Psychological Profiling
Information and details about the crimes committed
Compared to similar crimes for which the offenders have been apprehended in the past...
Used to identify the characteristics of the person who may have committed the current crime
Charles Manson's
Death to Pigs" Message
The Construction of Psychological Profiles
Examine the background and activities of the victim
Develop an understanding and classification of the current crime
Determine a motivation for the crime
Develop an understanding of the characteristics of individuals who have committed this type of offens
The Meaning of Perpetrator Actions and Crime Characteristics
The crime may reveal whether the offender has likely struck before or whether he may strike again
Crimes may reveal if they were committed by the same person
Information about the victim may reveal characteristics of the offender
Profiles most useful
Serial murders
- Serial rapists
- Arson
- Bombing
- Stalking
- Hostage takers / Barricaded subjects
Goals of Profiling
(1) Prioritize the list of subjects / point investigators to new leads if case is cold
(2) Interrogation strategies
(3) Cross examination tactics for the prosecutor
(4) Set traps for flushing out the criminal
(5) Predict dangerousness
(6) Identify possess
Profiling tools
photographs / diagrams
* access to crime scene / traffic flow & density
* Physical forensic evidence
* autopsy report
* witness statements
* victim data & background
Profile Suggestions
Age, race, gender
education, occupation
Personality traits, interpersonal style
Victim preference
Modus operandi (MO)
Motive
CLASSIFICATION OF OFFENDERS
Organized
Disorganized
Mixed
Organized/Ted Bundy
Average or better intelligence
Socially competent (at least superficially)
Planning & in control of his behavior
Fantasizes about the crime
Time was taken with the victim
Victim is more likely a stranger
More likely to move body and stage the crime scene
Disorganized/Jack the Ripper
Crime scene is disorganized, messy
Lower intelligence
Mental Health problems
Socially inadequate
Sexually limited in experience
Limited, if any planning - crime of opportunity or passion
Victim may be known
Attack is often swift; without warning
MIXED/ Lizzzie Borden
MOST CRIME SCENES SHOW ELEMENTS OF BOTH ORGANIZED & DISORGANIZED
Geographic Profiling
Visits to each of the crimes sites
Review of neighborhood and demographic information
Study of avenues of travel in and out of the area
Cognitive mapping potentials
Psycholinguistics
Develop information about the person responsible for the statement
Associate crimes based on the similarities of communication
Identify deception and other hidden meanings of the statement