The murderer Joseph Vacher was not always a criminal with sociopathic tendencies, he was once an innocent child. He may have scared his friends and family with his actions and continued to become more violent and dangerous as he grew up, but he was once a child. As a teenager he served in the military and lived in a monastery. When he reached adulthood he was charged and treated in two different psychiatric institutions. The reasons for his violent nature may have been mental illness or a born criminal, either way he continued to commit crimes and was the target of new criminological techniques. He is apparently described by the first object of his obsession, Louise Barant, as projecting a disarming innocence while maintaining a brutal exterior. At the time of their meeting he was wearing the uniform of the French army and had sergeant's stripes on his sleeves. On the night of their first meeting she showed her tendency towards obsession by abruptly proposing marriage. The realization that Mrs. Barant had made a mistake became relevant when he threatened to kill her if she betrayed him. In the weeks following his proposal he pursued her with a series of threats, pity and charm that led to the attack of another man who attempted to speak to her at a dance. While she tried to distance herself from Vacher, however she could, she eventually returned home. Even though she left, he continued to write to her while he was with his battalion. Lacking a way to end the relationship, he lies and says that his mother has forbidden the relationship and he does not wish to go against her wishes. This lie did not divert him and he continued to send a large quantity of letters of love and desperation in no uncertain terms... middle of paper... she was crazy or simply a criminal. This question was answered by his examination and by a notebook given to Vacher to fill in, in an attempt to see any sign of remorse that was a sign of someone with no control over their actions. The consensus was that Vacher was in fact not insane and deserved to be held accountable for his actions, as a result he was executed. While Vacher may have been insane, mentally ill or damaged for any number of reasons, a decision will need to be made. by an expert. In my examination of Joseph Vacher I found that he showed almost no remorse for his crimes. Although his childhood showed that he was quite violent and did not become calmer with age, on the contrary he became more capable of terrible acts. The belief that he was a criminal born in the 19th century makes me very proud of how far we have come in the study of criminology.