FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY CASE STUDY

Forensic Psychology Case Study: Jamie Bulgur

Table of Contents

Forensic Psychology Case Study: Jamie Bulgur3

Introduction3

Outline of case3

Analysis of case: Theory 15

Theories and Concepts on Effects of Violent Film5

Analysis of case: Theory 27

Susceptibility to Violent Film7

Synthesis8

Social10

Freud12

References16

Forensic Psychology Case Study: Jamie Bulgur

Introduction

The Jamie Bulger murder, which caused the media frenzy of concern in the system which Western (1993: 543), claims is the highly organised, far-reaching oligopolistic institution, and is, according to Schultz (1993: 584), most pervasive and influential institution in society. Buckingham (1994: 79) begins by noting that horror movie Child's Play 3 was found in home of one of murdering boys, and that Jamie Bulger's murder was accordingly rewritten as the re-enactment of film by press. This called many of media's practices into question and studies were quickly commissioned to research viewing habits of juvenile offenders (Buckingham, 1994: 79). Buckingham (1994: 79) goes on to state that media that were responsible for murder of Jamie Bulger, not parenting techniques, education or peer pressure.

In 1993, Jamie Bulger case became the turning point in way both media and politic responded to crime, particularly youth crime. Firstly, it reconsidered view of ten year olds as 'demons' rather than 'innocents'. Secondly, it helped to mobilise, the moral panic not only in relation to crime but also anti-social behaviour. Thirdly, it lawfully introduced harsher political and judicial attitudes to be enforced on offender.

Outline of case

In UK, whole debate had already been highlighted with murder of James Bulger by two 10-year-old boys. Here again, violent films, especially “Child's Play 3” and “Juice,” were implicated in Bulger case, murder of Suzanne Capper, and kicking to death of Les Read (The Guardian, November 27 and December 22, 1993). The similarity between certain aspects of these crimes, and parts of video films, made people believe that these violent films had caused individuals concerned to commit terrible crimes. Indeed, trial judge for James Bulger case, “voiced his strong suspicion that exposure to violent videos played the strong part in corrupting two boys concerned” (Association of Chief Police Officers, 1994, p. 22).

The claims from individuals and British tabloid newspapers' obsessive wish to link James Bulger's murder to the violent video film were criticized heavily, and these allegations were actually unfounded by closer examination of above three named cases.

Earl Ferrers told House of Lords, “ police reports did not support theory that those crimes had been influenced by exposure either to any particular video, or to videos in general, and no evidence about role of video was presented in any of prosecutions” (HL Deb, 6/14/94, cited in Home Affairs Committee, 1994, p. vi). Indeed, it has been argued that “it is as silly to blame the single film as it is to indict Bible” which forensic researchers have found to be single most frequently quoted justification used by “noble-cause” killers who are pathological murderers of prostitutes and homosexuals (The Guardian, March 4, 1995).

Vine (1995) makes suggestion that some people are struggling so hard to find the answer as to why two 10-year-old boys ...