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Explore the historical development of psychological profiling and its application in criminal investigations. Learn how psychological evaluations of crime scenes can help recreate the offender's mindset. Discover the effectiveness of profiling in cases of violent sex crimes, serial murders, arsons, terrorism, and hostage negotiation.
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Psychological Profiliing • Bakersfield CollegeDepartment of CriminologyCharles L. Feer
Psychological Profiling • Is the ATTEMPT to derive a composite picture of an offender’s social and psychological characteristics from the crime s/he committed and from the manner in which the crime was committed.
Historical Development • World War II • William Langer, a Government Psychiatrist working for Office of Strategic Services (later to become CIA) • Asked to predict Adolf Hitler’s actions.
Profiling in Criminal Investigations • Criminality is a form of Behavior. • It can be viewed as symptomatic of the offender’s personality.
We Profile Behavior • It is to distinguish people from one another.
Psychological Evaluations of crime scenes. Analysis of evidence is used to re-create the offender’s frame mind during the crime. Does not work for all crimes. But works well for: Violent Sex Crimes Lust Murders Serial Murders Arsons Terrorism Hostage Negotiation Profiling in Criminal Investigations
Used in efforts to predict interpersonal aggression. Personality-Based characteristics. Profiling
Crime Control Policies • Before Crime Control Policies can be based on present understandings of “dangerousness,” research must answer several questions: • Can past behavior predict future behavior? • Do former instances foretell more criminal conduct? • Are there identifiable characteristics that violent offenders might manifest that serve as warning signs?