Mindhunter By John E Douglas

I read and listen to a lot of books.  I am going to try my hand at some short reviews.  I am going to do this to help me bring order my takeaways, thoughts, and feelings and I hope sharing this helps and interests others.  I like fiction and non-fiction.  I go after science fiction and fantasy in fiction more often than not but like many other genres.  The non-fiction books include but are not limited to self-help, biographies, and history.    Now, these reviews are not intended to be comprehensive takeaways about the learnings, plots, and characters but more what stood out to me.  What I took away from it.  How it made me feel.  If this is something interests you read on:

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit 

By John E. Douglas

I don't recall where or why I added this book to my library so I wasn't sure what it was about when I started it.  

In one sentence:

It is the story and career of John E. Douglas and how the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit he worked in, started and matured over the years using personal experiences, personal thoughts, and personal opinions, interviews with offenders and real case examples.

Let's start with some random takeaways:

Death Penalty

I find the death penalty extreme.  Well, that was until experiencing this book.  I know this will be controversial but so much of this book's topics are controversial.  I left with the feeling there are offenders that do things that are just so extremely violent with such detail premeditation and constant manipulation that they are beyond rehabilitation and have lost the right to ever be loose in the public or part of the living.  I know to keep them locked up helps our conscience but even then due to the constant manipulation of their surrounds they still pose an ongoing risk.  I see this risk as unacceptable.  I have no trouble if we punch their ticket.  Now, you may ask how you tell someone like this.  I would say it is probably a bit like other things.  Defining it rigidly is hard but everyone knows it when they see it some people's conscience just will not let them say punch the ticket.

Serial Killer Profiles

It occurred to me where do these individuals come from.  

Why is the common profile, white males?  

What makes this type more susceptible?  

I don't recall any discussion in the book as to why this was just that it was.  Is it just a population percentage?  Is there some type of cultural issue driving it.

The profiles varied a bit based on different factors such as education (lower seemed to be a contributing factor), abuse of some type, and the feeling of my slighted or cheated seemed common and what seemed to me like normal life struggles like employment issues or relationship issues.

Where do they come from?

There was some discussion related to this.  It came across to me as some opinion based on fact.  These individuals are not born but made.  There were examples given showing how their techniques were learned and perfected over time.  How abusive childhoods set them up for the propensity to snap.  There was mention of certain programs that helped.  I don't recall their names.  As my mind continues along this line of thinking, it seems the creators of these people should be held accountable.  By no means am I suggesting the offender get a pass, you are responsible for your actions!  But it only seems right the makers should have to pay for their crimes too.  I know the drawing of a line and having proof so far in the future makes putting together a case near impossible but it just doesn't seem fair the creators get a free pass.  But even more, anything that can be done to stop the creation is paramount.

I plan to add more at some point but it may never happen as I moved on to other books and things to do.