General Criminal Justice Career Sites

1. Careers and Jobs in Criminal Justice: This page contains information about careers in criminal justice, including job descriptions and help finding an appropriate job.
2. Careers in Criminal Justice: Career listings range from information security officer to forensic nurse and from law enforcement officers to Homeland Security.
3. Careers in Law and Order: Browse job descriptions by legal professions or by police, detectives and special agents.
4. Criminal Justice Career Guide: Look at career descriptions that range from attorney to social work, including DEA and FBI.
5. Criminal Justice Careers: If you’re ready to make a difference and be on the front lines of the battle against crime, you can decide on a career through this site.
6. Criminal Justice Careers Now: Learn about various criminal justice careers as well as advantages and disadvantages of each job.
7. Criminal Justice Degree, College and Career Blog: Get info on the best criminal justice careers, jobs, and law enforcement training at this site.
8. Criminal Justice Jobs: Although this is a job site, the job descriptions often provide clues to jobs that career sites miss.
9. Criminal Justice USA: This site provides aspiring criminal justice professionals with current, reliable and informative career information and job descriptions.
10. Radford University Department of Criminal Justice: This page carries links to PDF files that detail various criminal justice careers.

Specific Criminal Justice Careers

11. CIA Careers: The Central Intelligence Agency seeks a diversity of people for the important job of keeping America safe. This includes Clandestine Service Officers to be on the front line of human intelligence.
12. Department of Justice Careers: This page outlines jobs available at the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as job descriptions.
13. Federal Air Marshal Service Careers: Become a part of an exceptional organization of law enforcement professionals who are largely unseen and unheard in their tireless efforts to secure the homeland.
14. Federal Bureau of Investigation Careers: Learn about the various career paths within the FBI.
15. Federal Judiciary Careers: Seeking diverse group of people with an interest in the important work of ensuring equal justice under law.
16. IRS Law Enforcement and Investigation: As an IRS CI Special Agent, you will combine your accounting skills with law enforcement skills to investigate financial crimes. Learn more at this site.
17. National Security Agency central Security Service: A career at NSA offers the opportunity to work with the best, shape the course of the world, and secure your own future.
18. Naval Criminal Investigative Service: NCIS investigates and defeats criminal, terrorist, and foreign intelligence threats to the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
19. Police and Detectives: This Bureau of Labor Statistics site offers detailed information on these jobs, including salary descriptions.
20. U.S. Customs and Border Protection: CBP is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with a priority mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the U.S.
21. United States Park Police: The United States Park Police is a unit of the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, with jurisdiction in all National Park Service areas and certain other Federal and State lands.
22. United States Postal Inspection Service: Postal Inspectors find fugitives and solve mail-related crimes.

Resource Sites for Criminal Justice

23. FedStats: This site provides access to the full range of official statistical information produced by the Federal Government without having to know in advance which Federal agency produces which particular statistic.
24. Justice Research and Statistics Association: JRSA is a national nonprofit organization of state Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) directors, researchers, and practitioners throughout government, academia, and criminal justice organizations dedicated to policy-orientated research and analysis.
25. Justnet: The Justice Technology Information Netowrk is part of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center.
26. National Center for State Courts: NCSC is the organization courts turn to for authoritative knowledge and information, because its efforts are directed by collaborative work with the Conference of Chief Justices, the Conference of State Court Administrators, and other associations of judicial leaders.
27. National Center on Elder Abuse: The Administration on Aging offers a resource to help national, state and local partner fight elder abuse and crime.
28. National Consortium on Violence Research: NCOVR is a research, training, and data resource specializing in violence research.
29. National Criminal Justice Reference Service: NCJRS is a federally funded resource offering justice and substance abuse information to support research, policy, and program development worldwide.
30. National Juvenile Court Data Archive: The National Juvenile Court Data Archive (Archive) houses the automated records of cases handled by courts with juvenile jurisdiction.
31. National Organization for Victim Assistance: NOVA promotes rights and services for victims of crime and crisis everywhere.
32. Search: This is the online resource for justice and public safety decision makers.
33. Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics: The Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics brings together data from more than 200 sources about many aspects of criminal justice in the United States.
34. United States Sentencing Commission: USSC is an independent agency in the judicial branch of government.

Organizations and International Resources

35. American Academy of Forensic Sciences: Included among the Academy’s members are physicians, attorneys, dentists, toxicologists, physical anthropologists, document examiners, digital evidence experts, psychiatrists, physicists, engineers, criminalists, educators, digital evidence experts and others.
36. International Centre for the Prevention of Crime: ICPC is a unique international forum and resource center dedicated to the exchange of ideas and knowledge on crime prevention and community safety.
37. Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center: George Mason University offers the first center in the United States devoted to understanding the links among terrorism, transnational crime and corruption, and to teach, research, train and help formulate policy on these critical issues.
38. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime: UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime.
39. United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute: UNICRI is United Nations entity established in 1967 to support countries worldwide in crime prevention and criminal justice.
40. World Criminal Justice Library Electronic Network: WCJLN develops specific ways of sharing services and criminal justice information on a global scale.

Below, we have gathered the 50 essential open courseware classes to learn about criminal justice. Open courseware is a free and informal way to teach and learn just about anything. Classes are usually given as lectures, notes, etc, in which students don’t receive formal credit for learning, but learn nonetheless. These classes contain everything criminal justice from the law to the latest in technological developments.

Essential Open Courseware Classes to Learn About Justice

Get a foundation for learning on justice to expand on criminal justice in these open courses.

1. Justice Perhaps fewer open courses are as well-known as the ones from MIT. Now you too can learn about justice the way these Ivy League students do in the open course. It was given to undergraduate students in the Spring of 2006.


2. Rights and Justice in International Relations Can the concept of human rights be applied across borders or are rights culturally specific? This is just one of the questions answered by The Open University. The unit takes a critical view of the assumption that ‘rights are a good thing’ and looks at the problems that arise when they are applied in the international arena.


3. Foundations of Modern Social Theory Learn like the students at Yale do in this open course. Professor Ivan Szelenyi shares major works of social thought from the beginning of the modern era through the 1920s. Attention is paid to social and intellectual contexts, conceptual frameworks and methods, and contributions to contemporary social analysis.


4. Contemporary Biosocial Problems in America Visit here to learn more about this course from Tufts University. It starts with the premise that understanding the social uses and misuses of biological knowledge is of particular importance. Check out many professor and student discussion points as part of the course.


5. Fundamentals of Public Policy Because public policy and justice go hand in hand, there is this open course. It was taught in 2004 to the students of MIT. The course explores policy-making as both a problem-solving process and a political process.


6. War and Peace This history class focuses on international relations since 1914. It is a webcast provided by UC Berkeley. Twenty-six lectures are all featured online.


7. Introduction to Security Because justice involves security, there is this open course. It is provided by Weber State University. It is an examination of the components of security, including physical security, loss prevention, and crime prevention.


8. Violence, Human Rights, and Justice See how all three combine in this open course. It examines the contemporary problem of political violence and the way that human rights have been conceived as a means to protect and promote freedom, peace, and justice. Study materials are featured in addition to the usual items for the class.


9. Political Philosophy: Global Justice How does justice apply outside localities? This course from MIT attempts to answer the question through readings, lectures, and assignments. Students examine issues of political justice, economic justice, and human rights.


10. Criminology, Law, and Society This open course combines all three into one class from the University of California, Irvine. It particularly examines the criminal activity noted as white collar crime. Theories discussing the etiology of these acts are considered as well as perspectives regarding their control.

Essential Open Courseware Classes to Learn About Crime

Learn more about crime and all its aspects in these open courses.

11. Crime, Heredity, and Insanity in American History Learn the history of crime and related subject in this open course. It is given by the Hesburgh Program in Public Service at the University of Notre Dame. Simply click the link to get course materials.


12. Forensic Biology and Impression Evidence Learn criminal justice CSI style with this open course. It introduces students to the major contributors to the development of forensic science. Subject covered include DNA, fingerprints, firearms, and many others.


13. Terrorism, Peace, and Other Inconsistencies Because terrorist attacks are some of the hardest to predict and bring justice to, check out this open course. It is from the University of Notre Dame. Sample questions asked of students include “What is the history of terrorism?” and “What is the new global security threat?”


14. Case Studies in Terrorism Response See what happens after terrorism happens here. The object of the course is to use three illustrative case studies to reinforce basic concepts and principles of terrorism preparedness and response. They include plausible scenarios, first response, and critical issues on the fly.


15. Riots, Strikes, and Conspiracies in American History Explore how each of these can be a catalyst for crime, if not a crime itself, in this open course. It uses readings and discussions to focus on a series of short-term events that shed light on American politics, culture, and social organization. The Boston Tea Party and other historic events are used as examples.


16. Drugs, Politics, and Culture Because drugs are a driving force behind crime, check out this course. It examines the relationship between a number of mind-altering substances and cultural processes. Students look at the relationship between drugs and poverty, religion, conflict, and more.


17. Improving Understanding and Collaboration Among First Responders Because criminal justice professionals can also be first responders, click here. The course addresses the institutional culture of five responder groups: law enforcement, EMS, fire, public health, and private security. It is intended to give students a better idea of how the groups work.


18. The Meaning of Crime Learn the fundamentals of crime in this open course from The Open University. It examines how society defines crime. It also looks at the fear that is generated by crime and the evidence to support it.


19. The Problem With Crime Get a continuation of the above in this open course. The issues of order and disorder are examined. It takes Glasgow, Scotland as an example.


20. Does Prison Work? Criminal justice and the prison system go hand in hand. Get a behind the scenes and academic look at corrections in this open course. The unit provides a discussion surrounding the purpose efficacy and regulation of prisons.

Essential Open Courseware Classes to Learn About Criminal Justice Law

Because wherever criminal justice goes, law goes, check out these open courses.

21. An Overview of the Law Get the basics of legal learning in this open course. It is provided by The Open University and is one of several on the law. Get law making and policy, specifically in the UK, by studying here.


22. Law, Social Movements, and Public Policy The sub-title for this class is comparative and international experience. The course introduces theoretical frameworks from legal and social movement theories as applied to court opinions, legislation, treaties, law-related articles, and policy-oriented materials. Students examine case studies from key countries.


23. The Supreme Court, Civil Liberties, and Civil Rights This course introduces students to the work of the Supreme Court and to the main outlines of American constitutional law. There is an emphasis on the development of American ideals on civil rights. The goal is to provide students with an understanding of landmark Supreme Court cases.


24. Law and Society But how do all these laws apply to the individual or community? Use this course as a way to examine the central features of law as a social institution and as a feature of popular culture. The range of legal professionals including lawyers, judges, and law enforcement agents are all discussed as well.


25. Gender and the Law in U.S. History Is crime an equal opportunity career? In this course from MIT, the legal history of the United States as a gendered system is explored. It examines how women have shaped the meanings of American citizenship through pursuit of political rights such as suffrage, jury duty, and military service.


26. International Law Learn more about law around the world in this open course from the Professional Educational Organization International. There are 25 chapters to read and learn online.


27. Civil Litigation Just because you are in criminal justice doesn’t exempt you from being sued. Learn more about what happens in the civil courts process in this open course from Kaplan University. The rules of procedure, information discovery, legal documents, and more are discussed.


28. Guantanamo and The Law This Cuban based prison is often the topic of many legal debates and discussions. Learn more about the law and politics of U.S. detention in this open course. It is provided by the University of California, Irvine.


29. Property and Liberty Visit here for a legal studies open course from UC Berkeley. Online lectures are featured with a simple click online. The relationship between freedom and property ownership is examined.


30. Law Course This course is given by Atlantic International University and its American Public Law School. Several lessons include constitutional amendments, church and state, and others. Simply click to get video conferences or case studies.

Essential Open Courseware Classes to Learn About IT Criminal Justice

The new crime often happens long distance and you can learn more in the below open information technology courses.

31. Introduction to Information Security Get just what the title promises in this open course from The Open University. It discusses the importance of protecting information and gives an overview of information security management systems. Simply click on the link to get the eight units on it.


32. Network and Computer Security This open course is provided by the electrical engineering and computer science department of MIT. Topics covered include cryptography, authentication schemes, viruses, and many others. Special software is required to run some of the files in the course.


33. Information Technology Visit here for another open course on information technology. It is offered by the Graduate School of Business at Columbia University. Simply click on your session or topic to begin.


34. Global Issues in Information Technology Get a virtual course on virtual crime here. It examines features such as telecommunications infrastructure, languages, business practice, intellectual property protection, and tariffs. This course gives students resources to make informed decisions and raise global awareness.


35. Network Security Learn about how security can affect an entire network here. It discusses measures such as encryption and firewalls as protection. It also helps to explain the intricacies of the continually changing area of network security by studying the main issues involved in achieving a reasonable degree of resilience against attacks.


36. Artificial Intelligence Learn more about the artificial intelligence found in computers on this open course. It is provided by the University of Massachusetts. Also included are state-space search methods, semantic networks, theorem-proving, and production rule systems.


37. Introduction to Unix If you use Unix, this open course is a must. It is provided by Mark A. Thomas and has 20 sections. A few include getting started, the Unix file system, and processing the shell.


38. Representing and Manipulating Data in Computers How can a simple piece of data be so important? Learn why and how in this course on how a computer represents something to the outside world. How ASCII code and Unicode are used is also covered.


39. Hyper Encryption by Virtual Satellite How can threats to information security come from above? Check out this course by Harvard Professor Michael O. Rabin to find out. Video lectures are on the internet, encryptions, and even a Q & A.


40. A Worldview Through the Computational Lens Cryptography, secrets, lies, knowledge, and trust are all discussed in this open course. It is provided by Princeton University. A download is required.

Essential Other Open Courseware Classes to Learn About Criminal Justice

These open courses fall into a category of their own.

41. Prohibition and Permission What does the outlawing of alcohol in the U.S. in the past have to do with criminal justice? Take this open course from MIT to find out. It discusses where the prohibitions and permissions that occur in everyday life come from, why they exist, and what gives them force.


42. Global Tobacco Control Much like the above, tobacco can also be a taboo vice in many societies. The course presents the health and economic burden of tobacco use worldwide and highlights practical approaches to tobacco prevention, control, surveillance, and evaluation.


43. Border Issues If looking to practice criminal justice in border states, this open course is a must. It looks at immigration from diverse perspectives, principally through a week-long immersion at the Annunciation House on the border of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The course is provided by the University of Notre Dame.


44. Substance Abuse and the Family Because many crimes are substance abuse related and affect the family, stop here. The University of Massachusetts provides the course. Visit to get readings, assignments, and more.


45. Computer Games and Simulations for Investigation and Education In this project-based course, students from all disciplines are encouraged to understand how we learn from interactive computer environments. Readings, assignments, and more are all included. There is even a special software to go with the course.


46. Masculinity, Sexual Behavior, and Health Because many criminals are just trying to “be men,” have a look at this course. It focuses on male adolescent health and explores the meaning of masculinity and the impact of masculine beliefs on men’s health. It is available from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.


47. Radiation Terror 101 Learn about this type of attack before you experience it in this open course. It introduces students to general radiation principles, radiation safety and protection, and the basic types of radiological terror. It also provides practical guidance on acute response techniques and general countermeasures.


48. Racial Violence What part does race play in violent crimes? This open course takes a closer look at that and related questions. European perspectives on an audio file make up the bulk of the course.


49. Innovation in Military Organizations Because military and criminal justice lead into each other, there is this course. Get the latest in military technologies and strategies with a visit. Non-military organizations are also discussed.


50. Hate Crimes Are all crimes hate crimes? Delve more into the subject of this particular crime with the help of this open course from the University of California, Irvine. It examines the consequences of hate crimes as well as the larger social land political context in which they occur.

And the above 50 essential open courseware classes to learn about criminal justice are just the beginning. Many of the above and other noted schools are expanding their open course options and often offer new choices as semesters come and go.

1. Ilse Koch Simply being a Nazi might be enough to get you on this list, but Ilse Koch stood out even among her own peers. Wife of Karl Otto Koch, she traveled with him and assisted in the running of the notorious concentration camps. In addition to overseeing the mass executions, she was known to keep mementos of her victims, mostly in the form of keeping skin with distinctive tattoos and making them into various household items such as lampshades. Although tried and acquitted, tried and pardoned, and finally tried and convicted, she ultimately committed suicide in 1967.
2. Irma Grese What do you have to do to be second on this list? Be the top female supervisor at the Auschwitz concentration camp. Charged with the supervision of 30,000 female prisoners, many would die unimaginable deaths under her charge. In 1945, she was tried for war crimes by the Allies in Germany and was even represented by council. She was sentenced to death by hanging and was the youngest of the concentration camp commanders to get that sentence.
3. Elizabeth Bathory Also known as the Blood Countess, she is believed to have killed over 600 girls. One of the most notorious serial killers in history, she was a Hungarian countess who had developed a taste for cruelty early on in life. Using the premise of jobs and pay, she would often lure young girls into her castle, where they were killed. She was also known to actually bathe in their blood. After tossing the bodies of her victims literally out the window, the townspeople rose up against her, caught her in the act, and found her diary detailing her horrific acts. Although many of her cohorts were given cruel deaths as part of the town’s search for justice, her sentence was simply confinement to the castle, where she eventually died.
4. Griselda Blanco It is unknown how many died as direct or indirect result of her actions, but being known as The Cocaine Queen of Miami earns her a spot on this list. Born in Columbia, she was a child prostitute by the age of eleven. After a life of crime, it is reported that Miami was where she became even more bloodthirsty, ruthless, and sexually deviant. Already have been thought of committing or ordering multiple murders related to the drug business, she was behind the Dade County Shopping Mall Massacre in which four people were killed. In 1985, she was finally arrested and charged with cocaine trafficking. A resulting scandal with the prosecuting office ended up reducing her 20 year sentence to only a three year sentence. She was then deported to Colombia at the age of 61.
5. Belle Gunness Standing at about six feet tall, she might have just been the most fearsome of the women criminals. A Norwegian immigrant, she came to the U.S. in 1883. She found a certain amount of success in collecting insurance money after a few suspicious fires and the untimely death of her husband. Using this money to buy a farm, more suitors and children mysteriously died. After the farm burned down in 1908, several bodies were discovered that had not died in the fire. Although the number remains disputed, it is estimated that America’s first female serial killer was responsible for about 40 deaths.
6. Mary Ann Cotton She was born in the village of Low Moorsley in Sunderland, England in 1832. One of the very first female serial killers, it is rumored that the number of people she killed is at about 20. The number is unclear because so many people around her, including her various husbands and children, died from a similar form of gastric fever. As more died, more seemed to be insured from death, a practice which was not as common as it is now. It wasn’t until officials finally performed an autopsy on her stepson, who had also died from gastric fever, that they found arsenic in his system. She was finally tried and sentenced to death in 1873.
7. Bonnie Parker She is half of the infamous team known as Bonnie and Clyde. Although she didn’t turn out that way, Parker seemed to be the sweetest of women. She did well in school and worked hard to support her family. She even refused to divorce her first husband because it didn’t seem fair to do so while in prison. However, her life changed when Clyde Barrow came into it, convinced her to help him break out of prison, and begin a life of crime. While their first robberies focused on banks and didn’t involve shooting anyone, that would soon change. The escalation would lead to twelve dead people, six of them police officers. In the end, Bonnie and Clyde rode into an ambush, resulting in the pair’s death.
8. Myra Hindley While the above women criminals may not have preferred children as their victims, this was not the case here. In 1963 in England, she and her husband murdered their first victim, a 16 year old girl who was also sexually assaulted. They would go on to kill at least four more children that would be dubbed as the “Moor Murders.” However after being imprisoned, Hindley admitted to killing two others, even providing evidence to where one of the bodies was. She would die in prison of natural causes in 2002.
9. Beverly Allitt When parents leave their sick children in the care of a hospital, it is assumed that they are in better hands. Not so for the unfortunate children in the hospital in Lincolnshire, England under her care. Dubbed the Angel of Death, Allitt was convicted of killing her patients using drugs accessible to induce cardiac arrest or outright suffocating them. Convicted of killing four children, she is thought to have attempted to murder three more, and caused serious injury to six more. In 1993, she was sentenced to 13 life sentences.
10. Rosemary West Along with her husband, Fred, she participated in the torture and murder of their own children. Using their own cellar as the torture chamber and garden as a burial spot, they were actually charged with a serious crime in the middle of their murdering spree but were able to convince a magistrate of their innocence. Eventually, their activities became too outrageous to ignore and police conducted a search of the English home. Fred West was charged with twelve counts of murder and hung himself before trial. Rose was found guilty on ten counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole.
11. Marybeth Tinning In another entry where the criminal preferred children as the victim, she used her own children as victims in her murder spree. All of her nine children died before the age of four, some being smothered instantly on their births. Currently serving a sentence for smothering her four month old daughter in New York, she is actually eligible for parole but has been denied several times.
12. Karla Homolka After meeting Paul Bernardo, it was rumored that Karla would do anything to please him. To prove it, she offered and went through with a plan to drug her own sister so that Bernardo could rape her. The act would be the first of many and was dubbed in Canada as the “Scarborough Rapes.” In exchange for testifying against Bernardo, Homolka was given a lenient sentence even though there was plenty of evidence against them both including his own diary and possession of a Mickey Mouse watch belonging to one of the victims. However, after serving only twelve years for her part in multiple rapes and murders, Homolka was freed.
13. Patricia Krenwinkel Also known as Katie, she was a member of the infamous Manson family and took part first-hand in many of their murders. During the first murder, it is reported that Krenwinkel chased down Abigail Folger, who ran from the murders, and stabbed her numerous times, despite pleas from Folger. Krenwinkel would later go on to be arrested and charged with seven counts of first degree murder. However, as described by Charles Montaldo of About.com, she seems to be the most remorseful of the Manson family and is even eligible for parole.
14. Mary Surratt This female criminal is historic for both being part of the first presidential assassination and being the first woman executed by the United States government. After her husband died, she moved into a home of her own, rented a tavern to an ex-policeman, and had a son who was a Confederate secret agent, who was acquainted with John Wilkes Booth. After Lincoln’s assassination, the policeman would testify that Mary Surratt played a vital part in acquiring the weapons and helping to coordinate the assassination attempt. After her conviction, then President Johnson was asked to reduce her sentence to life in prison because of her gender and age. He refused to do so and she was hanged, along with three others, in 1865.
15. Katherine Knight It is an unfortunate reality that relationships go bad and that spouses can make the choice to kill each other rather than go through a lengthy and painful divorce process. However, Katherine Knight of Australia took the murder to shocking new level. After stabbing her husband 37 times, she skinned him and hung the remains on a door, in addition to other things too disturbing to mention. She also became the county’s first woman to be sentenced to life in prison without parole.

To help scratch that itch – and keep the gory details light – we have gathered the 15 most interesting killers of all time. Both famous and infamous, they break new ground on murder, murderers, and how they affect those that come after them.

Most Interesting Killers of All Time You’ve Heard Of

You may have heard of these killers before, but perhaps you haven’t heard of the facts surrounding their cases.

1. Jeffrey Dahmer
Known for keeping parts of his victims as trophies, Dahmer is one of the best known and horrific murderers of modern times. Although history will recall him as a monster, he was able to convince no less than 17 young men into his home where he would later kill them. One of the most interesting facts of the case is that one of Dahmer’s victims was actually able to get away. Even though the police got involved, Dahmer was able to convince them that the whole incident was merely a lover’s quarrel. He was finally arrested in 1991, where he was sentenced to nearly 1,000 years in jail and later killed by another inmate.

2. Ted Bundy
This notorious serial killer confessed to 28 murders but is actually thought to have killed many more. Young women were often the target of Bundy, who was said to be attractive and charming. An interesting fact about the case was that Bundy actually escaped from a Colorado prison in 1977. After his recapture and trial in 1979, he was sentenced to death and only gave one interview.

3. Charles Manson
Even though it has been over 40 years since the original “Manson Family” murders, they still make headlines today. Back in the 60’s, hippies were thought of peace loving, harmless individuals who passed out flowers until Manson. The leader of a cult, Manson used his influence to get others to kill for him and was never convicted of an actual murder himself. The case also stood out for the murder of actress Sharon Tate, who was over eight months pregnant. Although sentenced to death in 1969, Manson still remains in prison and is in his mid-seventies.

4. Jack the Ripper
This is one of the most interesting killers of all time for bringing murder to the front of the headlines and terrifying an entire country. In 1888, Londoners were shocked to learn of a string of murders of prostitutes. Many were sexually assaulted before being slashed and mutilated. The killer was never found and suspicions and theories still loom. This site actually has a suspect list, letters from the Ripper, official documents, and much more for the viewing.

5. Eddie Gein
Never heard of him? You may know him better as the inspiration for such onscreen killers as the ones from “Psycho” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” Infamous for actually skinning his victims, the police found the skin of one of Gein’s victims hanging in his kitchen when he was arrested. Other items around his house, such as a bowl and lamp, where also made with the bodies of his victims. Although he was thought to have only killed two women, the act of wearing their skin set him apart.

6. The Zodiac Killer
Because this infamous killer was never found, it makes them all the more interesting. In the late 60’s, he was thought to have killed as many as 37 people. The killer also sent cryptic letters to the press. Two of his victims actually survived and got away, but the killer remained at large even though his correspondence with the press lasted all the way until 1978.

7. John Wayne Gacy
Are you afraid of clowns? He just might be the reason why. Known as Pogo the Clown to his local community, Gacy was well liked and respected by his family and neighbors. Convicted of 33 murders, Gacy actually used his guise as a clown to lure his victims into “trick” handcuffs and then kill them. In 1980, he attempted and failed to enter an insanity plea, adding another interesting fact to the case.

8. Aileen Wuornos
Proving that men aren’t the only ones capable of serial killing, she made it an equal opportunity crime by killing an estimated seven men. After being unable to make ends meet for her and her girlfriend as a prostitute, Wuornos decided to rob and kill her johns. Alleging that all the murders were done in self-defense, she was convicted, sentenced, and put to death in 1992. Although a feature film was made on the story, the real life interviews with Wuornos are far more terrifying.

Most Interesting Killers of All Time You Haven’t Heard Of

They say that serial killers do it in part for the fame, but below are a few names you may not have heard of.

9. Pedro Alonso Lopez
With a murder count of over 300, he might just be the worst single serial killer in history. During the late 70’s in South America, he was convicted of killing 110 girls in Ecuador. He would later confess to murdering over 240 others in Peru and Colombia. Shockingly, even after these confessions he was released from prison after only 14 years served and then disappeared.

10. Henry Lee Lucas
He could be the biggest serial killer in history or could be the biggest liar. While in prison, Lucas confessed to nearly 3,000 murders, although his actual number seemed to be far less. Ironically enough, he was sentenced to prison over a victim he admitted to killing known only as “Orange Socks.” The issue of his execution for crimes went back and forth until he died in prison of natural causes in 2001, never revealing how many he actually killed.

11. Gilles De Rais
He lived as a French nobleman in the 15th century and was even part of the army led by Joan of Arc. He would later be accused and convicted of kidnapping, torturing, and murdering hundreds of victims, with a preference for young boys. Because of his position of esteem and the fact that his victims were common, the case garnered loads of attention. This article actually features an extract from his trial.

12. Richard Trenton Chase
Think vampires are all the rage now? Back in the seventies this man was known as the Vampire Killer of Sacramento. Institutionalized for believing his own blood was tainted, after his release Chase killed six people in a bizarre attempt to switch his blood with theirs. After his arrest in 1980, he even became an object of fear among the other prisoners. The other prisoners were so afraid of him, it seems they ended up convincing him to kill himself later that year.

13. Albert Fish
A quick look at his mug shot might convince you that he was arrested for jay-walking. However, over the span of 20 years he admitted to the molestation of over 400 children. Also known as the Werewolf of Wysteria for acting during full moons, Fish was also suspect to several murders, including those of children. Sent to the infamous Sing Sing in 1935, he was killed by electric chair a year later.

14. Dennis Rader
If you know the term “BTK,” you may already know this killer. Dennis Rader is thought to have murdered at least ten people using a method referred to as “blind, torture, kill.” An interesting fact is that he is thought to have committed these murders between 1974 and 1991 and sent letters to the police detailing his murders. Even with these pieces of evidence, police were not able to find him. Once the letters resumed in 2004, he was arrested in 2005 and convicted.

15. John Haigh
What did criminals do for identity theft before the internet? The answer is more bizarre and horrifying than phishing scams. In the late 1940’s, this English gentleman was dubbed The Acid Bath Murderer. Convicted of killing six people, he would dissolve their bodies in sulfuric acid and then forge papers in order to gain wealth.

Although they are not to be idolized, there is still a lot to learn from the above 15 most interesting killers of all time. To learn more about them and others, visit Investigation Discovery. They offer an interactive Fearbook that contains more information on some of the most notorious killers in history.

The point is, we all know that smoking and drinking can cause as much, if not more damage than abusing drugs. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death around the world; it’s so dangerous that even secondhand smoke kills. And alcohol, besides causing cirrhosis of the liver and killing people, also causes death through drunken driving and other accidents that happen because thinking and reasoning are impaired by liquor. Obesity causes diseases like diabetes, strokes and heart attacks which decrease the quality of life and hasten death. Why then are only drugs targeted as the bad guys and deemed illegal? Why not ban cigarettes, alcohol, fast food and other unhealthy foods that are not good for our bodies?

The answer is simple – banning everything unhealthy would lead to an autocratic state, one that goes against the very grain of the democracy that is adopted as a form of government by most nations in the world. So we are given the choice to do as we please as long as we don’t hurt anyone else; we’re free to smoke, drink and eat what we want as long as we don’t disturb the peace or harass or cause harm to anyone. Then why not legalize drugs as well? Why not allow people the freedom to choose to do drugs, just as they are now free to choose to smoke or drink or eat what they want?

Unfortunately, the answer to the ills of this world lies not in banning cigarettes and alcohol or in legalizing drugs. Perhaps drugs are banned because they cause your brains to become addled and bring about chemical changes that could cause psychotic behavior which may be dangerous to society at large. No one sees nicotine and alcohol as problems as severe as drugs, but then, the liquor and tobacco lobbies have become too powerful for any kind of prohibition to come about. It all boils down to who has the most money and hence the most pull in legal matters; it’s the same when it comes to drugs – people kill and commit crimes because at the end of it all, it’s a very profitable business. And in this madness for money, it is health that takes a beating and emerges the real loser.

• Writer’s block is not always resolved the same way: There will be many times when you’re lost for words and have trouble writing to your usual standard. Taking a break may help at times but not always. At other times, you may have to push through the lack of creativity and plod along until you find your groove. And then there are times when you find that a change of subject may help jog those creative instincts. So when you suffer from writer’s block, it’s not wise to look for the same solution every time. Instead, use your instincts to determine what would help in that particular situation.
• Deadlines are sneaky: I’ve been guilty of this one myself, so I can give you firsthand knowledge on this subject. When you write against a deadline, you tend to put things off till the proverbial last minute. This happens especially if you have a few years of experience and are confident of your ability to deliver even in a short period of time. But then, you often forget to factor in Murphy’s Law that says – if something can go wrong, it will. So you’re likely to come face to face with a personal crisis or emergency just as your deadline is nearing, and because you’ve whiled away your time frivolously instead of focusing on work, you end up either overshooting your deadline or doing a hurried and botched-up job, both of which don’t do anything for your credibility as a writer.
• Writing as work is different from writing for yourself: I became a writer by accident – a friend discovered through my blog that I could write well and recommended me to a few people who were looking for professional writers. And although I took to the job like a fish to water, there are times when I feel that writing as a profession is a drag when compared to writing for yourself because you are passionate about the craft and the subject you choose to write about. So once you begin writing as a career, remember that there will be times when you feel incomplete and unsatisfied, but as long as you choose assignments with care, you should get used to these moods and get over them quickly.
• Payment discussions are important: Some writers are paid an hourly rate while others charge by the article (or number of words). While the former takes into account the work associated with any number of re-writes, the latter is unfair when you’re asked to redo parts or the whole of an assignment. It’s best you discuss payment upfront with the client before you take on a project and also talk about the mode and method of payment. Don’t short-sell yourself just because you are out of work; good writers are not a dime a dozen, so wait for your worth to be recognized and given its fair due.