Characteristics

FireFocus is a web-page designed and ran by psychologist Rebekah Doley, her sight has many different links pertaining to the subject of arson and arsonists. I found this sight helpful because of its information about the profiling of an arsonist. According to the web page, "Arson is predominantly committed by males, a trend which is consistent with patterns of participation in criminal activity" The web-page also gave information in which arsonists where commpared to other arsonists and then compared to other criminals.

When comparing female arsonists to male arsonists the web-page states; "Female firesetters are more likely to set fires for emotional reasons and to target residential property. Male firesetting behaviour tends to target commercial property and has a more instrumental focus.

When the article speaks on arsonists in relation to other criminals the thesis is; "In terms of their demographic profile arsonists are typical of offenders generally. Where arsonists differentiate themselves from other offenders is mainly in the type of anti-social behaviour they undertake.

The information in this sight was helpful due to the fact that it gave different points of view on the topics of arson and arsonists. I was greatly surprised by all of the information contained within this web-page. I

Interventions

Having almost extinguished my research opptions, I came cross the sight "Australian Institute of Criminology" this sight covers several topics on arsonists. There are links on this sight that speak on the prevention of arson, the treatment of arsonists, programs to help young arsonist, and many different related topics. The information in this article is based off of research done in Australia, and the cases of arson done there. the thesis I pulled from "Australian Institute of Criminology" is that arsonist is actually preventable, and that if caught and treated can be "cured". According the article; "Two main approaches are used in these intervention programs: educational and psychosocial." The intervention programs mentioned above, are those that involve both young children (5-10 years of age), and older children ( 10-17 years of age)

The information contained in the articles within this sight were most in lighting, and have helped me to considerably further my knowledge of arsonists. This article gave me several different points of view on the treatment of arsonists, and also raised questions which have been helpful to me in helping me to continue my research.

FireFighters

When looking for information on arsonists, I came across an article that contained information that could be considered somewhat disturbing. The article "FIREFIGHTER ARSON: LOCAL ALARM" talks about the many different cases throughout the U.S. where the cause of the fires, were those people who were suppose to be fighting the fires.

The author, Ken Cabe, summons up the feeling of on this topic quite well. He states:"Righteous indignation comes easy when the guilt is somewhere else. But when the headlines scream “Fireman Arrested for Arson,” it gets downright personal.


In truth it does become personal. When looking at firefighters I see true heroes, firefighters are people who put their life on the line to save and protect others. However, when those heroes becomes the cause of that which they are saving us from, not only does it shake the faith in them as individuals but it also shakes the faith in the entire firefighting force.

Abuse

Upon continuing my research on arsonists, I came across several articles that talked about the early life of arsonists. Many of the arsonists who's backgrounds were researched, showed early childhoods' characterized by abuse, ether physical or emotional. So when considering the best way to treat an arsonist, the back ground of the arsonist should be taken into account.

If in fact the arsonist was abuse and that is why he or she is setting fires, than the treatment plan for the arsonist should revolve around that abuse and should address the psychological and physical pain that they were and are going through.

Anger

While doing research on the apparent reasons that arsonists set fires, I came across an article on WebMD.com. In this article, they speak with psychologist Joel Dvoskin, who is a member of the "American Board of Forensic Psychology" Dr. Dvoskin states that the mane motivation behind arsonist's is anger. While not always the motive, it is the leading cause. This web sight was also helpful in giving the common age range of arsonists. Many arsonists, according to the article, are teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19.
All in all this article was helpful for informing me of the basic model of arsonists.

Introduction

Hello~
Welcome to my blog page, my name is Kathryn, and I have created this blog for my English composition II class. This blog will be following my research as I learn about the different treatment plans available to arsonists. I plan on writing an essay on this topic, and will post my finding on the subject. If you would like to makes suggestions or just give me your opinion that would be fantastic. Thank you for visiting my blog.

Sincerely,

Kathryn