Criminal Profiling

Criminal Psychology refers to the study of the mental and behavioral characteristics of people who break laws Criminal/Forensic psychologists sometimes focus on serial killer profiles

Homicidal Triad of Symptoms 3 behavioral characteristics that are associated with sociopathic behavior Sociopath: a person whose behavior is antisocial and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience. Triad: 1. Animal cruelty 2. Obsession with fire setting 3. Persistent bedwetting past the age of 5 Many serial killers exhibited these behaviors during childhood

Types of Killers and Types of Profiles Killers: – Organized vs. Disorganized Profiles: – prospective or retrospective – Inductive or deductive

Organized  High IQ ( )  socially adequate  lives with partner or dates frequently  stable father figure  family physical abuse, harsh  geographically/occupationally mobile  follows the news media  may be college educated  good hygiene/housekeeping skills  does not usually keep a hiding place  diurnal (daytime) habits  needs to return to crime scene to see what police have done  usually contacts police to play games  doesn’t experiment with self-help  kills at one site, disposes at another  may dismember body  attacks using seduction into restraints  keeps personal, holds a conversation  leaves a controlled crime scene  leaves little physical evidence  responds best to direct interview  drives a flashy car

Disorganized  IQ below average, range  socially inadequate  lives alone, usually does not date  absent or unstable father  family emotional abuse, inconsistent  lives and/or works near crime scene  minimal interest in news media  usually a high school dropout  poor hygiene/housekeeping skills  keeps a secret hiding place in the home  nocturnal (nighttime) habits  drives a clunky car or pickup truck  needs to return to crime scene for reliving memories  may contact victim’s family to play games  no interest in police work  experiments with self-help programs  kills at one site, considers mission over  usually leaves body intact  attacks in a “blitz” pattern  depersonalizes victim to a thing or it  leaves a chaotic crime scene  leaves physical evidence  responds best to counseling interview

Prospective Profile attempts to construct a set of characteristics common to a specific type of offender. These types of profiles are generally templates laid over a specific population in an attempt to predict who within that group might have an elevated potential for committing a certain type of violence.

Retrospective Profile an after the fact case specific attempt to define the personality and behavioral characteristics of the individuals responsible for a specific crime or series of crimes.

Developing a Profile Very difficult Different methodologies: – Motivation – Characteristics of serial killer – Frequency and timing of homicidal behavior Holmes typology: deductive approach that presumes various socio-psychological characteristics of the offender

Developed from crime scene evidence and autopsy data – How did killer gain access to victim – What was killer’s attraction to victim – What did killer do to the victim – Did killer try to cover his/her tracks MO: Modus operandi-describes tools and strategies used to carry out the crime Try to find killer’s signature: something unique to that criminal

Female Profile Categories- Kehler Typology Black Widows Angels of Death Sexual Predators Revenge Profit Killers Team Killers Question of Sanity Unexplained Unsolved