Criminal Psychology

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Criminal Psychology
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What is criminal psychology?

• The application of psychological principles to
  criminal activity. Involves
• Criminal behavior
• Risk assessment
• Crime prevention
• The criminal justice system

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What is meant by criminal behavior?

• Conditions resulting in criminal behavior
  include
• Antisocial personality disorder
• Sociopathy
• Psychopathy
• Conduct Disorder
• Borderline personality disorder

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Antisocial Personality Disorder

• Manipulates, exploits, or violates the rights of
  others.
• Behavior is often criminal
• Chronic behavior that begins in childhood
• Fire-setting and cruelty to animals during
  childhood are often present

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Anti-social Personality DisorderSymptoms

• Breaks the law repeatedly
• Lies, steals, and fights often
• Disregards the safety of self and others
• Demonstrates a lack of guilt
• Had a childhood diagnosis (or symptoms consistent
  with) conduct disorder

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Sociopath

• Person having antisocial personality disorder
• Physical aggression
• Disregard for others
• Inability to keep a job or form relationships
• Violates the rights of others
• Lack of regret for inappropriate actions

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Psychopath

• No concerns for the feelings of others
• Complete disregard for social obligation.
• Egocentric
• no sense of responsibility or consequence.
• Emotions are superficial, shallow, or absent
• Callous
• Manipulative
• Incapable of forming lasting relationships
• Incapable of meaningful love.
• Acts only for personal benefit

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Sociopath vs Psychopath

• Psychopaths are
• More organized in crimes
• Less easily recognized appear normal
• More cunning
• Sociopaths are
• More agitated/nervous
• Act more spontaneously
• More socially inadequate dont fit in

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Anti-social Personality Disorder vsPsychopathy

• All psychopaths have antisocial personality
  disorder, but not all patients with ASPD are
  psychopaths
• Hmmmm

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Conduct Disorder

• The childhood equivalent of Antisocial
  personality disorder
• Characterized by
• Aggression to people/animals
• Destruction of property
• Deceitfulness, lying, stealing
• Serious violation of rules

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Borderline Personality Disorder

• Pattern of instability in
• Interpersonal relationships
• Self image
• Affect (emotion) and mood
• Impulsiveness
• Anger and ability to control anger
• Often leads to self-damaging behavior
• Frequent history of physical fights and abuse.

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Types of criminal behavior

• Arson
• Stalking
• Rape
• Murder
• Mass murder
• Serial killers
• Gang Activity

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Arson

• Arson is usually for profit, or from anger
• Most arsonists are young, white males
• Most arsonists have unstable family history
  background of humiliation
• Other motivations are excitement, revenge,
  thrills, sexual gratification

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Firefighters and Arson

• Arson is sometimes perpetrated by firefighters
• Firefighters looking for a way to achieve glory
  and hero-status
• Firefighter arsonists may have few other ways to
  build self-esteem
• Many work for slow departments and are eager for
  action

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Firefighter Arsonists

• White male, age 17-26
• Product of a disruptive, harsh, or unstable home
  
• Poor relationship with dad, overprotective mom
• If married, poor marital adjustment
• Lacking in social and interpersonal skills
• employed in low-paying jobs
• Fascinated with fire service
• May be facing unusual stress (family, financial,
  or legal problems
• Average to above-average intelligence but poor to
  fair academic performance

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Red Flag Behavior for children

• Children who start playing with matches or fire
  as early as age 3
• Children who frequently engage in "daredevil"
  behavior, especially near fire
• Children who mix chemicals or engage in "secret"
  fire settings in which they try different
  mixtures
• Those who are noticeably excited while watching
  fires

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Stalking

• Repeated harassment or other forms of invasion
  of a person's privacy in a manner that causes
  fear to its target. Statutes vary between
  jurisdiction but may include such acts as
• repeated physical following
• unwanted contact
• observing a person's actions closely for an
  extended period of time
• contacting family members, friends, or associates
  of a target inappropriately
• Cyberstalking

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Stalking Psychology

• Some stalkers believe they can make the victim
  love them
• Stalkers often manipulate through threats of
  suicide or intimidation
• Stalkers often objectify the victim so they will
  feel less guilt about actions
• Most stalking doesnt lead to violence

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Types of Stalkers

• Rejected want to revenge some rejection
• Resentful have some grievance with victim want
  to frighten them
• Intimacy loves the victim wants them

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Types of Stalkers

• Eroto-maniac imagines the victim is in love with
  them (common with celebrities)
• Incompetent feel entitiled to imtimacy despite
  poor social skills
• Predatory stalk to plan an attack (often sexual)
  on the victim

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Rape

• Definition an act of sexual violence which is
  accompanied by threat and intimidation, and which
  is imposed upon a victim against his/her will
• Rape is about power, control, domination.
• Rape is not about sex, though it is a violent
  crime that is expressed sexually.

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Types of Rape

• Stranger rape (by a person unknown)
• Date or associate rape (by a relative, colleague,
  husband, or friend)
• Gang rape (by a number of men during one
  incident)

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Patterns of Rape

• Most rapists show no sign of psychopathology
• Most rapes occur indoors
• Most victims know their attackers
• Most rapes are planned
• Most rapes are about humiliation, domination and
  degradation
• Violence is an effective tool against most
  rapists

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Rapists

• Of 41 convicted serial rapists Interviewed
•  85 were white
• 54 had generally stable employment
• 71 had been married
• 78 lived with a partner
• 87 had average or above IQ scores
• 76 had been sexually abused as children
• 54 were socio-economically average or
• 51 had served in the armed forces

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Four Types of Rapists

• Type 1 thinking about violence against women
  causes sexual arousal
• Type 2 mistakenly believes that some women enjoy
  being raped, or want to be raped uses rape to
  show masculinity. Most date rapists are Type 2s.

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Four Types of Rapists

• Type 3 uses sex to deal with their anger
  (especially against women). This is the most
  violent and most dangerous.
• Type 4 the repeat offender. most likely to have
  been abused as a child. difficulty establishing
  enduring relationships, and a history of chronic
  problems in schools or with family.

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Rape Techniques

• The Con openly approaches victim with request
  or offer of assistance (police officer, injury,
  helpful bystander)
• The Blitz overpowers the victim with a direct,
  physical assault
• The Surprise pre-meditated approach while
  victim is asleep or distracted rarely involves
  injury

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Multiple Murderers

• Multiple murderers are people who have killed
  more than one victim.
• multiple killers are classified into three basic
  categories
• mass murderers
• spree killers
• Serial killers

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Mass Murderers

• kills four or more people at one location during
  one continuous period of time, whether it is a
  few minutes or over a period of days.
• Make no attempt to hide
• Often die by suicide or police after incident

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Three Types of Mass Murderers

• Family annihilators
• Paramilitary/political enthusiasts
• Revenge/Disgruntled workers

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Family Annihilators

• In 2007, A man in LAYTONSVILLE, Md., shot and
  killed his ex-wife, their three children (12 y/o
  boy, 10 y/o girl, 6 y/o boy) and himself after
  winning custody of the kids in a divorce.
• Ronald Lee Simmons the father of his daughter's
  son, killed fourteen members of his family on
  Christmas in 1987 when his wife threatened to
  divorce him.

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Paramilitary/Political Murderer

• Adolf Hitler blamed killed the Jews for
  Germany's problems
• The terrorists who attacked the World Trade
  Center perceive the victims as violating the
  terrorists' political or religious goals.
• Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols bombed the
  federal building in Oklahoma City on April 19,
  1995, because they were angry at the federal
  government over the Waco, raid against the Branch
  Davidians

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Revenge/Disgruntled Worker

• David Burke, a fired airline employee, followed
  his boss onto a plane in 1987, shot him, and
  caused the plane to crash, killing forty-three
  people.
• Pat Sherrill, fearing that he might be fired from
  his postal job, killed fourteen coworkers and
  wounded six others in 1986.
• In 1999, Mark Barton, a day trader, killed his
  family and entered two brokerage firms, slaying
  nine and wounding twelve after losing a great
  deal of money .

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Another type of revenge mass murder School
Shootings

• In 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered
  12 classmates, 1 teacher, and wounded 24 others
  at Columbine High School before shooting
  themselves.
• In 1998, Kip Kinkel, 15, killed 2 classmates and
  wounded 25 others at Thurston HS (Oregon) after
  killing his two parents in their home.

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Spree Killers

• kill two or more victims, but are in more than
  one location.
• the spree is considered a single event, because
  there is no "cooling off" period between the
  murders.

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Example of Spree Killer George Banks

• In George Banks, a prison guard, went hunting for
  his loved ones in various locations at 2 am. The
  following were killed in the spree
• three girlfriends
• his five children (ages 1 11)
• two neighbors who were trying to flee
• A former girlfriend their 5-year-old son
• his Former girlfriends mother
• His former girlfriends 7-year-old nephew
• Two brothers of the former Girlfriend (survived)

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Serial Killers

• murder three or more victims, but each is killed
  on separate occasions
• usually select their victims
• cooling off periods between murders
• plan their crimes carefully

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Serial Killers

• Most serial killers will fall into a pattern,
  either of modus operandi, location, victim type,
  motive, etc.
• The patterns of activities often allow police to
  apprehend the killer.
• Serial killers are often described as normal,
  very chatty and a good neighbor.
• " We are your sons, and we are your husbands, and
  we grew up in regular families
  Serial Killer Ted Bundy

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Serial Killers

• Typical serial Killers are
• Predominantly male
• White
• Within their twenties or thirties
• Middle class
• Kill within their ethnic group

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Types of serial killers (patterns)Organized

• Characteristics Socially competent, intelligent
  , a planner, generally targets strangers, someone
  who uses restraints, has sex with their victims
  and uses a vehicle.
• Typical behaviors living with a partner, follows
  the crime in the media, plans the killing, the
  victims body is hidden, evidence is often
  absent, may return to the crime scene and
  anticipates police questioning. 
• Very difficult to catch

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Example of organized killers

• Ted Bundy fake cast on arm, gained sympathy and
  then beat victims with a metal post
• Harold Shipman a physician who killed over 250
  elderly patients by making it look like death
  from natural causes

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Types of serial killers (patterns)Disorganized

• Characteristics socially immature, may know his
  victims, kills spontaneously, often sexually
  inhibited, harsh childhood discipline.
• Typical behaviors lives alone, knows victim,
  sloppy crime scene, evidence present, shows no
  interest in the media, and does not change
  lifestyle as a result of the killing.
• Easier to catch than the organized killer

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Examples of disorganized killers

• Ed Gein collected parts and displayed them
  around the house. He got the parts both from
  women that he killed and from exhumed graves
• David Berkowitz stabbed or shot couples sitting
  in their cars, and then ran away

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Types of Serial Killer (motives)

• Visionary type visions or voices guide their
  actions
• Mission-orientated type want to remove a
  certain group from society
• Hedonistic type - derive pleasure or gain from
  the killing
• Power/ control-orientated type - enjoy
  controlling their victims with some sexual
  satisfaction

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The Psychology of Gangs

• Gang Membership is associated with antisocial
  behaviors
• Gangs can result in death or injury of victims
• Gang members are also at risk for injury, death,
  incarceration
• Most gang members are young, African American
  males, but females and other ethnic groups are
  also common

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Gangs

• In groups, divide a piece of paper into four
  parts. Do each of the following in one corner
• Who joins gangs (characteristics)
• Why people join gangs
• Advantages of being in a gang
• Disadvantages of being in a gang

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Who joins gangs?

• Low socio-economic status
• Single parent homes
• Homes with heavy discipline but minimal
  supervision
• Have delinquent friends
• Attend school with gang members

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Why Kids Join Gangs

• drawn by parties, girls, drugs.
• looking for respect, and power.
• want to be associated with a family or
  community.
• want to make money , to have nice clothes, etc.
• join for self protection.
• grow up in a neighborhood where it is almost a
  way of life.
• prefer the streets to problems at home.

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Advantages of being in a gang

• Provide protection from other gangs
• Provide a sense of family or instant friends
• Provide income through drug sales
• Provide respect and recognition

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Disadvantages of being in a gang

• Most dont get rich just the leaders
• Dealing results in Long hours and dangerous work
• Risk of death or incarceration is high
• Most gangs have severe initiation rituals
• Females are beat or sexed in
• Boys are beat or must commit some crime

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Secret SymbolsDo you know how to spot it?

• On a piece of paper, draw a local gang symbol
  or write a method of identifying gang members
  that you have seen or heard. Fold the paper up
  and put it in the box.

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Recognizing Gang Involvement

• Special hand signals
• Unique symbols and lettering on tattoos
• Clothing (hats, bandannas, sagging pants, etc.)
  suggesting group or gang involvement
• Possession of unexplained large sums of money
• Changes in attitude violent reactions,
  disruptive behavior, refusal to respond to
  authority (teachers, police, parents) etc.

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Recognizing Gang Involvement

• Secretive behavior regarding activities and
  locations
• Change in friends or friends who are not brought
  home
• Truancy or poor school performance
• phone callers that refuse to identify themselves
  or use nicknames only
• problems with school officials and police
  officers
• Involvement with known or suspected gang members
• Interest in or possession of weapons

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Recognizing Gang Involvement

• Wearing one particular color of clothing or a
  particular logo excessively
• Wearing jewelry with distinctive designs only on
  the right or left hand of the body
• Drawing gang symbols and using gang handwriting
  (usually grafitti-like, hard to decipher, and
  characterized by crossed out, and upside-down
  letters, and gang symbols)
• Using strange language or slang, especially when
  certain letters of words are substituted (like
  "flue" for blue, in Blood slang)

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Chattanooga Gangs

• Bloods
• Crips
• Gangster disciples
• Vice lords
• Mara salvatrucha (mostly nashville)

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Risk AssessmentHow are criminals made?

• Genetics/DNA/chromosomes
• Environmental factors
• Biochemistry
• Family traits
• Economic circumstances
• Neurological damage
• A combination of these factors can be
  devastating

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How are criminals made?Genetics

• Criminals have a genetic predisposition
• Genetic anomaly limits the function of the
  amygdala, leaving psychopath with inability to
  understand feel emotion
• Studies show similar tendencies in twins raised
  apart
• Extra chromosomes have been linked to some serial
  killers

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How are criminals made?Environmental

• The roots of antisocial behavior lie in early
  childhood events
• insecure attachment
• a weak sense of self
• a dysfunctional family
• coercive or indifferent parenting
• physical, sexual or emotional abuse or neglect
• the death of a parent
• low family income
• Separated or divorce
• low academic achievement

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How Criminals are madeEnvironmental

• Henry Lee Lucas mother beat him with a broom
  handle for years, dressed him as a girl, and made
  him watch her have sex with men who later beat
  him.

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How are criminals made?Biochemistry

• Reduced glucose levels
• Reduced seratonin levels (seratonin mellows us
  out)
• Increased testosterone (creates need to dominate)
• Sometimes have high traces of toxic metals

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How are criminals made?Brain traits

• Psychopaths have abnormal brain activities
•  
• Less active pre-frontal cortex (impulse control)
• Overactive limbic system (aggression, sexual
  desire)
• Overactive temporal lobes (temper outbursts and
  mood disturbances)

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How are criminals made?Economic factors

• The purpose of the kill is to gain financially
• Female killers often murder for insurance money
• Arsonists often burn for profit

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How are criminals made?Neurological Damage

• Frontal Lobe damage causes lack of social
  behavior and self-control
• Phineas Gage
• Albert Fish (Brooklyn vampire) had frontal lobe
  damage at age 7

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Risk Assessment McDonalds Triad

• Three traits in children that may show a
  tendency to become a serial killer
• Fire-starting destroying for thrills
• Cruelty to animals particularly larger animals
  (dogs, cats)
• Bedwetting beyond the normal age

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Crime Prevention

• Criminal psychology is used to predict, identify,
  find, and convict criminals
• Criminal profiling is the primary tool

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What is Criminal Profiling?

• Study and prediction of criminal behavior used
  to indicate
• How the criminal thinks
• Motivation for crime
• Modus operandi
• Signature

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How is Profiling Used?

• As a tool to identify possible suspects
• As a tool to point investigators in the right
  direction
• As a tool to open new leads
• As a tool to help investigators know what
  evidence to look for
• Not as a tool for conviction conviction
  requires evidence, not speculation

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Elements of a criminal profile

• Probable AGE, sex, and race
• Probable residence and living arrangements
• Intelligence level
• Probable occupation
• Probable marital status
• Psychosexual maturity
• Probable type/condition of vehicle
• Probable motivating factors
• Probable arrest record
• Provocating factors to incite the suspect
• Recommended interrogation techniques

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Modus Operandi and Signature

• Modus operandi (MO) the method commonly used by
  the criminal
• Victim/location selection, means of attack, use
  of weapon, planning, means of transport
• Valuables taken
• Evidence left behind
• Bundy approach victim in daylight, gain their
  trust, lure them to his car, and hit them in the
  head with a crowbar, disposal in one specific
  dump site.

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Ritual and Signature

• Signature what the criminal does beyond the
  crime the acting out of a fantasy
• Wound patterns, sex acts, means of control,
  rituals, talk, staging the body
• Souvenirs taken
• Evidence destroyed
• Bundy Post-mortem rape, applying make-up to
  corpse, decapitation, photo keepsakes, cremating
  body parts to prevent capture

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MO vs. Signature

• MO can change or evolve over time as criminal
  becomes more experienced
• Signature is the calling card or Trademark
• Signature points to personality traits, hang-ups,
  and compulsions
• Signatures do not change, but may worsen over time

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Steps in Profiling a Case

• 1. Determine the physical, behavioral and
  demographics of the unknown offender
• 2. Identify post-offense behavior of the offender
  and strategies for apprehension
• 3. Develop interview strategies once the offender
  is apprehended
• 4. Determine the signature of the offender
• 5. Determine where evidence can be located

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Input Needed by Profiler

1. Crime scene video, photos, sketches, evidence
   logs
2. Autopsy video, photos, hospital, forensics,
   reports
3. Neighborhood data, Maps, victim's travels,
   lifestyle
4. Investigative reports, witness statements

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Criminal Psychology and Crime Prevention/Intervent
ion

• Criminal psychologists may
• Provide victim or witness evaluation and
  treatment
• Assess and treat individuals in the workplace who
  are high risk for aggression
• Screen and treat police officers
• Juvenile Assessment, intervention, and crime
  prevention

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Criminal Psychology and the Criminal Justice
System

• A criminal psychologist May
• perform psychiatic evaluation for insanity or
  trial competency
• Provide expert testimony for trial
• Consultation for jury selection, child testimony,
  or expert witness
• Determine treatment or intervention for mentally
  ill defendents

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Visionary type examplesEd Gein

• Ate the corpses of women who looked like his
  deceased mother to preserve his mother's soul
  inside his body.
• Used the flesh of exhumed female corpses to
  fashion a "woman suit" so that he could "become"
  his mother.
• After his arrest he was placed in a mental
  facility for the remainder of his life.

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Visionary type ExamplesHerbert Mullin

• Voices told him that killing people in California
  would prevent an earthquake
• Killed a total of 13 people
• After capture, he pointed out repeatedly that he
  had, indeed, prevented the earthquake

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Missionary Type Examples

• Jack the Ripper in 19th century London, he
  killed 5 prostitutes and removed their organs
• Gary Ridgway (Green River Killer) in 2001,
  confessed to the murder of 48 prostitutes

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Missionary Type Examples

• Ted Kaczynski (Unibomber) sent mail bombs to
  create leverage for a set of demands in his
  manifesto
• Zebra Killers (1970s) black supremacist group
  who killed inferior whites with a machete to
  earn points towards heaven

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Hedonistic type examples

• Yang Xinhai chinas most notorious serial killer
  murdered 65 people from 1999-2003
• David Berkowitz Got a thrill out of shooting
  young couples in their car and then running away

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Hedonistic Quote

• "When I killed people I had a desire sexual
  excitement. This inspired me to kill more. I
  don't care whether they deserve to live or not.
  It is none of my concern
• 
  Yang Xinhai

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Power/control type examples

• John Wayne Gacy raped and murdered 33 boys and
  young men between 1972 1978, then buried them
  underneath his house. He called his victims
  worthless little queers and punks even though
  his victims were mostly heterosexual.