Why Do They Do It?

There is no one factor that explains all the varied acts of senseless violence. What makes some crimes more difficult to understand is their irrational nature. For example, it is hard to comprehend why a person would walk up to total strangers and stab them to death or why someone would drive by a house and shoot at random.

Some claim that violence is inherent in people. Others argue that senseless crimes cannot be explained as an unavoidable part of human nature.​—See the box “Doomed to Violence?”

Many experts believe that there are a host of factors and circumstances that are catalysts inclining people to commit irrational, violent acts. A report published by the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) Academy in the United States goes so far as to say: “Homicide is not the act of a sober, sane, individual.” Some authorities would take issue with the wording of that statement. Nevertheless, many agree with what it implies. For some reason the thinking of those committing senseless crimes is not normal. Something has affected their reasoning to the point that they will do the unthinkable. What contributing factors move people to do such things? Let us look at several possibilities that experts have mentioned.

Breakdown of Family Life

Marianito Panganiban, a spokesman for the National Bureau of Investigation in the Philippines, was asked by an Awake! writer about the background of those who commit extreme crimes. He commented: “They come from broken families. They lack care and love. There is a breakdown of people’s moral fiber in the sense that they have no guidance and then they go astray.” Many researchers suggest that poor family relationships and violent family backgrounds are common among aggressive criminals.

The U.S. National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime issued a report listing factors that could identify youths who might commit lethal violence in school. The following family factors were included: a turbulent parent-child relationship, parents who are unable to recognize problems in their children, a lack of closeness, parents who set few or no limits on a child’s conduct, and children who are extremely private, leading a double life and thus hiding a part of their life from their parents.

Today many children are victims of family breakup. Others have parents who have little time for them. Thousands of young ones have grown up with inadequate moral and family guidance. Some experts feel that such an environment may result in children’s not developing the ability to bond well with others, thus making it easier for them to commit crimes against fellow humans, often without remorse.

Hate Groups and Cults

Evidence suggests that some hate groups or cults have been a strong influence in the commission of certain crimes. In Indiana, U.S.A., a 19-year-old black man was walking home from a shopping mall. Moments later, he was lying on the side of the street with a bullet in his brain. He had been shot by a young man who picked him at random. Why? The assassin allegedly wanted to gain membership in a white-supremacist organization and to earn a spiderweb tattoo for having killed a black person.

The 1995 nerve-gas attack in a Tokyo subway; the Jonestown, Guyana, mass suicide; and the deaths in Switzerland, Canada, and France of 69 members of the Order of the Solar Temple were all cult inspired. These examples illustrate the powerful influence that certain groups have had on the thinking of some people. Charismatic leaders have got people to do the “unthinkable” by tempting them with some supposed benefit.

The Mass Media and Violence

Some point to evidence that various forms of modern communication may encourage aggressive conduct. Regular exposure to violence depicted on television, in movies, in video games, and on the Internet is said to desensitize the conscience and inspire violent crimes. Dr. Daniel Borenstein, president of the American Psychiatric Association, stated: “At this time there are more than 1,000 studies based on more than 30 years of research demonstrating a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children.” Before a U.S. Senate committee, Dr. Borenstein testified: “We are convinced that repeated exposure to entertainment violence in all its forms has significant public health implications.”​—See the box “Computer-Game Violence—​A Doctor’s Viewpoint.”

Specific cases are often cited to show that this is true. In the case of the triggerman involved in the cold-blooded murder of a couple watching the sunrise on a beach, mentioned in the preceding article, prosecutors presented evidence that the thrill killing was inspired by repeated viewing of a violent movie. In a school shooting where 15 people were killed, the two student perpetrators were said to have spent hours each day playing violent video games. Additionally, they repeatedly watched movies glorifying violence and killing.

Drugs

In the United States, the rate of murder committed by teenagers tripled during an eight-year period. What do authorities point to as one factor? Gangs, particularly gangs involved with crack cocaine. Of over 500 recent homicides in Los Angeles, California, “the police said 75 percent were gang related.”

A report published by the FBI Academy makes this statement: “Drugs are present in an inordinately high number of homicide cases.” Some people whose thinking is warped by drug use kill while under the influence. Others defend their drug trafficking by using violence. Obviously, drugs are a powerful factor influencing people to commit horrendous acts.

Easy Access to Destructive Weapons

As mentioned in the preceding article, a lone gunman in Tasmania, Australia, killed 35 people. He wounded 19 others. The man was armed with military-style semiautomatic weapons. This led many to conclude that easy access to such weapons is another factor in the rise of violent crimes.

One report shows that there were only 32 gun murders in Japan in 1995, most involving gangsters killed by other gangsters. In contrast, the United States had more than 15,000 gun murders. Why the difference? Japan’s stringent gun ownership laws have been cited by some as a reason.

People’s Inability to Cope

When hearing of certain heinous acts, some may react by saying, ‘That person must be crazy!’ However, not all individuals committing such crimes are mentally deranged. Many, though, do have difficulties in coping with life. Experts point to personality defects that may lead to extreme acts. Among them are the following: learning and social deficiencies; negative effects of physical or sexual abuse; antisocial characteristics; hatred of a certain group, such as women; lack of remorse when doing wrong; and a desire to manipulate others.

Whatever their problem is, some become so consumed by their difficulty that their thinking is altered, and this can lead them to commit strange acts. An example is a nurse who abnormally craved attention. She injected little children with a muscle relaxant that caused their breathing to stop. Then she basked in the attention she was given as she “saved” each child. Unfortunately, she was not able to get them all to resume breathing. She was convicted of murder.

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FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO VIOLENT CRIMES

Many experts feel that the following can contribute to senseless crimes:

Family breakdown

Hate groups, extremists

Dangerous cults

Violence in entertainment

Exposure to actual violence

Abuse of drugs

Inability to cope with problems

Easy access to destructive weapons

Certain conditions of mental illness