"Firesetting can have devastating effects, including loss of life and serious financial damage. With its potentially severe negative consequences, this type of behaviour has enormous impact on society. The questions regarding how firesetters can best be individualised, caught by the police and treated in forensic mental health institutions have stayed largely unanswered. Based on the first large-scale research project studying firesetters in the Netherlands, this monograph provides answers resulting from analyses at a macro, meso and micro level. These analyses show that firesetters are a heterogeneous group, whose subgroups have their own specific diagnostics and characteristics. These characteristics can guide the police investigation in cases of firesetting. Furthermore, the subgroups found have specific treatment needs, as described in a differentiated treatment model. In order to be effective, treatment should focus on these specific needs. In short, this study contributes to knowledge on the firesetting phenomenon, highlighting the need for differentiation both in individualising and identifying as well as in treating firesetters."--Back cover. |