Some people will perform a crime after seeing or hearing about it being done. The occurrence of copycat crimes can be viewed as a “fad” (Simon, 2007).
Crimes that may be copied:
(1) homicide
(2) robbery
Risk factors for a copycat crime:
(1) The same sort of crime is portrayed in a movie, television show, or other media.
(2) The same sort of crime is reported or discussed in a way so as to be attractive to the weak minded.
Reasons to suspect a copycat crime:
(1) There is an increase in similar crimes..
(2) The features of the crime mimic those of the index crime.
(3) The purpetrator discusses the link with the index crime.
Differential diagnosis:
(1) A criminal who copies someone else’s modus operandi so as to mask their own.
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Specialty: Clinical Laboratory
