Serial Killers in India and the United States: A Comparative Criminological and Psychological Analysis

Abstract

One of the most perplexing and unsettling types of criminal activity is still serial homicide, which frequently defies accepted criminological and psychiatric theories.  This study compares serial killers in the US and India with the goal of examining the various psychological, neurological, and social factors that influence the development of these criminals.  This study looks at how early childhood trauma, personality disorders, and potential neurobiological anomalies interact with cultural and environmental factors to influence serial killers’ behavior patterns, using a few chosen case studies as examples. The analysis shows that the two countries’ approaches to the manifestation, investigation, and social perception of serial killings differ significantly.  India offers a comparatively unexplored landscape, where serial crimes are frequently misclassified or receive little media and scholarly attention, in contrast to the United States, which has developed profiling techniques and a substantial body of literature on serial murder.  This discrepancy emphasizes how urgently context-specific research and the creation of culturally sensitive investigative frameworks are needed. The study investigates the applicability of current theoretical models across cultural boundaries and critically reviews them, including behavioral, psychodynamic, and neurocriminological viewpoints.  It also takes into account how the media, the architecture of law enforcement, and public knowledge shape the narrative and handling of serial crimes.  In order to inform both policy and practice in forensic psychology and criminal justice, this paper aims to advance a more nuanced understanding of serial homicide that cuts across disciplinary and geographic boundaries by incorporating cross-cultural insights and interdisciplinary approaches.