L2 Criminal Profiling

Question 1

Criminal profiling

Answer 1

process of identifying personality traits, beh tendencies, geo location + demographic/biological descriptors of an offender based on crime scene characteristics

-based on clinical judgement + personality + psychopathy theories
-generally accepted; profiler can be expert witness

cons- real culprit might not fit profile (wrong accuasation)
-based on routine, habit, clear patterns only
-subj/dif interpretations from investigators

Question 2

Criminal Investigative Analysis (CIA)

Answer 2

reviewing crimes from beh and investigative perspectives
-Narrows down field of possible suspects
-Uses data, good for victim protection and clearer identification (review and interpretation)
-explain MO and beh patterns

Question 3

Criminal Investigative Analysis (CIA)

Answer 3

Stage 1 profiling inputs (collect all available info)
Stage 2 decision process models (org info into patterns; ie type (serial, mass, spree?), location, length of x)
Stage 3 Crime scene assessment (crucial, staged or not, determine weapon used, classify likely offender (org/not) + scene, likely MO)
Stage 4 Criminal profile (descript of likely offender, make profile and best methods of apprehension based on expected responses)
Stage 5 Investigation (focus on matching suspect to profile)
Stage 6 Apprehension (interview techn, evaluate profile and see how it matches, guilt admission -> interview = check profiling validity)

Question 4

Process

Answer 4

• nature of criminal act (and state decisis, past ppl who commited similar acts; comprehensive study)
• detailed crime scene analysis
  -possible motivating factors
  -description of offender developed (crime scene and other offenders)

Question 5

Modus Operandi (MO)

Answer 5

Method of operation
-all actions/beh needed to commit crime
-serial killers (modify and perfect this)

Question 6

Signature

Answer 6

Aspect - theme/motive
(profit? anger? retaliation? sadism? etc)
Beh- is it commited to satisfy emo/psych needs

Question 7

Organized offender

Answer 7

By fbi profiler Roy Hazelwood

-victim not found in same location as murder
-planned, lil evidence (tools, restrictions, clean up)
-killers blend in easily (skilled, employed, intelligent (usually above avr), norm life)
-likely to insert thems in investigation (relieve high and keep an eye on things)

Ted Bundy, Gacy, Dennis Rader

Question 8

Disorganized offender

Answer 8

By fbi profiler Roy Hazelwood
-lower intelligence
-rarely planned (don’t really clean up)
-use weapons nearby (ie in victims home; kitchen knife)
-extreme violence (overkill); chaotic crime scene
-lack skill, confidence (alone, socially incompetent)

Richard Chase (Vampire of Sacramento; brought gun, didnt clean, bloodbath)

Question 9

Top Down

Answer 9

Look carefully at crime scene and draw conclusions from evidence (conceptualize from other criminal investiagtions; extreme cases ie rape and murder)

Question 10

Bottom up

Answer 10

Data driven/based
-No intial assumptions, look at small details and then the big pic
-knowl of mental h. and psyc disorders

Question 11

Diagnostic evaluation / clinical

Answer 11

Mental health pov
-oldest
-Based on clinical practice/experience
-clinical judgement (psych, clinical prof)
-Aim to predict type for certain criminal beh

Question 12

Investigative Psych

Answer 12

Canter (1985)
-Environm psyc approach (5 factor model)

1 interpersonal coherence (criminal activity makes sense to criminals psych/self; how do they act normally vs. being criminal; ie rapist selfish with fam and self with victims)
2 Significance of place and time (familiar; close proximity, may live in area)
3 Forensic awareness (incr knowl from past experience, may hide evidence knowing what police look for (in contact), may have record)
4 criminal career (cant change patterns (usually if they refine beh/reflect of past things with it) possible skills and occupations of likely offender)
5 criminal characterisitcs (classify offenders crimes and scenes (ie org or disorg)