Arson

Overview

Hundreds of lives are lost each year in arson-related fires, and thousands suffer burns and other injuries as a result of these crimes. In addition, arson is very financially costly to our society.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation defines arson as "any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling, house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc." (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2000, p. 54). Only fires determined through investigation to have been willfully or maliciously set are classified as arsons. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is the lead federal agency responsible for investigating major arson and explosive crimes.

The main motivations for committing arson tend to fall under the categories of vandalism, excitement, revenge, crime concealment, profit and extremist (Douglas et al., 1995):

Vandalism-motivated arson is typically committed by male juveniles who have completed seven to nine years of school. The crime tends to occur spontaneously and is often done by groups. Frequently, entry is gained through force, such as through a window, and the fire is started with materials present at the scene.

The excitement-motivated arsonist starts fires to satisfy a craving for excitement. These fires rarely harm people. In some cases of deserted structures, volunteer firefighters may be culprits. Slightly older than the vandal, this arsonist tends to have completed ten or more years of school, but generally still lives with one or more parents. He tends to be socially inadequate and has a police record of nuisances.

Revenge-motivated arson is done in retaliation for some wrong done against the arsonist, real or imagined, by society, a person or group of persons, or some establishment. It may be a well-planned, single occurrence or a serial arsonist taking revenge on society with little or no planning. The victim of this type of arson usually has a history of conflicts with the perpetrator, and the arson tends to be intraracial. Females tend to target personal possessions, as do romantically slighted revenge-takers. Females tend to use readily accessible flammables, while men prefer Molotov cocktails and/or excessive amounts of accelerant.

In crime concealment-motivated arson, the fire may be used to destroy bodies, forensic evidence, records, or to distract from the real crime (such as in burglary). The perpetrator commonly uses alcohol or drugs and usually has a history of police or fire department contacts or arrests. In the case of murder-concealment, a liquid accelerant is often used, and the crime tends to be disorganized.

The purpose of profit-motivated arson is to achieve monetary gain. This category includes fraud, employment and competition. One of the most commonly heard of is insurance fraud. These fires tend to be more sophisticated with less physical evidence and more complex fire-starting devices. Frequently, the offender is hired, leaves the crime scene and does not return.

Extremist-motivated arson is done to further a cause. Categories such as terrorism, riots and discrimination fall under this distinction. The target usually represents the antithesis of the offender's belief. It is usually organized, planned and done in groups. Explosive devices such as Molotov cocktails are commonly used. The offender is often readily identified with the cause or group behind this crime.

Whether it is done for profit or protest, arson is so easy to commit, and the offenders are so hard to apprehend or convict, that little progress is being made to control the problem. "Arson is taking a backseat for many crime prevention practitioners because drug-related and violent crimes are receiving the priority," says Rick Gilman, Executive Director of the Insurance Committee for Arson Control, which is based in New York City (Office of Criminal Justice Programs, 1990). Gilman also notes that arson accounts for 14 percent (14%) of all structural fires and 25 percent (25%) of all fire-related dollar losses in our country. This equates to millions of dollars in losses each year (Ibid).

Although many arson crimes are profit-motivated, research shows that the number of child fire setters is on the rise. Forty-three (43%) of those arrested for the crime of arson in 2002 were under the age of 18 (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2002). Fire setting by both adults and children can be the result of pathological behaviors, including some classified as pyromania -- the inability to resist impulses to set fires. Much progress has been made in detecting and treating such pathological behaviors related to fire setting (Gaynor & Hatcher, 1987).
References

Douglas, John, Ann W. Burgess, Allen Burgess and Robert Ressler. (1995). Crime Classification Manual: A Standard System for Investigating and Classifying Violent Crimes. New York: Lexington Books.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2006). Crime in the United States, 2006. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Gaynor, Jessica and Chris Hatcher. (1987). The Psychology of Child Firesetting: Detection and Intervention. New York: Brunner/Mazel.

Hall Jr., John R. (2000). U.S. Arson Trends and Patterns. Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Association.

Office of Criminal Justice Programs. "Increasingly Comfortable About Arson." (1990). OCJP Research Update, 2(1): 1.

U.S. Fire Administration, FEMA, Department of Homeland Security, 2006.


Bibliography

National Center for Victims of Crime. (1997). "Hate Crimes: The Violence of Prejudice." FYI Bulletin. Arlington, VA.: National Center for Victims of Crime.

National Center for Victims of Crime. (1995). "Trauma of Victimization." FYI Bulletin. Arlington, VA.: National Center for Victims of Crime.

National Center for Victims of Crime. (1995). "Rights of Crime Victims." FYI Bulletin. Arlington, VA.: National Center for Victims of Crime.
For additional information, please contact:

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms
99 New York Avenue, N.E.
Washington, DC 20226
Arson Hotline: 1-888-283-3473
www.atf.gov

Insurance Information Institute
110 William Street
New York, NY 10038
(212) –346-5500
www.iii.org

U.S. Fire Administration
FEMA, Department of Homeland Security
16825 South Seton Avenue
Emmitsburg, MD 21727
(301) 447-1000
www.usfa.dhs.gov

Your state Attorney General, county/city prosecutor, or county/city law enforcement:

Check in the Blue Pages of your local phone book under the appropriate section heading of either "Local Governments," "County Governments," or "State Government."

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Copyright © 2008 by the National Center for Victims of Crime. This information may be freely distributed, provided that it is distributed free of charge, in its entirety and includes this copyright notice.