Chapter 2 (continued)
Table
4
Revenge Motivated Arsonists
|
Characteristic
|
Personal
retaliation
(n=1)
|
Group
retaliation
(n= 1)
|
Institutional
retaliation
(n=7)
|
Race
|
Black
|
White
|
White
|
Age
|
41
years
|
22
years
|
Average
20.5 yrs
|
Type
of fires set
|
Personal
area/ property of victim
|
Berthing
area where group lives
|
Nuisance
fires in common areas of the ship
|
Residence
|
Off
ship
|
On
ship
|
On
ship
|
Number
of fires
|
One
|
One
|
1-5
(total 20)
|
Alcohol
involved
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Yes
(57 percent)
|
Time
of fires
|
Night
|
Night
|
Night
(90%)
|
Location
|
Cabin
|
Berthing
area
|
Varied
|
Disciplinary
record
|
None
|
Yes
|
Yes
(100%)
|
|
Table
5
Common Characteristics of
Excitement Motivated Arsonists
|
Characteristic
of the Arsonist |
Thrills-motivated
(n=2) |
Recognition-motivated
(n=4) |
Race |
White |
White |
Age |
20,
21 years |
Average
20.75 years |
Type
of fire set |
Major
conflagrations |
Nuisance
fires |
Residence |
On
ship |
On
ship |
Number
of fires set |
1
to 2 |
1
to 5 |
Alcohol
involved |
No |
No |
Time
of fires |
Night |
Night
(80%) |
Location |
Storage
(2) vehicle (1) |
Varied |
Reporting,
warning, fire fighting activities |
Does
not participate |
Participates
to some degree (100 percent) |
Disciplinary
Record |
No |
50
percent |
|
There
were insufficient numbers of offenders in the vandalism and profit motivation
classifications to yield "typical" descriptions. However, it is
likely that profit (discharge) motivated arsonists will set fires in their
own berthing areas, usually involving their bunk or property, and will remain
at the scene. Profit motivated arsonists usually set a single fire and readily
confess to the offense. Arsons motivated by the desire for an early discharge
from the military services are a subtype of profit-motivated arson (profit
motivated arsons-other, Douglas, et al, 1992). The individual has a personal
gain, which may be indirectly material, from the arson if it results in the
desired discharge from the armed services. One can argue that release from
a stressful and unwanted environment, along with freedom from military authority
and the rigors of military life, equates to a material gain for some. Alcohol
will probably not be involved in profit motivated fires but will be a factor
in vandalism motivated arsons.
Revenge
motivated arson was the most common type found in this study with 50 percent
of the arsonists being classified as revenge motivated. Revenge motivated fires
are most likely to be set at night and may be set in a variety or areas. When
the fire is a personal retaliation fire, it will likely involve the living area
or property of the intended victim. Group retaliation fires will be set in the
area where the group lives or works. Institutional retaliation fires may be
set in varied locations, including work spaces. Most likely the revenge motivated
arsonist will have a prior military disciplinary or adjustment problem record.
Consumption of alcohol beverages prior to setting the fires is a common characteristic
of revenge motivated arsonists. Institutional retaliation arsonists may set
more than one fire while the other types of revenge motivated arsonists are
more likely to set a single fire.
Fires set by excitement motivated arsonists must be examined in two distinct
classifications. The excitement-thrills motivated arsonist is probably the most
dangerous of all arsonists who set fires aboard naval ships. This individual
is likely to set fires at night in storage or supply areas where major conflagrations
result. Alcohol is typically not involved in the excitement motivated fires.
The excitement-recognition motivated arsonists, in contrast, set nuisance type
fires in varied locations and actively participate in the fire fighting effort,
through reporting, warning, and fire fighting activities. The excitement-thrills
arsonist is unlikely to have a prior military disciplinary record while the
excitement-recognition arsonist may have such a record or a record of difficulty
in adjusting to the military.
Almost
all of the arsonists in this study selected targets at random, used unsophisticated
ignition methods, available materials as combustibles, and common accelerants
such as lighter fluid and cleaning solvents . In this study there were no elaborate
incendiary devices, delayed timing mechanisms or devices, trailers, or other
indications of well-planned, organized arsons noted.
The
choice of locations for arsons aboard naval ships tended to be in areas where
the arsonists were familiar with the scene. There appeared to be little pre-planning
or selection of specific targets by most of the arsonists. When a specific target
was chosen, that target was generally selected for retaliatory purposes. Available
materials and accelerants were used for the fires and the most common ignition
device was a cigarette lighter. Only two arsonists took an accelerant to the
scene of the fire. One used lighter fluid to ignite a cabin door in a sleeping
area and the other carried toluene to a storage area.
All
but one of the arsonists in the study held an enlisted rank. All but three (83
percent) were in the lowest three enlisted ranks, suggesting that all were likely
to be serving their first term in the Navy. Two others were in the E-4 rank.
The oldest offender, aged 41 years, was a Department of Defense civilian employee.
The study indicates that arsons aboard naval ships are offenses committed by
young offenders. The average age for 17 of the offenders was 20.4 years. Combined
with the rank data, this again suggests the offenders are most likely to be
serving their first term in the Navy.
Another
prominent feature of the arsons was the use of alcoholic beverages by 44 percent
of the arsonists. It is possible that others may have consumed alcohol before
setting fires but that information was not available. Drug use was not a characteristic
of any of the arsonists studied.
The
arsonists and the arsons included in this study do not differ significantly
in characteristics and motivations from those studied previously by the ABIS.
This suggests that arsonists who set fires aboard naval ships do so because
the ships are their current places of work and residence. It is probable that
these arsonists would have committed arson offenses, given similar motivations,
in other environments and circumstances.
Mass
and serial arsonists were represented in the study. The mass arsonist set five
fires at the same location during a limited period of time. He set five fires
over a two to three hour period of time in different heads on the ship. One
of the fires was set in a washing machine with a pair of dungarees and the other
fires involved paper in the heads.
Five
of the 18 arsonists in this study were classified as serial arsonists. The serial
arsonists set three or more fires with a cooling off period between the fires.
In this study the cooling off period ranged from a few hours to more than a
week. Three of the serial arsonists were revenge-motivated, retaliating against
perceived injustices by the Navy or supervisory personnel. One set three fires
8-9 hours apart. Another set three fires with 12 hours between the first two
and the third two days later. The remaining serial arsonist motivated by revenge
set four fires, two on one night and two more on the next night. Two of the
serial arsonists were excitement-motivated. One set four fires at intervals
ranging from one to five days. The other set five fires with the interval between
fires ranging from one day to 10 days.
There
appear to be several distinctions that can be drawn between the actions and
behaviors of arsonists who set fires aboard naval ships. The arsonists motivated
by vandalism, early discharge desires, and revenge tend to set fires that can
be described as nuisance fires. They usually set fires in bathroom areas, berthing
areas and other relatively public areas where the fires were likely to be quickly
discovered and extinguished. Paper and cloth materials were most likely to be
selected for the combustible materials in the fires. While fires in berthing
areas are serious because of the danger to persons who may be sleeping in those
areas, the reality is that such fires are not likely to spread very rapidly
without discovery.
Excitement-motivated
arsonists, on the other hand, tend to set fires that result in major conflagrations.
The fires set by the excitement-motivated arsonist are more likely to be set
in storage or supply areas where large amounts of combustible materials are
stored and where fires have an opportunity to spread and intensify. The fires
set by excitement-motivated arsonists in this study accounted for almost all
of the damage losses.
This
distinction suggests that, in terms of potential danger to personnel, fires
in berthing areas are much less dangerous than fires set in storage and supply
areas where the fires rapidly spread. The danger of smoke from a storage area
fire probably exceeds the danger from a nuisance fire set in a berthing area.
|