Fire outbreaks can be big or small but are still a danger to lives. Invariably, whenever arson takes place, the public is often left to wonder the motives for committing the act. However, a serial arsonist is the one that habitually and compulsively starts fires. Stolt (2012) notes that most serial arsonists have unclear motives for committing the crime and that they are often unaware of the devastating damages caused by their actions. Moreover, they are different from the occasional offenders since arson attacks pose a high social threat to the public (Stolt, 2012). Therefore, they are mostly classified as felonies and even if serial arsons are often viewed as motiveless, there is always something that caused the act from the offender.
There have been an increased number of juvenile serial arsonists in the society. According to Roe-Sepowitz and Hickle (2011), over half of the persons arrested for arson offenses in 2004 were aged below eighteen. When assessed further, those offenders typically come from homes that are disorganized and dysfunctional. Most of them grew up with parents that were often absent hence lacked adequate behavior monitoring, and felt unaccepted (Roe-Sepowitz & Hickle, 2011). Hence they are more likely to commit arson for revenge, vandalism, or simply for fun and curiosity. However, most serial arsonists may also be suffering from a mental disorder. Others may be motivated by problems in their private lives such as crimes of passion, envy, revenge, jealousy or disappointment. All in all, serial arsonists prefer the same targets. For instance, arson was used as a precautionary act in the case of Pennsylvania v. Daniel Dougherty. The accused was sentenced to death for the murder of his two sons in a house fire after allegedly confessing to his second ex-wife of having started the fire with gasoline.
References
Roe-Sepowitz, D., & Hickle, K. (2011). Comparing boy and girl arsonists: Crisis, family, and crime scene characteristics. Legal & Criminological Psychology, 16(2), 277-288. doi:10.1348/135532510X505500
Stolt, F. (2012). Serial Arson. Study of a phenomenon. SIAK-Journal − Journal For Police Science And Practice, 2, 58-67. http://dx.doi.org/10.7396/IE_2012_F
