Criminal Criminal ProfilingProfiling

What is criminal profiling?

Construction of a psychological, behavioral, geographic, and/or demographic profile based on crime scene evidence.

These characteristics are revealed in the way the crime was committed.

The 3 Main Goals of Profiling

1. To provide a social and psychological assessment of the offender.

2. To provide interview suggestions and strategies.

3. Narrow down an investigation to those suspects who possess certain behavioral and/or personality features revealed by the way a crime was committed.

Profilers do not solve crimes.

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Stages of the Profiling Process

1. Input: Collecting info about the crime.

2. Decision process models: Data is organized and classified. Determine motives. Victimology.

3. Crime assessment: Crime reconstruction. MO and Signature.

4. Criminal profile: Describing the suspect.

5. Investigation: Report is given to investigators.

6. Apprehension (hopefully)

The logic is that the way a person thinks guides his or her behavior.

Profiling: Looking for Clues

Location: Indoor, outdoor, vehicle, underwater etc. - who frequents the location, how can it be reached, what normal activities, why there etc?

Victimology: Study of the relationship between offender and victim.

Crime Scene type: point of contact & primary, secondary, intermediate & victim disposal sites

Method of approach: Surprise, con or blitz

Method of attack: initial means for overpowering a victim.

Method of control: control force; verbal or non-verbalized threats [includes sexual threats] - the amount of force used can help determine the offenders needs & motives.

First documented case of criminal profiling:

New York City 1950’s

“Mad Bomber”– George Metesky

Psychiatrist James Brussell constructs a profile: White male, 40’s - 50’s Lives with aunt or sister Hates father, loves mother Will wear double-breasted suit when

apprehended

BrusselBrussel’’s Profiles Profile

"It's a man. Paranoiac. He's middle-aged, forty to fifty years old, introvert. Well proportioned in build. He's single. A loner, perhaps living with an older female relative. He is very neat, tidy and clean shaven. Good education, but of foreign extraction. Skilled mechanic, neat with tools. Not interested in women. He's a Slav. Religious. Might flare up violently at work when criticized. Possible motive: discharge or reprimand. Feels superior to his critics. Resentment keeps growing. His letters are posted from Westchester, and he wouldn't be stupid enough to post them from where he lives. He probably mails the letters between his home and New York City. To get from there to New York you have to pass through Westchester. He has had a bad disease - possibly heart trouble." . . . Double breasted suit. Buttoned.

Serial Killers

TerminologyModus Operandi: Involves how the crime was committed.

Signature: Aspects of a crime that are unique to the perpetrator.

Definition of a Serial Killer

Murder of two or more persons

Involves a distinctive “cooling off” period Can be days to months to years

Differs from Mass Murder (4+ persons killed together) & Spree Killing (2+ persons killed in short period of time at different locations)

Multiple Offender Terms

• Mass Murderer – 4 or more victims, James Huberty – 21 killed in a McDonalds in San Ysidro, CA, 7/18/84. Made no attempt to hide. Death by police/suicide.

• Spree Killer – 2 or more victims, Andrew Cunanan – 5 murdered from CA to FL. 4/27-7/15/1997, committed suicide 7/23/97

• Serial Killer – 3 or more victims, Ted Bundy - 30+ murdered from Oregon to Florida, 1974 – 1978; Wayne Williams +/– 21 child victims in Atlanta, GA, 1979 – 1981; England’s Dr. Harold Shipman, one of the most prolific serial killers of modern times, with up to 260 believed victims (usually older women in a hospital setting), 1975 - 2000

Dr. Harold Shipman

http://www.biography.com/people/harold-shipman-17169712#synopsis

Typical serial killer

White male

Late 20’s to early 30’s

Kills within his own race

Method of murder is “hands on” (strangulation or stabbing)

Victims selected because they share specific characteristics (for example, Ted Bundy chose young women with long hair, parted in the middle)

Current StatisticsThe USA has 76% of the world’s serial killers.

83% of American killers are Caucasian.  

Only 15% are African American.  

Men make up at least 90% of the world wide total of serial killers.  

65% of victims are female.  

89% of victims are white.  

44% of all killers start in their twenties, 26% start in their teens, 24% start in their thirties.  

Out of all known and captured killers, 86% are heterosexual. These statistics do not reflect bi-sexuality. 

Common Traits of Serial Killers: the so-called “Homicidal Triangle”

1. Bed-wetting: 60% past age 12

2. Fire Setting: Fondness for spectacular destruction

3. Animal Abuse: Tormenting of animals long before people become their targets…

John Wayne GaceyMurdered 32 boys in Chicago from 72’-78’, bodies buried in crawl space.

Dressed as “Pogo the Clown” to entertain children

Executed 5/10/94 – examination of his brain requested by his family - nothing abnormal found…

Organized vs. Disorganized

Offenders Organized crime scene:

Body is hidden Weapon is removed from scene Appears to be well-planned The victim is specifically targeted Restraints often used Aggression takes place before

death

Organized vs. Disorganized

Disorganized: Body not hidden Weapon is present Appears to be spontaneous Victim may be an acquaintance Aggression or sex post-mortem

What does it all mean? Organized crime scene suggests an

offender: Average or above average IQ Employed, usually quite skilled Socially competent Uses alcohol in commission of crime Uses car to drive to crime scene/hunt

for victim Obsessed with media coverage of his

crimes

What does it all mean?

Disorganized crime scene suggests an offender: Below average IQ Unstable employment record,

unskilled Socially isolated Lives close to crime scene Strict discipline as a child Extremely anxious

Profiling a Serial Killer: “The Trailside Killer”

San Francisco Mount Tamalpais August 1979 Edda Kane (44 years) found dead Facedown, kneeling position Single gunshot wound to back of

head No evidence of sexual assault No robbery

Trailside Killer

March 1980 Barbara Schwartz (23 years) Stabbed in chest Naked, kneeling position

October 1980 Anne Alderson (26 years) Shot in head BUT: not naked, not kneeling

Trailside Killer

November 1980 Shauna May (25 years) Found in a shallow grave NEXT TO Diana O’

Connell (22 years) who had been missing for one month

Both shot in head

Same day: two more bodies Richard Stowers (19 years) and fiancee

Cynthia Moreland (18 years) Determined to have been killed the same

weekend as Anne Alderson in mid-October

Trailside Killer

March 1981

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park Ellen Marie Hansen (20) & Steven

Haertle Threatened to rape Ellen, shot & killed

her when she protested Steven was shot but survived Able to give a description of the man

Trailside Killer: Constructing a profile

(John Douglas) Crime scenes in secluded areas only

accessible by foot: Killer was comfortable in area, a local

Victims attacked from rear in blitz-style attack: Killer was asocial, not able to charm victims with conversation. Blitz-style attack was the only way he could control victims

Trailside Killer: Constructing a profile

Victims ranged in ages and appearance: Killer didn’t know victims. He is acting out a fantasy

Victims were white: Killer is white

Able to evade police: Low to mid 30’s

Probably spent time in jail, possibly attempted rape

Blue-collar work

Trailside Killer: Constructing a profile

Very intelligent

Not random act - precipitating stressor

History of bed-wetting, fire-starting and/or cruelty to animals (as a child)

SPEECH IMPEDIMENT

Secluded, didn’t want to be seen

Relied on over-powering victim

Indicates a disability, but unlikely physical because was able to control victim

Trailside Killer Caught David Carpenter

White male, 50 (*profile of age incorrect) Industrial arts teacher History of attacking women and served jail

time Domineering and abusive mother Bed-wetting & cruelty to animals as a child SEVERE STUTTER

Profiling Crime Scenes

Use the evidence to construct a profileOrganised or disorganised

Behavioural evidence

Known characteristics of serial offenders

Your profile should…Tell the story of the crime

Describe the person responsible

From the Psychopath Whisperer

1 in 4 maximum-security inmates is a psychopath

There are over 29 million psychopaths worldwide. A psychopath is born every 47 seconds.

Psychopaths kill more people in North America every year than the number killed on 9/11.

Psychopaths are 6x more likely than other criminals to commit new crimes following release from prison.

There are roughly 500,000 male psychopaths in the US.

The FBI estimates that there are as many as 50 serial killers active in the US.

What is the Difference Between a Sociopath and a

Psychopath?

An Interview w/Robert Hare

(Click for Audio)

PSYCHOPATHS SOCIOPATHS (Anti-Social Personality Disorder).

Perhaps an innate or genetically-based muting of social emotions.

The products of adverse environmental experiences.

Grandiosity, Narcissism, Arrogance, Deceitfulness, Sexual Promiscuity, Impulsivity.

Reckless, irritable, aggressive, impulsive, deceptive, irresponsible, fails to conform to social norms.

Complete lack of guilt or empathy. No remorse. Can easily commit crimes against friends/family.

Will lie, manipulate, hurt others but generally not to people they care about.

Callous yet charming. Will con and manipulate others with charisma and intimidation and can mimic feelings to present as ‘normal’ to society.

Can form normal attachments and display normal temperaments.

Organized in criminal thinking and behavior. Can maintain good physical/emotional control. Displays little emotion. Knows what he/she is doing is wrong but doesn’t care.

Less organized in his/her demeanor. Might feel nervous, easily agitated or quick to display anger. More likely to spontaneously act out w/out thinking of the consequences.

Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist (PCL)

Factor 1: Measures of selfish, callous & remorseless use of others & includes most of the personality characteristics of the traditional clinical concept of the disorder - traits are inferred rather than explicit.

Glibness/superficial charm

Grandiose sense of self-worth/narcissism

Pathological lying & deception

Conning (insincere), manipulative behaviour

Lack of remorse or guilt

Shallow affect

Callousness/lack of empathy

Failure to accept responsibility for actions

Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) 2Factor 2: Measures social deviance manifest as a chronically

unstable & anti-social lifestyle - more explicit than Factor 1.

Need for stimulation/prone to boredom

Parasitic lifestyle/behaviour

Poor behavioural controls

Early behavioural problems

Lack of realistic long-term goals

Impulsivity

Irresponsible

Juvenile delinquency/criminal record

Revocation of conditional release or supervision

Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) 3

Other Factors:

Promiscuous sexual behaviour

Many short-term marital relations

Criminal versatility

Drug & alcohol not direct cause of anti-social behaviour

Cleckley’s (1962) “The Mask of Insanity” -- machine man & insensitivity may have physiological origins

The Psychopath Test