Compulsive criminal homicide: A new nosology for serial murder

The term “serial murder” has undergone vast revisions both in its label and its definition. While interest in the study of serial murder has fluctuated, it appears as though law enforcement currently dominates research into this phenomenon. In particular, the definition of serial murder forwarded by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) pervades current literature on this issue. Though frequently employed, the FBI definition of serial murder poses problems for the purpose of research. Most notably, its non-elaborate and broad parameters have created significant limitations for empirical research. Most notably, this definition has hindered estimations of prevalence and has slowed progress with respect to determining etiology. Scientific investigations require carefully operationalized terms and descriptions that are sensitive to nuance and the subtle idiosyncrasies of the topic under study. Such features are woefully absent from current law enforcement definitions of serial murder. The adoption of a standardized definition of serial murder is necessary should researchers hope to accomplish newer and more sophisticated achievements in this field. In this paper, a new nosology for serial murder is put forward and the argument is made for the standardized adoption of this criteria across the fields of law enforcement, academia, and other clinical settings. This new nosology falls under the label of Compulsive Criminal Homicide (CCH).