586217

research-article2015
IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X15586217International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

Editorial
International Journal of
Offender Therapy and
A Look at Firesetting, Comparative Criminology
2015, Vol. 59(7) 683­–684
Arson, and Pyromania © The Author(s) 2015
Reprints and permissions:
sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X15586217
ijo.sagepub.com

Psychiatric forensic entities that crystallize around fire are firesetting, arson, and pyro-
mania. Even though they are distinct from one another, frequently, the terms are used
interchangeably. Firesetting is a behavior that includes the intentional or accidental
use of fire and often involves the negligent handling of firesetting materials. It may
satisfy the curiosity of, cause amazement in, and/or express a possible underlying non-
psychotic mental condition in the firesetter. Often, juvenile impulsivity and a certain
fascination with fire are at the basis of such behavior. Occasionally, drug use is present
at the time of the offense. Most firesetters are not recidivistic.
The importance and fascination with fire must have been present at the time of the
ancient Greeks when the mythical Prometheus, driven by various motivations, stole
fire from Zeus and gave it to mankind. Fire meant power, and the deed of Prometheus
symbolized an act of justice: Man should possess fire because it was necessary for
survival. Can it be this importance of fire that unconsciously attracts firesetters? Or is
it its destructive powers or just the luminosity of the flames?
The firesetter may not have criminal intent. On the contrary, arson and pyromania
are criminal acts, usually willful and malicious. Arson is thought to be a general-intent
crime, often committed by a single person at night, more often in cities than in subur-
ban communities. In 2013, data covering periods from 1 to 12 months from 15,222 law
enforcement agencies reported 44,840 arsons (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014).
While firesetters are generally young, curious, socially naïve and superficial, inexpe-
rienced in handling firesetting materials, and often impulsive, with a tendency to
resentment, arsonists, instead, are often mentally ill, socially isolated, introverted,
with a past criminal history. At times, they suffer from schizophrenia or an intellectual
disability. Because of their impulsive and compulsive type of behavior, they are also
reported to suffer from intermittent explosive disorder or attention deficit disorder
(Burton, McNiel, & Binder, 2012).
Pyromania, instead, is a well-defined psychiatric condition. People who suffer from
it are prone to intentional and pathological firesetting. Kraepelin called it impulsive
insanity (Horley & Bowlby, 2011). Freud (1932), instead, felt it was a psychosexual
disorder. It is a rare condition; only 3% to 6% of psychiatric inpatients meet the

Corresponding Author:
George B. Palermo, MD, PhD, MScCrim, Editor, IJOTCC, 2169 Silent Echoes Drive, Henderson, NV
89044, USA.
Email: palermogb@juno.com
684 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 59(7)

diagnostic criteria for it. The behavior of the pyromaniacs is planned. They experience
a rush and fascination when watching a fire.
In the courtroom, arsonists often plead not guilty by reason of insanity. However,
as their crimes are often motivated by revenge and/or impulsivity, and in addition they
usually demonstrate organized behavior before their criminal act, they are almost
always found to be legally sane and guilty of the crimes. Pleas of diminished capacity
or of a lack of the requisite mental state for the commission of arson are also often
rejected, because the defendant was voluntarily intoxicated at the time of the offense.
In cases of pyromania, as it is a condition that cannot be controlled or treated, the
courts often show leniency.
In this issue of the International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative
Criminology, Loes Hagenauw and colleagues report a study of arsonists in a forensic
psychiatric hospital in the Netherlands, discussing the specific risk factors for recidi-
vism. Their informative, well-referenced, and clearly written article reports that among
the risk factors is the poor capacity of arsonists to relate to others. They may show
passive-aggressive hostility. These dynamic factors, if treated, the authors claim, may
ameliorate their behavior. The arsonists in their study appeared to be shy and with-
drawn, with repressed hostility and an antisocial personality. Some were psychotic.
Among the major risks for reoffending in arsonists, they report, are mental disorder
and alcohol intoxication. I hope that the readers will immerse themselves in the elabo-
rate description of the personalities of these often-revengeful, vandalistic arsonists’
premeditated or opportunistic offenses and in so doing will gain a better understanding
of them.

George B. Palermo, MD, PhD, MScCrim

Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Nevada Medical School

References
Burton, P. R. S., McNiel, D. E., & Binder, R. L. (2012). Firesetting, arson, pyromania, and the
forensic mental health expert. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law,
40, 255-365.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2014, Fall). Arson, In Crime in the United States, 2013.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/about-
us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/property-crime/arson-topic-page/
arsontopic_final.pdf
Freud, S. (1932). The acquisition of power over fire. International Journal of Psychoanalysis,
13, 405-410.
Horley, J., & Bowlby, B. (2011). Theory, research, and intervention with arsonists. Aggression
and Violent Behavior, 16, 241-249.
Copyright of International Journal of Offender Therapy & Comparative Criminology is the
property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple
sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission.
However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.