Profiling/work violence

Question 1

Suspect-based profiling

• is
• accuracy
• cons of it

Answer 1

aka prospective profiling referts to identifying the psychological and behavioral features of persons who may committ particular crime; built on systematic collection of behavioral, personality, cognitive and demographic data on prev offenders who did sim crimes.

• It is largely actuarial bc it uses stat methods rather than clinical skills
• subject to racial profiling

Question 2

Racial profiling

Answer 2

is the police-initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national orgin rather than the behavior of person or info. It is an illegal practice but difficult to prove it occurred
− However, it acounts in part for the disporportionatley represented racial and ethnic minorities in arrest stats
− Racial profiling illustrated dangers and innaccuracies of the profiling process that could affect many
− Not until 1990s that racial profiling began to become nationwide problem

Question 3

Workplace aggression

Answer 3

encompasses all forms of behavior in which person attempts to harm others at work or their organizations; ranges from subtle and hidden actions to active confrontations or direct destruction of property

Question 4

Workplace violence

Answer 4

referts to incidents where offender intends to cause serious harm to person or persons within organization

Question 5

• How many murder at work in 2009?
• highest for? (3)
• although media portrays it as increasing?

Answer 5

• 521
• law officers, security gaurds, bartenders
• large majority of wp homicides do not involve murder between coworkers or supervisors within an organization but occur in robberies and related crimes by ppl outside organization

Question 6

4 types of offenders:
1. (includes)
2. 
3. type?
4.

Answer 6

Type I- no legit relationship to the workplace or victim and usually enters the workplace to commit criminal action (robb) common victims are small, late night retail, convencie stores, restarurants, taxi drivers. Includes terrorist and hate crimes such as the World Trade Center and the Alfred Murrah Fed bombings and attacks on womens or immigration centers

Type II- offender is the customer of some service provided by the workplace an may be either former or current customer

Type III- offender has employment related involvement with workplace. Violence usally done by current or former employee who has had dispute; offender usally referred to disgrunteled employee and often has been fired. When death results from violence, if the victim was higher authority than perp, crime called authority homicide*

Type IV- offender has indircet involvment with workplace bc of relationship with an employee; this type of violence follows the employee into the workplace from the outside

Question 7

Which type occurs most? (%)

• motive usually
• those at greatest risk with this motive?

Answer 7

• Type I accounts for 80% of total
• robbery
• Workers who exchange cash with customers, work late nights, or alone

Question 8

Type II usually involves?

Answer 8

health care workers, officers, counselors, school teachers, professors, social workers.

Question 9

Type III

- is

Answer 9

regarded by media as most sensational and covered the most; mass murder in workplace

Question 10

Type IV

- represents

Answer 10

spillover of domestic violence or intimate partner violence in workplace, usually women are victims

Question 11

Homicide in workplace and females

Answer 11

− Homicide is the leading cuase of workplace death for females accoutning for 41% of all female worker fatalities

Question 12

Offender who’s motive isn’t robbery is often?

• target
• victims

Answer 12

disgruntled employee (type III) who believes job is his life, is a longer, has few friends, lacks support system.

• Target of the attack may be person working within builing or for an organization that symbolizes authority
• Majory of type III vics killed often randomly by disgrunteld employees who were fired or felt mistreated

Question 13

High risk work Enviro

Answer 13

− Autocratic work enviro such as those in large impersonal bureaucratic organizations can be a problem; however no work place immune

Question 14

Similar to mass murderers, authority homicide offenders are?

• Authority offenders tend to be?
• their age?
• history of violence

Answer 14

white males who have few social supports, socially isolated, blame others, often depressed
−Very often offender expects to die at scene
- preoccupied with weapons, often accumulate max lethality weapons
- Mostly middle aged (over 30 under 60)
- offenders tend to have history of violent behavior and drug abuse, and will vocalize or act out their violent intentions prior to authority homicide

Question 15

Typical Perpetrator of workplace violence

- 8 characterstics

Answer 15

Disgruntled employee
White, middle-aged male
Few social supports, socially isolated 
Seriously depressed
Expects to die at the scene
History of violence
substance abuse
May vocalize violent intentions before crime

Question 16

workplace violence: most freq locations (5)

Answer 16

Taxicab
Liquor stores 
Convenience stores 
Health care facilities 
Government offices

Question 17

contributions of psychologists and work place violence (2)

Answer 17

Pre-employment Screening

Developing Policies and Procedures

Question 18

11 Problem Behaviors Which Might Lead to Workplace Violence

Answer 18

 Increasing belligerence
 Ominous specific threats
 Hypersensitivity to criticism
 Recent fascination w/ weapons
 Apparent obsession with supervisor or coworker or grievance
 Preoccupation w/ violent themes
 Interest in recently publicized violent events
 Outbursts of anger
 Extreme disorganization
 Noticeable changes in behavior
 Homicidal/suicidal comments or threats

Question 19

Profile of workplace violator?

best practice is?

Answer 19

No set profile to positively predict
who poses a threat
Identify & manage problems earlier
rather than later