beyond the criminals to their friends and family members who seek to profit by sharing these stories and their relation to the criminals. The social and psychological effects these crimes had on surrounding area are: people faked the way they looked in order to deter the killers, young people avoided lonely silent streets and psychologically, there was an immense fear and anxiety among everyone. Rational Hedonism proposes that pleasure is good and it should be maximized and pain should be minimized. It contradicts the actions of a serial killer because rational hedonism believes in respecting the freedom of other individuals and making decisions only after weighing the pros and cons of its consequences. Checks on social controls may or may not work in case of serial killers. This is because the reason behind their killings is unknown. It could be society related or it could also be a psychological issue. If the issue is psychological, then a social control may not solve the issue completely.
Related Questions
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.