First Socio-Cultural Study of Serial Killers by US Region

The journal Homicide Studies has released results of the first ever study on regional and state differences in male serial killer activity in the United States--and news is bad for the U.S. South.

Researchers examined both social factors such as the percentage of the state's population that was divorced, unemployed, belonged to one-person households and lived in urban areas as well as cultural factors contributing to the legitimate and illegitimate "culture of violence" in each state as measured by execution and homicide rates.

Ultimately, they found two variables to have a strong correlation with the number of serial killers.

Culturally, the state execution rate in the state where the killers committed their crimes was found to have a strong positive affect on the incidence of serial killings, contradicting the belief that executions would deter murderers.

Socially, whether the killer was raised in the southern region was also found to be significant, with a higher number of killers emerging from the South. Researchers suggest this is because "the southern culture of violence is historically rooted and, therefore, should be more relevant to the incidence of serial offenders in terms of state of socialization."

A full report of findings, Male Serial Homicide The Influence of Cultural and Structural Variables, will be temporarily available for free in the February 2007 online issue of Homicide Studies.