Criminal Profiling

1. Criminal Profiling

2. 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

3. 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

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

5. Organized • 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 • High IQ (105-120) • 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

6. Disorganized • 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 • IQ below average, 80-95 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

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