Date of Award

12-11-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Criminal Justice

First Advisor

Molly Smith

Abstract

The admiration of killers is a trait found in numerous murderers, who claimed they felt inspired to murder from previous attacks. The True Crime Community is an online community with a deep fascination and possible obsession with criminal behavior. Community members include those who display admiration for killers and those who commit copycat crimes. Unfortunately, information regarding this community is limited and often conflicting as academic studies are scarce. This thesis explores the True Crime Community culture with a content analysis of authority figures' posts from a True Crime Community forum to understand the norms of discussions and behaviors. Although the results do not show community support for criminals or criminal behavior, findings do suggest a deep interest and sympathetic feelings towards select killers. This study could influence future research, theory, and practice by introducing a new framework for understanding the community that supports previous attempts to prevent criminal behavior.

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