Just as insight into the mind of the artist may be gained by examining and comparing the progression of his work, so knowledge of the mind of the serial killer can be ascertained by an examination of his canvas: The murder scene. Forensic profiling is the attempt to do just that. An investigator tries to discern information about the killer based on the information at the crime scene, deducing information about the cause from the effect. This is not an exact science, and has been often likened to an art. It is the goal of this work to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the function and application of forensic psychology, as well as an explication of some of its strengths and weaknesses. Profiling itself has been in use since Jack the Ripper in London during the 1880s. George Phillips and Thomas Bond made predictions about the murderer’s personality based on the information at the crime scene (Winerman, 2004). The FBI now runs the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) and the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) made popular by the television show Criminal Minds. Forensic profilers interact with a large variety of crime, but the focus of this paper will lie on the interaction of profiling and serial killers. The usefulness of profiling has been called into question many times. There are those who fall on both ends of the spectrum. Some feel that profiling is as infallible as a fingerprint, and others think it’s as reliable as a sideshow gypsy. Studies have been done that support both positions. The truth, of course, lies somewhere in the middle: Profiling may be a useful tool when applied appropriately, but it should not be used to the exclusion of good suspects or information. It is an addendum to the investigator’s... ... middle of paper ... ...would type him as a lust killer? Do the bodies show evidence of cleaning or posing, which may be a symbolic attempt at “undoing” the murder (Bartol, 2002, p. 248)? This undoing is not to be confused with staging, which is, in the context of serial killings, generally an attempt at misdirecting the investigation (Douglas & Munn, as cited in Bartol, 2002). Works Cited: Holmes, R. M., & DeBurger, J. E. (1988). Serial murder. (Vol. 2). Sage Publications, Inc. Winerman, L. (2004). Criminal profiling: The reality behind the myth. Monitor on psychology, 35(7), Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/criminal.aspx Holmes, R., & Holmes, S. (1996). Profiling violent crimes: An investigative tool (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Bartol, C. R. (2002). Criminal behavior: A psychosocial approach. (6 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
This article gives some examples of crimes and how they were solved using a psychology technique along with how criminal profiling is used to solve crimes and how the profilers know how to slim down the suspects. In the first case, there was a man that planted bombs in multiple places each time writing a note in block letters- signing it F.P. The first bomb was found in 1940, in 1954 he struck four times, and in 1955 five times. In
Fascination with murder and murderers is not new, but researchers in recent years have made great strides in determining the characteristics of criminals. Looking back, we can see how naïve early experts were in their evaluations; in 1911, for example, Italian crimin...
Several serial killers have a definitive and common personality profile. Almost every major social, biological, psychological behavioural influence that has been seriously suggested as playing a role in causing crime has been thoroughly thought as potentially contributing to the behavior of serial killers (Levin, 2008). The time period and amount of killings fluctuate depending on the individual committing the crimes. Usually, the murders happen in different geographical areas. A mass murder has a separate definition than a serial killer, because a serial killer has a “cooling off” period, where mass murders kill several individual in a single event.
1980-1989. Detroit: Gale, 2001. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 22 Apr. 2011. “Violent Crime: Crime Against a Person.” Crime and Punishment in America Reference Library.
Serial killers commonly attack a single target at a time one on one. There also tends to be no or very little relation between the person being killed and the killer (murder 1). “The nature of this drive has been heavily debated, but there is a consensus on some points (Anderson 1).” Many researchers have noted sexual behavior in the murder.
There are a few types of criminal profiling, there is Geographic Profiling, Investigative Analysis, Investigative Psychology, and Behavioral Analysis. Geographical Profiling determines the location of the offender/potential target by examining his/her past actions. This can be done by analyzing places that he/she has visited frequently or where they committed crimes. Investigative Psychology discovers facts about the offender based on the crimes that they committed. This uses more psychological techniques on top of analyzing evidence. Behavioral Analysis determines how the offender acts or will act based on how they committed the crime. Based on the evidence the profiler creates a profile of the offender and determines their characteristics.
Eysenck, H.J., & Gudjonsson, G.H. (1989). The causes and cures of criminality. Contemporary Psychology, 36, 575-577.
When it comes to profiling, it is a very controversial tool, although within the past couple decades it has increased in use significantly. One huge controversy is the fact that not a lot of people believe that a hypothetical depiction of a suspect actually helps contribute to solving crimes, however, a lot of the profiles for serial killers in the past have been incredibly accurate. There is, however, a lack of scientific evidence to support these techniques. With the lack of a scientific basis, the question of the validity that profiling brings to investigations arises often. The main issue is that no one knows if they have a good portrait until the suspect is caught.
Criminal profiling, first undertaken within the nineteen-seventies, has been used throughout thousands of police investigations from bureaus all over the globe, currently some question their practicality in police investigations. This essay argues the utility of offender profiling in police investigations. Police Investigations utilize Offender and Criminal Profiling methods because it narrows the field of investigation, needs diminutive physical evidence to begin investigations and uses victimology to predict future actions of the offender.
Investigators employ investigative psychology when profiling the offenders behavior and personality. Figuring out the offenders modus operandi should interest investigators because the modus operandi describes a particular way or method the offender carried out the crime. The offenders modus operandi “reveals aspects of the suspect's behavior, which in turn reflects upon the suspect's personality” (Lerner Criminal Profiling). Investigators classify offenders under three main types: the organized offender, disorganized offender, or mixed offender. In the “Vampire of Sacramento” case in 1978, investigators employed investigative psychology and concluded that “as a disorganized type, he'd be unemployed and live alone” (Lerner Psychological Profile). Investigators classified the offender, Richard Trenton Chase, as disorganized because of the brutality of the crime scene. Once found, Chase fit the profile perfectly. Investigative psychology helps investigators quickly and efficiently create a profile for the offender which helps narrow down their suspect list. Investigators do not waste time looking for the wrong type of offender when they get the profile
Winnerman, L. (2004, August 1). Criminal profiling: the reality behind the myth. American Psychological Association. Retrieved , from http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/criminal.aspx
McGrath, Michael G. "Criminal Profiling: Is There a Role for the Forensic Psychiatrist?." Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 28. (2000): 315-324. Web. 13 Apr 2011.
Richard and George discuss that evidence to support profiling is very little among Police Departments. They conclude that most cases that are not aided by profiling still see the same results as if it was with profiling. Even though many people are considered to be a profiler it does not necessarily mean that they are going to be able to predict the characteristics of the offender. The profilers are mostly unable to predict because of the lack of exposure of crime scenes, cultural characteristics, and lifestyles. Richard Kocsis claims, “Many police officers really enjoy the idea of profiling but less police officers or profilers believe it actually aids the investigation”. Even though profiling may not be the best aid for investigations Richard and George give ways to improve profiling. More communication among new technological advances and exchange of ideas can help advance profiling in order for it to become more beneficial in an investigation. This journal connects with the hypothesis because it gives an opposing viewpoint on criminal
Perri, F., & Lichtenwald, T. (2009). WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE: Criminal investigative analysis, forensic psychology, and the timothy masters case. Forensic Examiner, 18(2), 52-52-69.
One of the major hurdles blocking the recognition of criminal profiling is due to not having enough commanding material, with no evidence to back up the approach of logical lessons to claim the profilers which lack the credentials to form psychological supposition about criminal behaviour. Some of the bylaw administration agencies in most countries around the globe are still somewhat skeptical about the criminal profilers’ duties. The data for the criminal such as the Railway Killer’s is commonly only asked for in situations where the police enforcement has drained all the other tips, at times comprising of astrologers and psychics (Holmes and Holmes, 1996). Procedures such as pathological DNA examination have turned out to be necessary to contemporary criminal analysis, feasibly because a person can point to the resilient logical ground on which they are based.