International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation Volume 8 2025 106
after escaping the Gibault School for Boys, Manson’s
formal criminal career began. During his adolescence,
he was arrested for burglary, theft, armed robbery, auto
theft, and transporting a stolen vehicle across state
lines (a federal violation under the Dyer Act13). He
spent the remainder of his teenage years in state and
federal facilities, where he committed several serious
disciplinary offenses (Bugliosi with Gentry 1974:137–
140). After Manson was granted parole at the age of
nineteen, he continued his antisocial behavior. For
the next seven years, which included two years spent
in prison for a probation revocation, he was arrested
for auto theft, attempted escape from prison, pimping,
and the use of stolen credit cards. He was also arrested
for several federal offenses, including two Dyer Act
violations, transporting persons across state lines for
the purposes of prostitution (a Mann Act violation14),
2 cashing a forged U.S. Treasury check, and theft from a
mailbox (Bugliosi with Gentry 1974:137–143).
When Manson was released from prison in 1967, he
resumed his criminal behavior but was never formally
arrested until after the Tate-LaBianca murders. Manson
and other Family members were arrested in raids at the
Spahn and Barker Ranches and charged with grand
theft auto and arson (Bugliosi with Gentry 1974: 75).
While incarcerated, Manson was charged with the
murders of the Tate-LaBianca victims (Bugliosi with
Gentry 1974:190). After he was convicted of these
murders, he also was convicted for the murders of
Family associates Gary Hinman and Donald “Shorty”
Shea (Bugliosi with Gentry 1974:466). Although
Manson was incarcerated at the age of thirteen and
spent approximately five years of his adult life out of
prison, he accumulated many arrests and convictions
in a wide array of crimes. Bugliosi, an experienced
prosecutor, also expressed surprise at the number
of federal offenses committed by Manson, which he
speculated could be “a need, amounting almost to
a compulsion, to challenge the strongest authority”
(Bugliosi with Gentry 1974:146). Manson’s criminal
versatility, unusual even for seasoned criminals, is
consistent with psychopathy.
13 The Dyer Act is a law (passed in 1919) that makes the interstate or
international movement of a stolen vehicle a federal crime.
14 The Mann Act is a federal law (passed in 1910) that criminalizes
the interstate or international transportation of women for immoral
purposes.
The revocation of conditional release is another
indicator of psychopathy. Hare posits that psychopaths
are often successful at using their superficial charm to
talk their way out of trouble, including
Since psychopaths are known as “high-density”
offenders, they tend to participate in criminal behavior
when opportunities arise, which is frequently when
they’re residing in the community (Hart and Hare
1997:27). Throughout his life, Manson repeatedly
failed to meet the requirements of his probation and
was twice returned to prison for probation violations.
When Manson was granted parole at age nineteen, he
was free for less than two years before his probation
was revoked for missing a hearing regarding Dyer Act
violations. After being arrested, Manson convinced a
psychiatrist to recommend probation on one of the
charges, and he stood a good chance of also receiving
probation on the second, prior to missing the hearing.
He was arrested and returned to prison, where he
remained for over two years (Bugliosi with Gentry
1974:140–142). When he was again paroled in 1958, he
continued his criminal activities. The following year,
he was arrested for check forgery and mail theft, but
he was able to convince the judge that he would marry
his pregnant girlfriend, Leona Rae Stevens, and leave
his criminal lifestyle. His persuasive argument led to
a ten-year suspended sentence and probation, and he
resumed pimping. In 1960, he was charged with a Mann
Act violation, and his probation was again revoked.
He served out his full sentence and was freed in 1967
(Bugliosi with Gentry 1974:142–146). When out on
conditional release, Manson repeatedly committed
criminal acts and was returned to prison twice. As with
other times, he was able to successfully manipulate a
psychiatrist and judge to avoid re-imprisonment.
convincing the criminal justice system of their
good intentions and trustworthiness. Although
they frequently manage to obtain probation, a
suspended sentence, or early release from prison,
they simply ignore the conditions imposed
by the courts. That is, even when directly
under the yoke of the criminal justice system,
they do not meet their obligations. (1993:64)

ISSN: 2710-4028 DOI: https://doi.org/10.54208/0008 107
Summary
Over the course of his life, Charles Manson’s
characteristics and behaviors overwhelmingly meet the
criteria for Robert D. Hare’s construct of psychopathy.
Affectively, he demonstrated glibness or superficial
charm a grandiose sense of self-worth pathological
lying conning and manipulation lacked remorse or
guilt shallow affect callousness and lack of empathy
and failed to accept responsibility for his actions.
Manson also exhibited social deviance, with his need
for stimulation and proneness to boredom parasitic
lifestyle poor behavioral controls lack of realistic,
long-term goals impulsivity irresponsibility juvenile
delinquency and revocation of conditional release.
Furthermore, Manson’s promiscuous sexual behavior,
many short-term marital relationships, and criminal
versatility are also indicative of psychopathy.
The psychopathic personality features and deviant
opinions and experiences that enabled Manson to lead
his Family members to commit grisly murders at his
command similarly propelled him to counterculture
hero status, which endures today. At the time of the
Tate-LaBianca trial, Bugliosi said, “That an accused
mass murderer could emerge as a counterculture hero
seemed inconceivable. But to some Charles Manson
had become a cause” (Bugliosi with Gentry 1974:221).
Manson’s notoriety, however, did not fade with time.
According to Marynick, “The bizarre nature of his
crimes continued to draw extensive media coverage
throughout the 1980s and early 1990s and there still
exists a barrage of books, movies, music, T-shirts, and
other merchandise. His case has been cited as one of
the most infamous in American history” (Marynick
2010:373). In 1993, “Look at Your Game, Girl,” a song
written by Manson and performed by Guns ‘N’ Roses
was included on their album, The Spaghetti Incident?,
thus inspiring a new generation of Manson devotees
(San Francisco Examiner 1993:A15). “To some of
his new fans, he’s great for shock value. To others,
he’s a counterculture hero” (San Francisco Examiner
1993:A15). Manson’s macabre behavior continues to
shock people half a century after his crimes, and Hare’s
construct of psychopathy delineates how he was able to
cause destruction over his lifetime.
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