Chapter 10 - Murder, School, Workplace Violence Flashcards
Investigative psychology
Term coined by David Canter (the director of the Centre for Investigative Psychology at the University of Liverpool in England). Refers to the application of psychological research and principals to the investigation of criminal behavior. Seeks to answer 3 main questions.
3 main questions investigative psychology looks to answer
- What are the important behavioral features of the crime that may help identify and successfully prosecute the perpetrator?
- What inferences can be made about the characteristics of the offender that may help identify him or her?
- Are there any other crimes that are likely to have been committed by the same person?
5 Types of Profiling
- Psychological profiling
- Suspect-based profiling
- Geographical profiling
- Crime scene profiling
- Equivocal death analysis
Each rely on different ways to analyze the person, the crime scene or the incident
Clinical approach
This approach is case-focused, and tries to infer characteristics of an offender from the analysis of evidence gathered from a specific crime or series of crimes. This method concentrates on the description, understanding, and identification of a single offender based on the material gathered on an individual case. Is based on the premise that every case is unique, and emphasizes discovering the motivation for the crime as a basic understanding of the offender. Relies on experience, training, and is supplemented by intuition, subjectivity, and “gut feelings”
Actuarial approach
Concentrates on a data base gathered from groups of offenders who have committed similar crimes or engaged in similar incidents. Tactics are based on how groups of offenders who have committed similar crimes have acted in the past.
Psychological profiling
An assessment practice designed to help in the identification and prediction of behavior in known individuals. Not limited to negative characteristics, used also for profiling law enforcement or public office. Consists of two concepts: threat assessment and risk assessment.
Threat assessment
The process of determining the validity and seriousness of threat being carried out by a person or group of persons
Risk assessment
Comes into play when no direct threat has been made. The goal is to estimate the probability that a particular person will harm self or others, and more importantly, to provide what can be done to prevent the harm.
Suspect-based profiling (prospective profiling)
Reers to identifying the psychological and behavioral features of persons who may commit a particular crime (school violence, terrorist activities, shoplifting, etc.). Built upon the systematic collection of behavioral, personality, cognitive, and demographic data on previous offenders who committed similar crimes.
Geographical profiling
A technique that can help locate where a serial offender resides, or other geographical locations that serve as a base of operations of a serial offender (bar, workplace, sig. other’s home). Depends in most cases on sophisticated computer programming. Geographical profile focuses on the location of the crime and how it relates to the residence and/or base of operations of the offender.
Well-known computer programs for geographical profiling
- Criminal Geographic Targeting Program (CGT), developed by D. Kim Rossmo.
- Crimestat, by Ned Levine and Associates
- Dragnet, by David Canter
Crime scene profiling
The process of identifying personality traits, behavioral patterns, geographic habits, cognitive tendencies, and demographic features of an unknown offender based on characteristics of the crime.
Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI
Where crime scene profiling was developed in the US during the 1970s. Initially used primarily to provide investigative assistance to law enforcement in cases of serial homicide and serial rape.
Other terms related to FBI:
- National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), in Quantico, VA
- Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU)
- Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP)
