ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the variety of motives that show up most often among serial killers. A common assumption holds that serial killers are sexually driven, but this is just one of several possible motivators. Some mission killers are psychotic, which offers an opportunity to identify them at some point in their spree by looking at psychiatric records. A number of mission killers have worked in the health-care industry. Threat assessment of future danger to others involves making educated predictions from a variety of factors about whether a given offender will repeat the offense. The potential for harm must be assessed with several instruments that approach the evaluation from different perspectives, and then scaled for degree of seriousness. The database from which threat is predicted must be large, representative, and based on factors that emerge from research. The type of killer who chooses a health-care occupation often seeks personal power, control, or attention.
