Origins of Psychological Profiling - Forensic Psychology - Lecture Notes, Study notes of Psychology

Download Origins of Psychological Profiling - Forensic Psychology - Lecture Notes and more Study notes Psychology in PDF only on Docsity! FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY Origins of Psychological Profiling Docsity.com Motivational Spectrum of Homicide • • REVITCH AND SCHLESINGER (1989) – (See Article Handout)  Spectrum of Motivational Stimuli - based on clinical experience rather than empirical research.  The Catathymic Crisis – Schlesinger (1996) – Article  Howitt, Dennis. (2009), Introduction to Forensic and Criminal Psychology: 3rd Edition. London: Pearson Prentice Hall – Chapter 14 & 15. Docsity.com Psychological Profiling  The goal of creating a profile is to gain an idea of the physical, behavioural and demographic characteristics of the offender, what his behaviour is likely to be after committing the crime and when he might strike again. The profile may also provide useful information for interrogation methods after the offender is identified and apprehended. • (Keppel and Birnes, 2003).  Jackson and Bekerian (1997) believe that profiling will only become completely successful when “there is a direct interaction between basic theoretical hypotheses and the applied domain. Docsity.com Psychological Profiling • Crime Scene Profiling uses information from the scene of the crime (physical and other evidence) to generate a picture of the unknown offender. • Psychological Profiling uses standard personality tests and interviewing to assess the extent to which the individual fits the known personality template of a certain type of offender. • Offender Profiling is the collection of empirical data in order to collate a picture of the characteristics of those involved in a certain type of crime. • Homant and Kennedy (1998) Docsity.com Crime Scene Assessment • What Do the Police Look for? • Chief Constable Atcherly – (1896) - Categories for MO of Offender • (Location, Entry, Time, Style, Confederates, Transport, Trademark) •  Who?  What?  Where?  Why?  Behaviour reflects Personality (Douglas) Docsity.com Common Terms • Concept of Escalation • The concept of escalation involves an increase in the intensity of criminal behaviour. Crimes start at a minor level and progress to worsening levels. Burglary is often correlated with murder. Docsity.com Classification of Offenders ORGANISED DISORGANISED VICTIMS Wives and girlfriends safe – gets more pleasure from killing than sex with wives and girlfriends – Single White Female. Anybody – very poor relations with women in general. Usually live alone. CRIME SCENE Crime scene staged, and transport body No staging, leave body where killed. WEAPON May carry weapon with him, and take them away after the crime, i.e. rape kits Uses weapon of opportunity, frenzied attack, often depersonalizes the victim, i.e. turn them on their stomachs Docsity.com Classification of Offenders ORGANISED DISORGANISED CHILDHOOD Troublemaker at school. Classmates won’t remember the offender. PERSONALITY Externalize anger, often attractive, confident, intelligent, good verbal skills. History of problems with authority. Internalise anger, physically unattractive, low self-esteem, and previous suicide attempts, not very articulate in conversation. RELATIONSHIPS WITH WOMEN Talks to women, mood is fairly controlled. Doesn’t often talk to women, mood is anxious Docsity.com Factors that should be considered • • Crime Assessment Stage  Reconstruct in your mind what went on – was it planned or sudden action, weapon is important for assessment – “weapon of opportunity” demonstrates no planning- weapon of choice demonstrates some planning.  Staging – Does the offender try to make it look like something else?  Positioning of body – important, location of excessive trauma. Docsity.com Factors that should be considered • Time Factors  What time of day did the murder take place?  Mornings might attribute to a character that is unemployed/shift worker. How long did the offender spend with the victim? – The longer the time, the greater the risk of being apprehended. • Location Factors  Where was the victim apprehended?  Was she persuaded to go elsewhere?  Where was the person found? (Was the body moved? – has the person a means of transport?)  Is it likely that the victim or offender has some familiarity with the place? Docsity.com Conducting A Profile • 1) Get facts of the crime (behaviour, what he did and the crime scene). • 2) Background information on the victim/offender. • 3) Autopsy report. 4) Behavioural information at the scene. 5) Type of murder  Consider profiles are used in conjunction with so many other crime solving methods  Consider victim risk and offender risk  Consider the usefulness of psychological profiling Docsity.com