Forensic Psychology and Criminal Profiling

Forensic psychologist - no medical training but trained in topics like statistical analysis and psychological testing

Forensic psychiatrist - physician trained in mental disorders, their diagnosis and treatment, and training in recognizing criminal behavior

Forensic psychiatrist (continued)

- they can prescribe meds,provide psychotherapy, interview criminals and suspects, evaluate personal history and use these to establish an opinion of the mental state of the individual

Forensic psychiatrist and psychologist- both deal with the study of human

behavior- they can work with child custody

evaluations, assess the mental state of criminals, provide consultation of jury selection and assist police in creating a profile of possible suspects

Historical Background

1906 - Hans Gross - founding father of modern day criminal profiling

- suggested ways to profile the behavior of criminals, including murderers, arsonists and thieves

1953 - Dr. Paul Kirk - profiled criminal behavior in conjunction with evaluating evidence

1960 - Howard Teten - combined forensic science, death investigation and criminal behavior into profiling

- worked at the FBI where he taught agents how to improve their profiling skills

1972 - Jack Kirsh - opened the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit (BSU)

BSU was so proficient in developing profiles of criminals they were receiving requests from around the country

BSU - now directed by the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crimes (NCAVC) located at FBI Academy in Quatico, Virginia

- Thomas Harris (the author of Silence of the Lambs consulted BSU when developing his characters

Stages of Profiling

1. Input - collecting information about the crime and the victim

- if there is a suspect, the profiler should NOT have any info about the suspect so as to not cloud their judgement

-crime scene photos - gives info on physical evidence

- victim history - gives info about their job, habits, family relationship, hobbies, fears, friends

- autopsy photos - gives info about control and emotional state of suspect

2. Classifying the Crime - type of crime, number of victims, number of locations, number of events, and time between the events

- determine spree vs serial

spree - takes place at more than one location but not a lot of time between events

serial - may wait months between events

3. Determining Motives - financial (burglery, insurance scam,etc), sexual (rape, sexual assault, dismemberment, mutilation), or emotional (family disputes, religious reasons, cults)

4. Risk level of victim - age, lifestyle, occupation, ability to resist, size, location (ex.; a lone woman getting in her car in a dark parking lot has higher risk than a group of women walking together)

5. Crime Assessment -profiler reconstructs the crime to yield clues to the suspect’s behavior

Well-organized crime-indicates a clever suspect capable of logical thinking and able to create and execute a plan

- possible premeditation

Disorganized crime

-indicates an impulsive suspect, possibly motivated by panic, stress, drugs, alcohol or mental illness

-usually a random victim

6. Method of Operation

-also called modus operandi (MO)

-a recognized pattern of behavior, including the use of tools, weapon of choice or preference of victims

- seen in the case of serial criminals

7. Signature- when a criminal commits the same

type of crime repeating habits- may include positioning bodies of

victims in a distinct fashion or leaving behind the same type of evidence at each scene

Signature Examples- Boston Strangler - strangled his

victims with an article of their own clothing, sexually assaulted them and posed them with a bow tied under their chin

- Zodiac Killer - used a symbol in messages to the news media

8. Criminal Profile

-develops a description of the suspect (race, sex, physical characteristics, habits, values, beliefs)

Examples of Profiles

arsonist - white male 18-27, loner, history of drug/alcohol abuse, criminal record, poor employment history

serial murderer - white male, 25-34, average intelligence, charming, victim of child abuse

9. Investigation

-profilers report is added to investigators information and suspects matching the description are evaluated

10. Apprehension

-ultimate goal is apprehension of person responsible for the crime

-investigators interview and interrogate suspect

Victimology

-study of victims affected by crime, accidents or natural disasters

-must assess the victims’ lifestyle, preferences, family, relationships, routines, risk assessment, etc.

-create a time-line prior to the crime