Crim Assignment #2 PDF

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Assignment #2

Emily Lubas

Dexter Morgan from the series “Dexter” is an impeccable criminal. He is extremely two faced, working for the Miami Metro Police as a blood splatter analyst, in the forensic science category, all while being one of the greatest serial killers. Although, he is not your average criminal, he kills other criminals or serial killers. He is also quick witted. He pretends like he is a normal person with a wife and children, but yet he is an undercover criminal. The only person who knows about Dexter’s secret is his father, who is dead. He sometimes talks with him in his dreams and asks for advice. The reason Dexter is like this is because he is suffering from Schizoid Personality Disorder, also known as “secret schizoid” because he hides it very well. SPD is related to coldness, detachment, and complete lack of interest in normal human interaction. Brian, Dexter’s brother, tells him on an episode that as children, they witnessed their mother’s brutal murder at the hands of drug dealers, and were locked in a crate for two days, surrounded by dead bodies. As Dexter and Brian witnessed the brutal murder of their murder, they both became permanently damaged. The boys were left in a shipping container for two days until police found them, just sitting in blood, so no wonder he has a disorder. Since Dexter was so young, he did not remember that feeling of what happened until thirty years later. The series basically follows Dexter’s escapades as each season is focused on a specific serial killer. This puts him in direct competition with police so he must cautiously balance his secret life with his normal life, in order to not be caught. Dexter has killed around 135 people throughout the series, and that is just the ones recorded during episodes. When Dexter was a kid, his father had already recognized he was a budding psychopath. This stemmed from his violent trauma, lack of empathy, and history of killing animals at a young age. Eventually, his father reached out to Dr. Vogel, a neuropsychiatrist, and he created a code for Dexter to live by that

Assignment #2

Emily Lubas

would prevent him from ever getting caught, or killing the wrong people. This is why Dexter only kills other serial killers; he would never harm an innocent person. This code led to the creation of what Dexter calls his “dark passenger,” which is his inner drive to want to kill; his alter ego. He was taught to turn his trauma and rage into making the world a better place by tracking down murderers and giving them what they deserve. This is why it is important for Dexter to first find real evidence of murder before choosing his victims. Dexter has a method to his madness. He typically stalks and eventually captures his victims, sometimes using a tranquilizer injection to make the process less painful. He then brings his victims to sanitized rooms covered with plastic tarps and saran wrap; this is so there is no chance of any evidence being left behind. The same execution is completed with each victim. Each murderer is shown photos of their victims so that they know why Dexter is killing them. Stabbing victims to the sternum is his method. Shortly after he will saw the bones and dismember the body, stuff it into separate bags, and toss it into the ocean; this is so the bodies are completely disposed of and never found. This is where Dexter gets his name, “Bay-Harbor Butcher.” He keeps a small drop of blood on a microscope slide of each victim. Dexter’s victim demographic varies but all victims must be murderers themselves, as he must pertain to the code given to him. This whole series is technically a big mission to do better in the world and use his anger and rage from his trauma for the better. As mentioned prior, Dexter suffers from Schizoid Personality Disorder. It is quite uncommon but if acquired then that person will tend to avoid social activities and shy away from any unnecessary interaction with others. They tend to also have a limited range of emotional expression. This is very similar to how Dexter acts. Child abuse like Dexter experienced can be the cause of this disorder, and also increases the risk of later forms of antisocial behavior,

Assignment #2

Emily Lubas

including violence, perpetration, and crime in adulthood. People with any trauma are at overall risk for incorrectly perceiving emotions of others and reading others intentions disproportionately. The likelihood of committing a violent crime or homicide, is normally higher for those who suffer from Schizoid Personality Disorder as well. This explains why Dexter has such an urge to be a serial killer. Age Graded Theory proposed by Sampson and Laub, also explains why Dexter is the way he is. Age Graded theory however is a life course theory that explains criminality as a dynamic process that occurs over a life course, (Siegel, 2018). Life course theory is also a developmental theory that focuses on changes in criminality over the life course brought about by shifts in experience and life events. Basically, early onset of deviance strongly predicts more frequent, varied, and sustained criminality later in life. The best predictor of future criminality is past criminality. Dexter has a history killing animals in order to relieve his anger, so this is a good example of a predictor that Dexter will eventually be killing people instead of animals. Age graded theory, specifically life course theory, suits Dexter’s criminal life well. This is because he is the way he is due to experiences in his life. He has a psychological trait that urges him to want to commit crime. Dexter never got to transition through life properly, so his disruption with his mothers murder, was extremely destructive and ultimately was what promoted his criminality. The cumulative impact of these disruptions sustains criminality from childhood into adulthood, (Siegel, 2018). Typically criminals that go through something as Dexter did, become rapists, extremely violent criminals, or in his case, murderers. What makes Dexter unique, is that he turned his rage and urge into attempting to be a decent human. Dexter’s mother was a drug addict before she was murdered. This immediately put Dexter at risk for feeling neglected and alone. One night he defended himself, claiming he killed

Assignment #2

Emily Lubas

a noisy dog that was barking and keeping his mother up. His brother knew this was not normal, as he found other bones in the backyard, not just from the dog. This is when Dexter himself, just as a child, realized he wanted to kill more than just animals, he wanted to kill people, but not anyone in general. He went on hunting trips as a teen to try to let his anger out but it eventually was not enough. Dexter tried blocking it out, but he knew he would be emotionally screwed for the next several years of his life. Thankfully Dr. Vogel came into his life and showed him how to control and focus his dark urges. Life course theory is appropriate for Dexter in every sense of the theory. His criminal career finally unfolded after his first murder. His brother ended up in the hospital one night and he noticed that a nurse named Mary, was overdosing his brother along with other patients. Dexter realized she was basically murdering her patients, so he went ahead and killed her. It was his first human kill so it was extremely messy, this is why he reinstated a whole method after her, in order to never get caught. But the only reason he feels this urge to hurt people that hurt others, is because he witnessed something very excruciating as a toddler. Overall, Dexter’s life is explained by developmental theory of life course theory. According to life course view, as children, people begin behaviors that will determine their entire life course, (Siegel, 2018). With the murder and neglect of his mother, Dexter began getting a rage to kill, followed by adrenaline after he killed animals. He knew he would end up being a criminal one way or another. In his case, he at least gets to use it for some good purpose, and only kills those who deserve to be killed. But generally, those who grow up with a past such as Dexter, are bound to end up becoming serial killers and violent criminals. Thus when discussing this theory, the best example of a child who had a messed up childhood and becomes a unique and multi personality criminal, is the “Bay-Harbor Butcher”, Dexter Morgan....