WEEK 3 Flashcards
what is the mystique of profiling?
A great deal of the mystique surrounding the art of
profiling disappears when one realises that a large
amount of the information provided in a profile is
arrived at analytically and logically
what is Geberth’s definition of profiling?
An educated attempt to provide investigative agencies with
specific information as to the type of individual who would have
committed a certain crime.
what is Douglas and Ressler’s definition of profiling?
The process applied by a criminal
investigative analyst in developing an offender’s personality
characteristics.
what is Turvey’s definition of profiling?
The process of inferring distinctive personality characteristics
of individuals through their crime scene and crime scene behavio
what does profiling an inference of?
Inference of type of person who committed a crime from
their offence behaviour
what does profiling provide a projection of?
Either as a projection of how they will be when found
(inductive, trait oriented, experimental) or as an
assessment of how they were at the time the crime was
committed (deductive, state oriented, clinical)
What makes methods of profiling differ?
Methods (two main methods of reasoning, 4 or so methods
of profiling) differ most according to reasoning, subtle
variance between most individual methods
what evidence does profiling provide
class evidence not individuating
what is individuating evidence?
evidence that individuates a person from the rest of the population (e.g. DNA)
what is class evidence?
e.g. DNA that shows hair colour, eye colour etc
who did Dr Thomas Bond famously profile?
Jack the ripper
what was Dr Thomas Bond’s profiling based on?
o based on autopsy – not likely to have medical knowledge
o didn’t have precision that a medical professional would
what did Dr Thomas Bond predict about Jack the Ripper?
potential sex addiction – evidence was evident at crime scene
Who did Walter Langer famously profile?
Aldolf Hitler
what strategy did Walter Langer establish?
strategy that is now a part of the CIA
what did Walter Langer predict about Hitler?
8 possible things he could do one being that he would commit suicide and talked about how hard it was to profile somebody who you were not able to interview them
How did Walter Langer’s profiling influence the future?
use he was correct, this is where profiling began to gain some esteem
How did Dr James Brussel profile George Matesky?
o GM = employee at an electrical company. Due to mental health deteriorating the company fired him
o Bombs started appearing. First at the electrical company then followed a pattern
o several letters written that contained weird things. The letters didnt use standard American colloquialism
o Brussel came in to assess these letters
o Many bombs went off at train line from Kenetiket to NY
o had Freudian thing going for him
• found writing style interesting
• based on writing style assumed that he might have mum issues
• might live with mother and did have strong sexual relationships
o When they go to arrest them Brussel predicted that Metesky would be wearing a three piece suit buttoned.
• Not accurate, in PJs when arrested and asked to get changed
what did Howard Teten & Pat Mullany establish?
o Founders of the profiling course for the FBI
o Had to change the
what did Ressler, Douglas et al criticse about the profiling course the FBI used?
o too detailed to agents to learn
o wanted to make it simpler
o developed organised and disorganised classification: Organised = psychopathic offender. Disorganised = psychotic offender
o research done with 36 sexual murderers
