Paper Example on Richard Kuklinski's Crimes

Introduction

Richard Kuklinski was born in 1935, on 11th April as the second child in New Jersey. The mother was a Catholic and believed in actively disciplining the children while the father was an alcoholic. Furthermore, the father kept beating and abusing both children and the wife. At one time the father killed Kuklinski's brother, but he hushed the real cause and claimed that the child fell downstairs. Both the father and the mother abused Kuklinski. Richard Kuklinski and his family lived in the low-income neighborhood, and he also got known for his quick tempers. Kuklinski case's fame emerged after investigators identified him as the serial killer who killed people mainly by using cyanide and hiding the bodies in ice. He also got a job as a contract killer for American mafia families. He admitted committing over hundred murders. After his arrest, he got nicknamed the 'Iceman.' In criminology there exist numerous theories that may be applied to explain his case. The approaches include situational choice and biological.

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Situational Choice Theory

This approach states that the crime committed get motivated by the person being in that particular place and that right time and his or her ability to commit the crime (Coyne & Eck, 2014). The criminal accesses a suitable and unguarded or unprotected target. According to Cullen and Wilcox (2018) stated that some places like staying in public areas, taking public transport, lone houses which increase chances of being violently victimized. Numerous past findings found that situational victimization opportunity occurred due to the offender getting exposed to the attractiveness of the target, inadequate monitoring and risky outdoor activities (Cullen & Wilcox, 2018).

Therefore, when Kuklinski got abused, he chose to fight back and kill because the victim offered an atmosphere for him to practice his rage. Further, the mafia families provided a situational choice model for Richard to commit his crime. The Mafia families gave Kuklinski a job that is compatible with his dangerous lifestyle. Cullen and Wilcox (2014) describe a study where they discovered that a person could get offered with an exposure creating a situational choice in situations like spending nights while having fun on campus and taking drugs. At this moment the people in that setting offers a criminal an easy target, or they can easily commit a crime due to intoxication. Further, the study stated the proximity of the offender and attractiveness of the target regarding financial expenditure increased chances of a person's victimization (Cullen & Wilcox, 2014).

Further, lack of crime awareness increased chances an individual facing crime victimization. Moreover, research illustrates that adolescent's exposure to specific setting raises chances of choosing deviant behaviors (Siegel, 2016). For instance, Kuklinski was familiar with his father's abuse which could have influenced his choice of actions. The studies on teen victimization, especially school-based ones, further reveal the fact that schools extracurricular practices often raises the risk of facing victimization, maybe because the attendance exposes the adolescent to their peers in off-hours when grown up guidance of activities is low (Cullen & Wilcox, 2014). Such the occasions can expose the teens to gangs, weapons, drugs and high risk of victimization. Kuklinski was bullied while in school which later made him decide to kill the bully boy. Research consistently illustrate that teens who got exposed to weaponry, gangs, and drugs, are at an increased danger of victimization and that 27% of the current impact of gang association on victimization was as a result of selection, and 73% of the effect was endogenous to criminal groups membership (Cullen & Wilcox, 2014). Thus, the teens got a situation where they had no choice but to accept being part of such activities. The study concluded that dangerous behaviors impact selection into the criminal groups, but that situation also gets catalyzed by gang association (Cullen & Wilcox, 2014). Therefore, Kuklinski was available at the right time and circumstance. The mafia families even offered a contract killer job in the right place where Richard could easily access his victims. According to Cullen and Wilcox (2015), a further criminogenic impact happens to people who spent life in unstructured socialization like in local centers, outdoor public parks and cities in areas with undesired collective efficacy. Some findings claim the situational opportunity can provoke an offender. Kuklinski killed some of his victims because they were in a lone setting. Sometimes crime in this model is regarded as a chosen, moral decision prompted by what is believed as right against wrong in a specific situation. Further, Cullen and Wilcox (2015) expound that environmental provocation can come from the moral context of an environment. Some places show strict standard rules of mannerism and powerful control through effective measures and supervision while other areas show adaptation of different behaviors or do not have any active control tools. The latter can push people like Kuklinski to decide to commit crimes without caring the effects of his actions. The theory maintains that deviant behaviors are a chosen moral action among many behavioral choices founded on the association between a person propensity and criminogenic setting exposure.

Biological Theory

According to Lee and Choi (2014), the biological model offers various causes of crime causation. The physiological conditions influence how an individual adopt and perceives the learning of social mannerism. The model insists that a person's behavior including criminal actions get determined by aspects beyond their control (Siegel, 2017). The origins of biological related crimes include an abnormality in biochemical and chromosome change.

Further, Ellis (2005) states that there exist aspects that impact the functioning of the brain in a way that it increases criminal activities occurrences. Testosterone plays a significant role in raising victimizing behavior. Hence, the importance of testosterone effect on the functioning of the brain through antecedents impacts on the genital structures. In other words, the Y-chromosome gene changes the genital growth (Ellis, 2005). For instance, in the first few months of the pregnancy, the genes on the chromosome changes the part meant for ovary into testes. When the testes grow, it creates significant amount level of testosterone together with androgens. Female can also produce testosterone but in a small amount. In a lifetime, the level of testosterone varies between males and females. Experiments on with animals revealed that testosterone gets produced for the entire life of an individual. The testosterone influences the brain for a lifetime and is mainly permanent and occurs mostly at perinatal level (Ellis, 2005). In other words, low level of testosterone cause more famine behavior and a lot of testosterone produces masculine manners. Male delivers more of testosterone and androgen hormones upon reaching the puberty age. Also, more evidence of a testosterone-related crime as one of the studies of domestic violence where the male offenders' bodies contained a high amount of testosterone than the men who lack violence involvement history (Ellis, 2005). Hence, testosterone can determine the probability of male's commitment to crime especial in grown-up men. Hence, Kuklinski first killed at his teenage when the testosterone level is believed to be at its highest. The testosterone increased Kuklinski chances of victimization. Therefore, Kuklinski's crimes can get connected to the presence of too much testosterone in his body which influenced his brain.

The androgen is also believed to increase the rate of an individual ability to reflect victimization behaviors. The hormone impacts the brain in 3 significant ways (Ellis, 2005). Firstly, the androgen reduces a person's sensitivity toward his or her victimization manners. According to Ellis (2005), the lack of feelings happens because of the brain inclination to a suboptimally aroused. This condition reveals itself through an individual's low sensitivity to pain and looking for elevated behaviors to stimulate his or her senses. Kuklinski androgen might have been high in a way that it drove him to boost himself by killing other people.

Secondly, the brain enhances deviant behaviors by inducing the limbic process to get seizure attack (Ellis, 2005) easily. This process often happens when the body is under too much pressure. The seizure express themselves in the minor and major levels. The little expressions include quick tempers and other negative feelings which always strong response toward an opponent who is believed to be provocative. The occurrence of minor form can apply to Kuklinski when he killed the school bully. The bully made Kuklinski stresses and due to the seizure in his limbic system the 'Iceman' murdered the bully.

Thirdly, androgen can make neocortical work to occur less on the on the language-dominated side of the brain to the right side one. The process creates a person not to rely on reasoning by use of language but instead reasons regarding risk and reward benefits (Ellis, 2005). Such thinking occurs because the left side is where empathy-based decision making occurs. The use of morals to make a decision rarely happens in males. There are believes that application of morals based on empathy substantially aids in reducing direct attack on individuals than just reasoning morally (Ellis, 2005). The androgen-induced process of the brain illustrates than females evolved less than males in the process of victimization or competitiveness.

Conclusion

The discovery of Kuklinski's crimes shocked many people. Many wondered how he killed many people without remorse. On the other hand, criminologist came up with theories in an attempt to answer crime causation. The causes got classified into two major categories namely social and biological aspects. Social aspects describe criminal characteristics as originating from the environment whereas biological models state that individual criminal behavior is determined their cognitive functioning. The mental operation gets influenced by hormones in diverse ways. Hence, Kuklinski choice to murder people can get explained in the two context. Biologically, Kuklinski could have a high level of androgen which affected his brain functionality. Further, in social level, Experts believe that Kuklinski decision to kill was a choice among many others. Hence, in situational choice, Kuklinski murdered because he got an opportunity and time to release his rage.

References

Coyne, A, M. Eck. E, J. "Situational choice and Crime Events." Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 2014, 31(1), pp. 12-29. https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986214552605

Ellis, L. A. "Theory explaining the Biological correlates of criminality." European Journal of Criminology, 2005, vol 2(3): 287-315 DOI:101177/1477370805054098

Lee, JL. Choi, K. "Serial Murder: Exploration and Evaluation of Theories and Perspectives." American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 2014, 4 (3), pp.100-106

Siegel, J, L. (2016). "Criminology: Theories, Patterns, and Typologies." Cengage Learning

Siegel, J, L. (2017). "Criminology: The Core." Cengage Learning