Introduction to Forensic Psychology 2nd Edition Bartol

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Introduction toForensic Psychology2nd
EditionBartol Bartol (2008)

• Chapter 3
• Police Psychology
• Investigative Psychology

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Investigative Psychology

• DEFINITION The application of psychology to
  criminal investigation.
• Profilingone of the tasks often associated with
  investigative psychologyrequires sketching the
  significant psychological and demographic
  features of a person or persons.
• Broadly defined, investigative psychology
  includes research and practice involving
• -Profiling -Risk Assessment
• -Police Line-ups -Interrogation
• -Polygraph Hypnosis -Other?
• -

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3 Questions

• What are the important behavioral features of the
  crime that may help identify and successfully
  prosecute the perpetrator?
• What inferences can be made about the
  characteristics of the offender that may help
  identify him or her?
• Are there any other crimes that are likely to
  have been committed by the same person?

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CRIMINAL PROFILING Background
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What is Criminal Profiling?

• Criminal profiling is the process of identifying
  personality traits, behavioral tendencies,
  geographical location, and demographic or
  biographical descriptors of an offender (or
  offenders) based on crime scene characteristics.

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Goals of Profiling

• The primary goal of profiling is to narrow the
  field of possible suspects.
• Profiling is also a form of prediction -- the
  profiler tries to predict who the offender or
  offenders might be and where and how the next
  crime may occur.

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Why Use Criminal Profiles in Law Enforcement?

• Traditional investigative techniques often fall
  short in extreme cases.
• A subset of offenses/offenders are considered
  most suitable for profiling -- What subset of
  offenders and why more suitable for profiling??

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Brief History of Criminal Profiling

• 1940s - First recorded use by psychiatrist Walter
  Langer during WWII commissioned to construct a
  psychodynamic profile of Hitler.
• 1957 - psychiatrist James Brussels worked with
  NYPD to construct a profile of the Mad Bomber.
• 1970s-1980s - FBI (Howard Teten, John Douglas,
  Robert Ressler, Roy Hazelwood, and others) became
  involved in psychological profiling and
  popularized the technique.
• 1990s 2003 - attempt (by David Canter, Maurice
  Godwin, Ron Holmes, Robert Keppel, Brent Turvey,
  Kim Rossmo and others) to scientize profiling and
  move the practice beyond the purview of the FBI.

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The FBI Profilers

• Small/prominent group of FBI profilers helped to
  popularize the term in 1970s in the Behavioral
  Science Unit -- called the National Center for
  the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) since 1984.
• Responsible for establishing the Violent Criminal
  Apprehension Program (VICAP). Published Crime
  Classification Manual, Sexual Homicide Patterns
  and Motives and true crime novels.
• Are known for the ORGANIZED/DISORGANIZED typology
  and focus on M.O. and SIGNATURE.
• Criticized for relying too much on
  intuition/faulty use of the scientific method.

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Is Profiling a Science or Profession?

• Profiling has not yet achieved the status of a
  profession. Factors hindering professionalization
  
• Lack of consensus (on terms, approaches,
  training, appropriate experience/educational
  background, etc.).
• Practical issues (sensitivity and confidentiality
  of cases).
• Ego/territorial issues.
• Absence of uniform standards, practices, peer
  review, and ethics.
• Small number (if any) of profiling positions
  where profiling is the primary job description.
• The notion (and acknowledgement among many
  profilers) that profiling is more art
  than science.

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Assumptions Made in the Profiling ProcessSee
Holmes Holmes (2001). Profiling Violent Crimes.
Sage.

• Crime scene reflects the personality of the
  offender.
• M.O. remains similar.
• Signature will remain the same.
• Offenders personality will not change.

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The Organized-Disorganized Typology

• Whether or not the crime scene is left ORGANIZED
  or DISORGANIZED is said to provide information
  about the offenders criminal sophistication and
  personality.
• Organized crime scene reflects offender who
  commits crime out of a need for power. Motivation
  associated with PSYCHOPATHY.
• Disorganized crime scene reflects offender who
  commits crime out of passion, compulsion,
  frustration, or anxiety. Motivation associated
  with PSYCHOSIS.

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The Organized Crime Scene See Ressler, Burgess,
Douglas (1992) Sexual Homicide Patterns and
Motives. Free Press.

• Offense planned
• Victim a targeted stranger
• Victim personalized
• Controlled conversation
• Crime scene reflects overall control
• Demands submissive victim

• Restraints used
• Aggressive acts prior to death
• Body hidden
• Weapon/evidence absent
• victim or body transported from scene
• Associated with psychopathy

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The Disorganized Crime Scene See Ressler,
Burgess, Douglas (1992) Sexual Homicide
Patterns and Motives.

• Spontaneous offense
• Victim or location known
• Depersonalizes victim
• Minimal conversation
• Crime scene random and sloppy
• Sudden violence to victim

• Minimal use of restraints
• Sexual acts after death
• Body left in view
• Evidence/weapon often present
• Body left at death scene
• Associated with Psychosis

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Interview/Interrogation StrategiesSee Holmes
Holmes (1996) Profiling Violent Crimes. Sage.

• ORGANIZED
• Direct confrontation
• Respects competency
• One-person interview
• Dont expect free information
• No use of false evidence (are too sharp for
  this)
• Conduct when suspect has no time to gather
  thoughts

• DISORGANIZED
• Relationship motivated
• Empathy
• Constant stream of conversation
• Use positive personal relationship
• Conduct at night

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Distinction Between Psychopathy and Psychosis

• PSYCHOPATHY
• Personality disorder made up of a particular
  constellation of characteristics)
• Lack of attachment, defect in affect, absence of
  anxiety
• In touch with reality
• PSYCHOSIS
• Clinical mental illness Schizophrenia
• May meet legal definition of insanity
• Out of touch with reality

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Criticism of the Organized/Disorganized
Typology See Turvey (2002) Criminal Profiling.
Academic Press.

• Developed/oversimplified for use by law
  enforcement professionals with little academic
  training in criminology, psychology, and forensic
  science and encourages unsophisticated profiling.
• Is a FALSE DICHOTOMY --few offenders/crime scenes
  it neatly into either type.
• Other problems?

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M.O. and Signature(See Douglas, Burgess,
Burgess, Ressler (1997). Crime Classification
Manual. Jossey-Bass Keppel, R.D. Birnes, W.J.
(1997). Signature Killers. Pocket Books.

• METHOD OF OPERATION (M.O.)
• How the offender committed the crime. Tells about
  the experience of the offender and
  situational/contextual factors involved in the
  crime.
• SIGNATURE
• The behavior/expression of fantasy the killer
  must leave at the scene to satisfy
  emotional/psychological needs. Goes beyond whats
  necessary to commit crime and tells about the
  offenders psychological needs and motivation.

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Factors that Shape M.O.

• Trade/Professional Experience
• Criminal experience and confidence
• Contact with the criminal justice system
• Media and pop culture
• Offender Mood/Mental state
• X-Factors (unknown/unplanned influences)

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Factors that Shape Signature

• Personality/Psychopathology
• Evolution of Fantasy

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Distinguishing M.O. from SignatureSee Turvey
(2002) Criminal Profiling. Academic Press.

• Signature and M.O. needs may be satisfied by the
  same behavior. Important to remember the two
  most important axioms of criminal profiling
• Different offenders do similar things for
  different reasons.
• Offender behaviors can be the result of multiple
  motivations and/or external influences.

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Static and Dynamic RiskSee Andrews Bonta
(2003). The Psychology of Criminal Conduct.
Anderson.

• Offender risk factors are static and dynamic. Are
  important in understanding M.O. and Signature
  behaviors.
• STATIC RISK Stay the same over time
• DYNAMIC RISK Change over time
• Stable dynamic change slowly over months or
  years
• Acute dynamic change rapidly over minutes or
  days.
• What type of risk factors are M.O. and Signature
  behaviors?

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The Psychological Autopsy

• The Psychological Autopsy is an attempt to
  reconstruct the personality profile and cognitive
  features of deceased. This postmortem
  psychological analysis is also called
  reconstructive psychological evaluation and
  equivocal death analysis . Psychological
  autopsies are important to
• Assist certifying officials to clarify deaths
  that are ambiguous, uncertain, or equivocal as to
  the manner of death
• Aid in investigation to determine insurance
  payments and national security issues.
• To make a reasonable determination of what may
  have been in the mind of the deceased person
  leading up to and at the time of
  deathparticularly if the death appears to be a
  suicide
• Psychological autopsies differ from criminal
  profiling in two important ways (1) the profile
  is constructed on a dead person, and (2) the
  identity of the person is already known.

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Geographical Profiling and Mapping

• Geographical profiling refers to the analysis of
  geographical locations associated with the
  spatial movements of a single serial offender,
• Geographical mapping is concerned with analyzing
  the spatial patterns of crimes committed by
  numerous offenders over a period of time.
  Geographical mapping focuses on identifying the
  hot spots of certain types of crime.
• In 1995, D. Kim Rossmo wrote a doctoral
  dissertation at Simon Frasier Universitys School
  of Criminology on geographical profiling. Rossmo
  developed a computer program called Criminal
  Geographic Targeting (CGT). It is designed to
  analyze the geographical or spatial
  characteristics of an offenders crimes.

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The Polygraph

• The polygraphcommonly called the lie
  detectordetects psychophysiological responses
  that accompany emotional reactions to guilt,
  shame, and anxiety through heart rate, blood
  pressure, breathing rate, and skin conductance.
• In addition to observing the physiological
  measures, the skillful polygrapher makes
  behavioral observations and notations to infer
  truth or deception in the subject being examined.
  
• The polygraph can accurately measure and record
  the physiological responses but it is unclear
  whether it can detect actual lying and deception.

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INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND OFFENDER
PROFILING Discussion Questions
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Discussion Questions(Homant Kennedy/BB Supp
Readings)

• What are the major limitations in researching the
  effectiveness of profiling?
• Why Is Profiling So Inaccurate?
• What direction do the authors of your readings
  this week (e.g., Homant Kennedy) suggest we
  need to go in terms of conducting research on
  profiling? How do Homant Kennedy define
• Offender Profiling
• Psychological Profiling
• Geographical Profiling
• Equivocal Death Analysis

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Discussion Questions(Muller/BB Supp Readings)

• What two main approaches to profiling are
  reviewed in this article? Explain the features of
  each.

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Discussion Questions(BB Text Ch 3)

• What might explain the popularity of profiling,
  despite the lack of evidence to support it?
• What other applications of psychological theory
  and research do the authors suggest can be
  considered under the heading of investigative
  psychology?

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Discussion Questions General(BB (Text)

• Explain the significance of static and dynamic
  risk factors in the prediction and profiling of
  human behavior.
• Explain how the processes of a) unconscious
  transference and b) own-race bias can affect
  identification provided by eyewitnesses to an
  event.
• Forensic psychologists have offered
  recommendations to police in constructing
  line-ups. What are these recommendations? Upon
  what research findings are they based?