Exploring Criminological Perspectives Through the Case of Nathaniel Veltman: From Murder to Terrorism. Introduction: The chosen article, "How London Mass Murderer Nathaniel Veltman Turned Terrorist," published in the National Post on September 14, 2023, provides insight into the tragic events surrounding Nathaniel Veltman's violent rampage in London, Ontario (National Post, 2023). This essay aims to critically analyze this case through the lens of criminological theories, concepts, and themes prevalent in Canadian society. Nathaniel Veltman's attack on a Muslim family, resulting in the death of four individuals and injury to a child, shocked the nation and raised profound questions about the rise of domestic terrorism motivated …show more content…
In the case of Nathaniel Veltman, exposure to extremist ideologies and online radicalization played a significant role in shaping his worldview and justifying violent actions. The proliferation of extremist content on social media platforms and online echo chambers can reinforce and validate individuals' radical beliefs, leading to the adoption of terrorist ideologies and the commission of violent acts (McCauley & Moskalenko, 2008). Veltman's immersion in online communities that propagate white supremacist narratives provided him with a sense of belonging and validation, reinforcing his extremist beliefs and fostering a distorted perception of reality. The anonymity afforded by online platforms allowed Veltman to engage with like-minded individuals and consume extremist content without fear of social censure or legal repercussions, facilitating his radicalization and eventual descent into violence. Strain Theory: Strain theory suggests that individuals may turn to deviant behavior when they experience a disjunction between societal goals and the means available to achieve them (Merton, 1938). In Veltman's case, perceived grievances, such as feelings of marginalization or alienation, may have fueled his radicalization and motivated his violent actions. Economic hardship, social exclusion, and …show more content…
L. (1973). Deviant behavior: A social learning approach. Wadsworth Publishing. Agnew, R. (1992). The 'Age of the '. Foundation for a general strain theory of crime and delinquency. Criminology, 30(1), 47-87. Becker, H. S. (1963). The Species of the World. Outsiders: Studies in the sociology of deviance. Free Press. Blau, P. M., & Blau, J. R. (1982). The cost of inequality: Metropolitan structure and violent crime. American Sociological Review, 47(1), 114-129. Cohen, L. E., & Felson, M. (1979). Social change and crime rate trends: A routine activity approach. American Sociological Review, 44(4), 588-608. CP24. The CP24. 2023, September 15 -. London attack ruling first to recognize terror on grounds of white nationalism. https://www.cp24.com/news/london-attack-ruling-first-to-recognize-terror-on-grounds-of-white-nationalism-1.6780385. McCauley, C., & Moskalenko, S. (2008). Mechanisms of political radicalization: Pathways toward terrorism. Terrorism and Political Violence, 20(3), 415-433. National Post. 2023, September 14 -. How London mass murderer Nathaniel Veltman turned terrorist. https://nationalpost.com/feature/how-london-mass-murderer-nathaniel-veltman-turned-terrorist. Scheff, T. J. & Co., Ltd. (1984) The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. The labeling theory of mental illness. American Sociological Review, 49(3), 357-375. Tittle, C. R. (1995). "The Species of the World." Control balance: Toward a general theory of deviance. Westview
Though his killings occurred over thirty years ago Clifford Olson is still knows as one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers. Active through the years 1980-1980 he was responsible for eleven gruesome murders in that short span of time. The shocking nature of his crimes ensured nobody would forget his notorious deeds. To build on that, Olson is loathed because he extorted authorities into paying $100,000 for the locations of his victims’ remains, an agreement that haunted the survivors of Olson’s crimes, and ruined the careers of the officials who buckled under Olson’s outrageous demands. Furthermore, his crime spree led Neighbourhoods that once claimed to be “so safe you could leave your door open” to secure their doors; hitchhikers were seldom found on highways, and telephone poles were covered with posters warning that nearly a dozen adolescents were missing and a killer was on the loose. Had he not been apprehended by the authorities on August 12th, 1981 his spree of brutal slayings may have continued for much longer, as he showed no remorse for his ruthless crimes.
A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it. Unfortunately, such acts of rampage have become a prevalent factor in the Canadian culture. As a result of endless media coverage, Canadians now are constantly bombarded with numerous images of violence. Many of which often portray a victim avenging their opponent by means of force. Thus, indoctrinating a nation of individuals to believe that it is only through aggression that problems can be resolved. Rather than being punished for acts of violence, those who commit such offenses are often praised for their “heroism”. In addition, the success of films like The Godfather, Gladiator, and Troy further aid in reinstating the fact that we live in a society that praises violence. Furthermore, this ideology allows for individuals to partake in violent acts with little or no backlash from ones community. However, when an individual strays away from the “norm”, they are likely to then be viewed as a deviant. Such cases of rejection within a society, are often seen in the portrayal of serial killers. Although our society tends to condone violence when it is directed towards a specific individual(s), it does not allow the killing of innocent bystanders. Instead, crimes that are targeted against a number of people over a long period of time, entail the harshest forms punishments under the law. Sadly, in executing the law for said crimes, those in charge often face much public scrutiny. Such occurrences were apparent in the faulty murder investigations of Canada's most notorious serial killer Robert Pickton. This is due to the ...
A society that presumes a norm of violence and celebrates aggression, whether in the subway, on the football field, or in the conduct of its business, cannot help making celebrities of the people who would destroy it, (Lapham, 1985). Unfortunately, such acts of rampage have become a prevalent factor in the Canadian culture. As a result of endless media coverage, Canadians now are constantly bombarded with countless images of violence. Many of which often portray a victim avenging their opponent by force. Thus, indoctrinating individuals to believe that it is only through aggression that problems are resolved. Rather than being punished for acts of violence, those who commit such offenses are often praised for their “heroism”. In addition, the success of films like The Godfather, Gladiator, and Troy further aid in reinstating we live in a society that praises violence. Furthermore, this ideology allows for people to partake in violent acts with little or no backlash from ones community. However, when an person strays away from the “norm”, they are likely to then be viewed as a deviant. Such cases of rejection within a society, are often seen in the portrayal of serial killers. Although our society tends to condone violence when it is directed towards a specific individual(s), it does not allow the killing of innocent bystanders. Instead, crimes that are targeted against a number of people over a long period, entail the harshest forms punishments under the law. Sadly, in executing the law for said crimes, those in charge often face much public scrutiny. Such occurrences were apparent in the faulty murder investigations of Canada's most notorious serial killer Robert Pickton. This is due to the fact that, the negligence of the Vancou...
How to appropriately and fairly carry out criminal justice matters is something that every country struggles with. A major reason for this struggle is the fallibility of the justice system. It is acceptable to concede that the possibility of human error in every case and investigation may lead to a wrongful conviction. In the case of David Milgaard, however, Canada's Criminal Justice System not only erred, but failed grievously, resulting in millions of dollars wasted, in a loss of public confidence in the system, and most tragically, in the robbery of two decades of one man's life. Factors including, but not limited to, the social context at the time of the crime, the social perception of deviance, the influence of the media, and the misconduct of investigating police and prosecution played a substantial role in the subsequent miscarriage of justice.
Crime is an irrelevant concept as it is tied to the formal social control mechanism of the State; deviance is a concept that is owned by sociology thus our study should be the sociology of deviance, rather than criminology
McCarthy, B. (2002). NEW ECONOMICS OF SOCIOLOGICAL CRIMINOLOGY. Annual Review Of Sociology, 28(1), 417-442. doi:10.1146/annurev.soc.28.110601.140752
McCormick, C. (September 17,2013). Crime Matters: The Criminological Imagination and Public Criminology. Public Lecture. Brantford.
In Darkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay presents Dexter Morgan, a serial killer who kills only criminals, and in doing so, generates controversy about what constitutes morally justifiable behaviour. Lindsay’s protagonist blurs the lines between right and wrong, exposes the inherent flaws of justice systems, and ultimately forces the reader to evaluate his or her principles. While many North Americans believe that murder is unquestionably evil, I disagree on the basis that this stance overlooks the need to take into account the circumstances of the situation—such as who the victim is, who has committed the murder, and why he or she has done so—which are crucial factors in passing moral judgement on an offender’s actions. I argue that Dexter is correct to channel his sociopathy into something positive—disposing of individuals who have committed atrocious crimes in a vigilante fashion—because North American justice systems are incredibly flawed, as they allow heinous criminals to walk free too often due to prevailing social biases, systematic loopholes, and lack of manpower. Dexter compensates for this defect because, unlike justice systems, he eliminates criminals without prejudice towards the offender or the victim, operates on a straightforward basis free of political rigmarole, and achieves results in an efficient fashion, all of which make North American society a safer place, save lives of would-be victims, and spare their families mental anguish. Ultimately, this reveals that the line between what is right and wrong is not as clear as one might initially think, as well as the troubling notion that North American institutional structures are in need of reconstruction if readers are more confident in justice delivered by a ...
Crime exists everywhere. It is exists in our country, in the big cities, the small towns, schools, and even in homes. Crime is defined as “any action that is a violation of law”. These violations may be pending, but in order to at least lower the crime rate, an understanding of why the crimes are committed must first be sought. There are many theories that are able to explain crimes, but three very important ones are rational choice theory, social disorganization theory and strain theory.
Rothe, D. & Muzzatti, S.L. 2004. Enemies everywhere: Terrorism, moral panic and US civil society. Critical Criminology. 1(12): 327–350.
The radical criminologists focus their attention on social arrangements of society, politically and economically of structures and institutions of capitalism. (Bohm & Vogel, 2011) The radical criminology sees crimes as a result of unequal distribution of wealth, power and other resources that make people winners and losers that prey on the weaker people. “The radical criminologists believe that the more unevenly wealth is distributed in society, the more likely people can find a person weaker than themselves” (Bohm & Vogel, 2011, p. 125). The main reason behind the radical criminology is that poverty and discrimination build up frustration in the minds of the people, and crime is the result of this frustration.
To explain the causes of criminality, criminological theories and concepts are applied to criminal behaviour. “One of the most crucial steps in the process of building a stable pattern of deviant behaviour is likely to be the experience of being caught and publicly labelled as deviant”. (Becker 1963, p. 31). From a labelling theory perspective, if a person is defined as being deviant or criminal, they will fulfil that label accordingly. These events are a part of a social process that causes negative labelling, stigmatization and a shift of self-concept and self-image.
Sacco, V.F and Kennedy, L.W (2011). The Criminal Event: An Introduction to Criminology in Canada. Toronto Cengage Learning.
One is the perception of grievance – conflicted identities, injustice, oppression, or socio-economic exclusion, for example – which can make people receptive to extremist ideas. Another is the adoption of an extremist narrative or ideology that speaks to the grievance and provides a compelling rationale for what needs to be done. Also important are social and group dynamics, given that radicalization often happens in “dense, small networks of friends,” and that extremist ideas are more likely to resonate if they are articulated by a credible or charismatic leader. Children with difficult upbringings are more vulnerable to extremist views. The growing number of children without adequate parental guidance is a societal condition that has contributed to the problem of youth radicalization in Northern Nigeria.
I now know that criminology prefer to highlight the correlations between crimes’ social climates and criminals’ psychological states of mind. While some argues that criminal behavior is a result of individuals’ association with criminal peers, other claims that crime is a reflection of an individual’s genetic disadvantages. I have come to learn that there are no universally agreed formulas on decoding crimes and criminal behaviors. What we have, however, is a manual full of academic opinions and subjective views that have emerged alongside of the development of criminology. At the same time, the volume of conflicting perspectives that I have stumble upon in studying criminology reminded me again that the success of our current assessment models has yet to be determined. Thus, the study of criminology is an appropriate practice that will further prepare me to conduct meaningful research on legal studies and to provide accurate and in-depth findings in the near