Final answer:
Violent killers can be categorized as organized, self-controlled or disorganized, impulsive. Organized killers plan their crimes carefully, while disorganized ones act without much planning and control. Historical examples like nightriders and state-planned genocides demonstrate organized violence, while violence in bands shows more sporadic aggression.
Step-by-step explanation:
Based on a high number of prison interviews, the two basic groups of violent killers are:
- Organized, self-controlled in their methods and strategies of selecting and killing victims.
- Disorganized, impulsive, lacking a structured method or control in their violent acts.
Organized killers are those who plan their crimes methodically, often with intricate detail, to avoid detection. They tend to choose their victims carefully and execute their violence with a level of precision. In contrast, disorganized killers act on impulse, with little or no planning, and they often leave evidence behind due to their sporadic approach.
Historical instances of organized violence include acts by vigilante groups like nightriders, who aimed to prevent the political and economic advancement of African Americans after the Civil War, and by state-planned genocides. Both types of organized violence were marked by careful planning and systematic execution of their heinous acts.
On the other end of the spectrum, the uneven occurrence of disorganized violence in bands or groups suggests a less systematic form of aggression that is often reactive to specific situations.