Final Project Assignment: Charles Manson (Criminal Justice)

Charles Manson
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Overview
Human behavior is one that is filled with intrigue and is a constant wonder. This would explain the level of intensity and interest that has gone into studying the human behavior over the centuries. Some of the earlier methods of achieving this goal could have been considered inhumane. However, much of the studies in the earlier years were conducted with very limited information on human behavior and thus most of the approaches took on trial and error methods, some of which were plainly gruesome. Of the many studies that have been conducted on human behavior, much of the interest had been sparked by the deviant behaviors with the humans in the society (Hegger, 2016). This is relative to the fact that there were those behaviors that would have been considered to be out of the norm even in the earlier societies. One of the aspects that still drives most of the research when it comes to human behavior deviance. Some of the people have the ability to commit some of the most horrendous acts and still act and live a normal life. Criminal behavior is one of the most studies human aspects relative to the potential that humans have shown over the centuries for evil and at the same time good deeds. This further raises the question why some of the people are inherently criminal, while others have a rather humane character. The main debate that still lingers on the human behavior is between nature and nurture. There are question on whether genetics are responsible for the level of inhumane acts some of the people are able to commit, or whether this simply related to the environment that the persons in question have been exposed to growing up (Hegger, 2016).
One such person that has been intrigue to the American society is Charles Manson (Biography.com, 2016). This is a criminal that has become a household name and one that I received with both hate and awe. There literally hundreds of books that have borrowed from his life and acts of crime along with psychology behind it. There are number of films and art forms across the globe that reflect the character of a person who came to be known as one of the most ruthless killers of his time, with twist to the entire element of being a serial killer. Manson who is still serving in prison, was born on 12th November 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio (Biography.com, 2016). He was born to a 16 year old mother who was a prostitute. Her mother got married to William Manson but their union did not last and young Manson had to be placed in a boys’ school. His mother at the time did not want him and so he ended up on the streets doing petty crimes to survive. Much of his early life was thus modeled through crime and time spent behind bars. Although he fathered a few children he was never around to take care of them.
Other than the petty crimes where he would be caught stealing from people and cars, he was also involved in a series of murders. He was able to manipulate his followers to commit crimes for him. This is especially the case with some of the murders that took place in the 60s (Biography.com, 2016). He was able to convince his followers that he had a vision which he would share with them. He had a strong believe in the Armageddon which led his followers to believe in and take action on his behalf. He shocked the world with a series of murders that were well orchestrated and in all of which he did not physically get involved (Montaldo, 2016).His habits in petty crimes, use of drugs and eventually murders are consistent with criminal behavior. He carried out horrendous acts of violence on his victims, with the help of proxy killers.
Causes of Crime
Growing up as a young boy, Manson had a rough patch and did not have the kind of support the most of the healthy children get from their parents. He was born to a 16 year old who was into drugs and prostitution, as such; he did not exactly have the best form of parenting when he was growing up. Some of the practices that he later formed in his life were forged on the streets where he was involved with the other criminals. Growing as a young boy, his life was rocked by a rough start; his mother was into prostitution and drugs which later became his way of life as well. He never knew who his real father was, relative to the fact that, his mother had ended a relationship she had with Manson after whom he was named. Later on, his mother sued Colonel Walker Scott for paternity. The event that followed, Manson growing up after his mother ends the relationship with Manson are quite telling how his life in crime all started. He spent most of his youth life on the streets and later on behind bars (Montaldo, 2016). He would be involved in quite a number of petty crimes and thus he was no stranger to the prison live. Half of his life until his was age 32, had been behind bars for crimes he committed or was involved in from an indirect point of view, ideally by virtual of association.
For the longest time psychologists have argued about the idea that criminals may have been molded to the persons that they are relative to the way that they are brought up socially. Another school of thought feels that, criminals tend to act in certain way relative to the biological that they inherit from their parents. This is the debate between nature and nurture. Ideally this can also be referred to as social versus the biological debate in criminology (Hegger, 2016). However, it is also important to note that there is a faction of psychologists that also believe that there is a middle ground to be considered (Biography.com, 2016). This is relative to the idea that, a person’s character is shaped by the way that they are brought up and the environment that they interact with along with the genetic characteristics that they get from their parents. This is to mean that the parents and the guardians that one grows up around and the people that one interacts with within the society shape the character of a person along with the characteristics in behavior (Hegger, 2016).
To understand the way that the social environment shapes the behavior of a person and more importantly in this case, that of a criminal, it is crucial to establish the social environment that may have had the most impact (Hegger, 2016). The social environments range from the social relationships, cultural and the physical surroundings (Www1.udel.edu, 2016). In the case of Manson, his social experience growing up was not one that could be considered to have been healthy for a child. This is relative to the fact that, his mother was only sixteen when he was born, which means that she did not have the right experience as an adult to take care of a child. This further amplified by the fact that she was using drugs and was a prostitute (Biography.com, 2016).
Relative to the fact that, Manson was born to an unstable mother, this could have triggered some of the instability tendencies that are seen later in his life and thus one of the causes for the crimes. It is also important to note that, after some time the mother neglects him. She ends her relationship with William Manson, a laborer that is considered to be a possible father to Manson. The separation led Manson to desperation looking for a stable family foundation to use. Even during the marriage between the mother and William, Manson would left with his aunt and grandmother for weeks on end. After the separation the mother did not want anything to do with him and thus was sent to boys’ school (Biography.com, 2016). The experiences that he had growing up, led to him being rejected and fending for him at an early age. One of the most intriguing aspects about his mother is that she was also involved in robbery activities and at one time in 1939, had been jailed with her brother for the same.
Relative to the social environment that he interacted with right from home, Manson started off early getting into robberies and later escalated to violence. As such, much of his youth, having grown up around persons that used the vice a means to survive, it was the only option that he knew of meeting his needs. This and the fact that he also got involved with youths his age who were into crime, would explain his activities as a youngster (Montaldo, 2016). At most of the times when he got incarcerated in his youth; Manson was involved in robbery and in most of the cases in violence among other petty crimes. In light of the cause for his early involvement in crime, it is quite illuminating to note that he had carried on some of the practices that he got exposed to from his mother and her brother. As such, it is easy to say that the cause of the petty crimes that Manson was involved in early on in his life are tied to the social experiences that he had growing up. The social interactions and environment that one interacts with when growing up, shapes the perceptions that one has of the world (Guinn, 2014). In the case of the young Manson, the acts of robbery and an unstable family is what he came to believe the rest of the world is like. As such, this also affected his rational decision making process, which would explain his behavior as a petty thieve and criminal. Ideally, growing up with his mother and experiencing the life of a robber imprinted on him as a young boy and this would explain why one of this major crime trends involved robbery.
It is important to consider the kind of peers that Manson kept from a young age to the time that he orchestrated the murders he was convicted for. Ideally, much of the company that he kept also influenced him from a young age (Hegger, 2016). The boys that he joined in his youth stealing and breaking out of detention became a habit and further illuminated his character and affected his choices.
It is also important to note that, the mother had a habit of getting involved in robbery and associated attempts. This is to mean that, there could be some element of genetic or rather biological influences that, she passed on Manson. This is relative to the fact that, from an early age he first got involved in crimes that involved robbery and in some cases with violence. Genetic factors are quite crucial when it comes to the way certain traits are expressed from one person to the next (Hegger, 2016). While in some of the people the genetic elements that control certain traits may not be immediately expressed in others these traits are brought out relative to the environment that they are interacting with (Guinn, 2014). Aspects such as empathy, novelty, temperaments, and impulsivity are directly linked with the genetic makeup of a person and this further implies that the information on the same is coded from the parents of the person in question. One of the aspects that ties into the fact that genetic factors did play a role in the crimes that Manson was involved in is drugs (Montaldo, 2016). Within the family the use of drugs was a common theme. Most of the members used LSD among other drugs. There is a close connection between the mother using drugs and the son following in her footsteps. Ideally, research indicates that, aspects such addiction is hereditary. This is an aspect that is reflected between Manson and his mother.
An evaluation of the psychological aspects that led to the crimes committed by Manson is one that is quite intriguing. Growing up as a young boy, Manson was a loner. This is relative to the fact that he experienced rejection at a tender age. As such, he suffered emotionally from the ability to connect with those around him. Forming normal relationships for him was a struggle. In light of this fact, Manson developed natural tendencies of manipulating those around him to gain the social connection that he craved (Hegger, 2016). This is a common aspect that is associated with persons that do not have socials skills to win over friends without having to use hidden motives to gain their trust. Emotionally mature persons will generally interact with those around them and gain their trust without having to manipulate the situation in their favor (Guinn, 2014). In the case of Manson, from a very young age his exposure to manipulation came from his poor upbringing when led him to believe that the only way that he could get what he wanted including friendship and companion was through manipulation. As such, even in his first grade, he had the ability to manipulate the girls that he interacted with to beat up the boys in his class and school that he did not like (Hartley, 2016). When the teacher would later ask him why he did it, he would fain innocence and laid the blame on the girls that had carried the attacks on his behalf (NPR.org, 2013). This is an approach that would later shore up in his latter criminal life as an adult. Most of the murders that he orchestrated in the 60s were carried out by proxies (NPR.org, 2013).
After he was released from prison in the year 1967, he gained a following of quite a number of proxies among them men and women who he would call family. Commonly known as the Manson Family, this is an entity that further shed light on the psychological aspects of the criminal. Psychologically, he had been affected by the fact that, he did not have a stable family growing up. As such, he always wanted to belong to a family that he considered to be stable and under his control. Growing up, he felt helpless and rejected relative to the fact that his mother and father could not stay together as he would have wanted. On the same account, his mother and father did not love him and show him affection and he would have wanted or as is the norm (Hartley, 2016). As such, forming the family indicates the gaps that he was trying to feel either consciously or unconsciously. Even the name that he gave the group of followers further indicates that the lack of a stable background affected him psychologically as he always wished to have a family. The element of being manipulative to feed his criminal urges is further brought out in the murders that he orchestrated in 10050 Cleo Drive and 3301 Waverly among others. He was able to manipulate his followers to do his bidding (Hartley, 2016). This was not just about for him; rather the followers were tools with which he would achieve his goals, aspirations and illusions. Manson believed that he was on verge of ensuring that he protected the whites from the racial Armageddon that was apparent in the near future wher...