Daniel, I believe criminology to be the science of the nature, extent and causes of crimes. It is, I believe linked to the interdisciplinary field of behavioural sciences and draws on psychological research. I would be delighted for you to share some of this knowledge with us but thus far all I've gleaned from you is that you think we are wrong about Jeremy being innocent. Perhaps if you offered us a scenario we could discuss it.
Quite correct April. Criminology is indeed the study of crime and its prevention, including examination of the environmental, hereditary, or psychological causes of crime. I also study behavioural science and the links from behaviour, deviant or otherwise to the above.
What drew me to this case was the psychological aspects of this crime which I saw were twofold - If you take the view that Sheila committed the crime then what aspects of schizophrenia were missed by her doctors? Was that terrible night only the result of her neglecting to take her medication? or were there other reasons involved? As a full-blown mental ilness would she have been committed if she survived and was arrested for this crime?
Equally, Jeremy Bamber has been suspected of being a psychopath. A life-long personality disorder that if true, would almost certainly prove him capable of committing a crime of this callousness and magnitude. If he is guilty - and I do believe he is - it would explain why he could act so casually after the murders. The callousness - if that's what it was - is a key feature of psychopathy as is lack of empathy but most telling of all, highly manipulative, a lack of conscience and a complete inability to take responsibility for their own actions. What is surprising, is that psychopathy, is not as rare as one would first think - 1 in 10 are thought to have psychopathic tendencies, but only 1 in 100 display 'high end' psychopathy. These will murder without compunction if they deem it necessary.
So april, you know my stand. I believe Bamber to be guilty and - I want you to reflect on that point - this therefore must follow that he is indeed a psychopath. Now take what I have said and amplify this. If he committed these murders what sort of a person is he? It means he has lied to so many well-meaning people, disseminated, manipulated and cheated. But of course, ONLY, and I emphasise that word deliberately - if you believe him to be guilty. If truth be known, you do not know, I do not know, no-one apart from Jeremy Bamber knows the truth of what happened that night. I may be guilty of arguing to keep an totally innocent man locked in prison for the rest of his life, something I have thought long and hard about. Equally so, you may be directly assisting a psychopathic child-murderer avoid his just punishment and put the lives of others in mortal danger. This is what I hope this forum is all about - debating these two diametrically opposed beliefs.
