Face to Face 9:45 – 11:00 AM CT: Poster Session 

Title of presentation: The Golden Age of Serial Homicide: An Evolutionary Surge in Crime  
Presenter:  Gabriela Chediak
Advisor:  Charla Perdue
 
Abstract: 

An analytical and investigative review of the factors contributing to the surge in mass and serial crime of the 1960s-1980s. The following study focuses on the phenomenon known as the “golden age of serial killing” by presenting various criminological theories such as the broken windows theory and the concentric circle theory. Similar to the fluctuating rate of crime throughout this initial surge, it poses the question of what caused the spike and the likelihood of it occurring again. Patterns of these violent incidences continue to the modern day, but this time marked an evolutionary period of nationwide behavioral and homicidal trends that changed the way we view crime scenes. Although the idea of serial killing has declined due to the concept of the “CSI effect”, otherwise known as the misconception of forensic procedures and advancements in the media, even with the protection of at-home security devices, the concept of mass and violent crime widely occurs in unprecedented areas. Considering these factors in full allows for a deeper understanding of the probability of a mass crime wave developing in the modern age.