Abstract
Among all types of offenders least is known about arsonists. The present study on the profile of the undetected arsonist examines self-reports of men in the 1997-survey on 21,314 Swiss recruits. This cross-sectional survey was conducted in classrooms under conditions of strict and visible anonymity. The sample of the recruits covers about 70% of the cohort of Swiss men at age 20. Among all recruits 80 men confessed to having intentionally set 1 or 2 fires to do harm and another 61 admitted (anonymously) several arsons that they had commited in the previous 12 months before recruits’ training. We found that arsonists – unknown to the police forces – resembled the cases with a psychiatric or a court record. Since their childhood and adolescence many arsonists, and in particular the recidivists, had shown deviant and delinquent behavior. At age 20 many tend to associate with extremist movements – to the political left as well as to the right. Their rate of suicide attempts is quite high compared to the general male population of that age (25% vs 4%). Finally our study has shown that arsonists have a versatile criminal profile. Mostly they also commit theft, burglary, fraud, and drug-deal and only a minority are “specialized” on setting fires
Lamon, Philippe