Arson Update: A Review of the Literature on

Over the past several years, one of the few things that has risen about as sharply as inflation is the incidence of crime. The FBI's Crime Index Total for 19791 showed a 9 % volume increase over 1978, while there was only a 1% increase in population. Statistics for the first half of 1980 revealed a 10% increase over the previous year. 2 Although overlooked in previous studies, as of 1979, arson became a newly established crime index. Arson, "the willful or malicious burning or attempt to bUrn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property or another, etc.,"1 has been a topic of study of law enforcement and fire prevention agencies, insurance companies, the business community and mental health professionals. A conservative esti-mate of property damage in 1979 due to arson is over half a billion dollars while data from 1975 reveal that arson resulted in a death toll of over 1,000, with 10,000 people injured and property damage over $1.4 billion.3 These figures are conservative because they include only documented cases o