Muderous Minds- Dean A Haycock phD- A book review.

Murderous Minds by Dean A Haycock- A book review. 

Dean A Haycock is an author who I highly recommend for anyone studying Criminology, Psychology, anthropology, and Neuroscience. He specialises in Science and Medicine. This is shown through his PhD research in Neuroscience from the Brown University in Rhode Island. I thoroughly enjoyed reading his book ‘murderous minds’. It is important to note that the research displayed in the book does acknowledge the separation between psychopathy and violence.  This book does explore the minds of a subsection of psychopaths. They have been classified as ‘criminal psychopaths’. This is the distinction between those who have ‘successful psychopathic tendencies’ such as struggling to comprehend and adapt to social situations, reading body language and emotional cues, but do not act on these lacking abilities in a criminalising manner. Encompassing the ‘criminal psychopath’ Dean explains that there are characteristics which could make an individual who already has ‘successful psychopathic tendencies to be more prone to committing acts of violence and aggression. His research further explains that there is more to psychopathy than meets the eye. Dean categorized in his book, 4 subsections of psychopathy. These were Narcissistic, borderline, sadistic and the antisocial psychopath.

I think that there is a lot to be said about neuroscience and its significance in investigating and providing promising research into the mindset of a ‘criminal psychopath’ This research can be shown through identifying brain abnormalities in the hippocampus and amygdala. These are examples of brain components which are responsible for planning, controlling and performing voluntary movements. The lack of empathy and rational emotional displays have been shown through brain scans to be a factor to explaining psychopathic tendencies when these brain components have been damaged. Within the book – ‘murderous minds’ this research has been backed further by Jim Fallon’s conclusion that signs of damage to the orbital prefrontal cortex have connections to the rise in psychopathic and violent behaviours within an individual who suffers from these brain deficiencies.

Throughout the book, I debated to myself the old classic debate of nature vs nurture. I have come to my own personal conclusion that, yes environment and lack of substance in an individual’s life can really contribute to the theme of psychopathy, as well as political and monetary policies which have a momentous impact on an individual’s lifestyle, acts committed such as robbery and theft which may result in the taking of someone’s life. However, I argue that these are lifestyle choices, which an individual may decide to make rationally under the theme of doing what is necessary to survive in a challenging political climate.  Look at British austerity and the link to the rise of knife crime to cite an example. Knife carriers I wouldn’t say are born to be knife carriers. Circumstances have shaped the methods of living and surviving.   

However, on the other lens, neuroscientific research has shown that in the cases of incarcerated individuals convicted of murder, there has been in numerous case studies, brain abnormalities particularly in the motor cortex, which Is the part of the brain which is responsible for emotional functioning. Evidence displaying cysts for example, means that the individual is evidently not going to have the same processing features which most of us have with a ‘normal functioning brain’. These are abnormalities rooted inside us as a component as opposed to a choice made due to social and environmental circumstance.

The book does also leave a lot of questions unanswered.  Citing the ‘homicidal triad’. It explains the ‘effective measurement for homicide in detecting serial killers and psychopaths’ particularly in children.  The listed 3 components are bedwetting, Arson and Animal abuse. These are notable parallels, however as Karen Franklin identifies, these are characteristics of individuals who have faced extreme trauma and stress. However, these individuals typically do not grow up to be serial killers or psychopaths. The unanswered question for me, is that surely research should continue to add to or even subtract the ‘homicidal triad’ to really define the early characteristics of a serial killer. The ethical question which also surfaces is that ‘should be have the power to assume if someone’s going to grow up to be a serial killer’? Should we adopt labels onto someone before they have even reached the age of puberty?

In the final chapter of the book, Dean A Haycock, explains that there is simply not enough funding for the research of ‘psychopathy’. As he rightly says, the benefits for society would be immense with further funding grants. It would shape prevention programmes, the cost of crime prevention in the long run would be decreased, and the hope of emotional closure of victims of psychopaths who would question ‘how someone could be capable acts such as murder, kidnap and stalking’. Furthermore I agree with his other principle that research on ‘psychopathy’ needs to adopt a more global outlook. We are living in a world of differing societies, values and traditions. However, we mostly share the mutual connection of wanting to ‘keep citizens safe’ and to understand the minds of ‘criminals’. I feel a more global outlook would really do far more progress in terms of neurologically identifying and preventing acts of ‘psychopathic behaviour’.

I fully recommend murderous minds, it is a book which can leave you asking more questions surrounding psychopathy and murderous minds. Dean A Haycock also answers the big questions.