Rodrigo Dresdner
Public Forensic Institute, USA
Title: Arsonist behavior pattern: A qualitative model
Biography
Biography: Rodrigo Dresdner
Abstract
Aim and method: By taking on account ideological and motivation factors, firesetting proceedings, environment influences and psychiatric and psychological matters related to arson it was possible to classified and design an adult arson model. The research analysis was focused on medical and criminal records and forensic psychiatry reports from an arsonist population (N = 197) referred for mental assessment at the Medical Legal Service in Chile, over a twelve-year period (1999-2011).
Conclusion: Psychological, psychiatric and criminological aspects were useful on describing arsonist characteristics and analysis of their personal meanings given to different steps of firesetting displaying (before, during and afterwards) report clinical and forensic knowledge of different types of fire setter defendants, as well. Eight arson patterns were obtained, including mood and emotional disorders related, revenge motivated, alcohol and substance intoxication associated with neglect or antisocial behavior, ideological and criminal factors, and pyromania. Psychopaths were able to display arson behavior in different ways and seem to be considered as a special category of this clinical, forensic and criminological phenomena.