John Wayne Gacy Case

John Wayne Gacy – Becoming a Serial Killer Introduction I was commissioned by His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service as an expert witness in Forensic Mental Health, this report will study the notorious serial killer, John Wayne Gacy, an American who was known for his rapes and murders across Illinois. This report concludes that Gacy’s narcissistic and anti-social disorder played a significant role in his behaviour. He was convicted of the sexual assault and murder of 33 known young men, between the years 1972 and 1978, in Illinois. Examining psychological theories, perspectives, and academic literature, within this report I will evaluate Gacy’s case history, offenses, assessment, diagnosis, influence on offending behaviour, treatment suggestions,

Those who suffer with ASPD will often behave violently and impulsively, and they often violate the law, therefore they are most likely to become involved in criminal behaviour due to the traits that they have. John Wayne Gacy’s case provides a convincing example of how anti-social personality disorder can have a major influence and contribution to criminal behaviour, particularly in the context of serial murder (Hatchett, 2015). Anti-social behaviour is characterised by an extensive pattern, where they don’t consider morals and the rights of others, other traits include impulsivity, irresponsibility, and lack of empathetic emotions (McEvoy, 2023). Gacy’s actions and crimes, looking at his repeated sexual assaults and murders, show a key alignment with these features of the ASPD. He used his ability to manipulate and coerce his victims and had no thought for their well-being as he raped and murdered them. Other diagnostic criteria for ASPD, include lack of distress and lack of guilt for their victims, This shows his inability to conform to society’s norms and shows that he has consistent traits that align with the criteria of

However, behavioural management such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), a therapy used to reduce the risk of reoffending, which is focused on addressing distorted thinking patterns and improving impulsive urges that Gacy might experience (Matusiewicz et al., 2010) would be a good form of therapy to use as it would target Gacy’s weaknesses within his impulsiveness and help address his ability to control them. There could be other methods such as Democratic Therapeutic Communities, this will work well alongside other forms of treatments such as Behavioural Therapy and medication (NHS, 2021). It is important to note that carrying out CBT would have to apply to Gacy while he carries out his sentence in prison (College of Policing, 2018). Due to his crimes and their severity, it would be unsafe to let Gacy have any form of behavioural therapy outside of prison (Matusiewicz et al., 2010). Cognitive behaviour therapy is a therapeutic approach, that focuses on changing negative patterns of thinking; it has also been shown to improve social skills, this will help Gacy by providing support in socialising with others and promoting empathy and remorse. In Gacy’s case it is evident that he lacks any remorse of any kind for the murders and crimes he has committed and therefore it is important and vital for him to receive