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| Psychological
Profiling |
| As a branch of criminal science, psychological
profiling is better known in practice than by name. Although no solid
evidence can be obtained from this process, it provides an accurate
way of guiding the direction, in which an investigation heads toward. |
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Select one of the following topics for more information:
--> What
is psychological profiling
--> The facts
--> Why criminals
commit
--> Inductive
profiling
--> Deductive
profiling
--> Serial killers
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| What
is Psychological Profiling? |
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| Psychological
profiling involves investigating an offender's behaviour, motives
and background in an attempt to further guide an investigation. Research
shows that offender's that repeatedly rape or kill are driven by a
heightened public fear for their actions and media attention, which
could eventually lead to their arrest. Analysing the criminal's habits
and rituals allows investigators to trace similarities between
previous crimes. When these details of their lifestyle are made public,
friends, neighbours and colleagues may recognize them. |
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| The
Facts |
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| The process of psychological profiling
began over a century ago, but was first distinctly used as a method
in America during the 1950's. Investigators discovered through research,
intriguing patterns and similarities between serial killer's behaviour.
Some of the patterns discovered include the killers having suffered
from child abuse as youngsters, whether it is sexual or physical and
that this kind of abuse led to abnormal behaviours later on. As children
and teenagers, they started fires, were cruel to animals or children
and then in the late teenage years to early twenties, were engaging
in petty crime and defying authority. |
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| Why
Criminals Commit |
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| Committing serious crimes usually
start at around the mid to late twenties. Being able to manipulate
victims and show a sense of power and domination is a main drive for
criminals, as well sexual motives. Murdering victims gives them the
sense of success and control that they have never felt in their lives.
Some criminals have also found that they need to relive that sense
of victory that was felt during the committing of the crime, so they
take something from their victims, for example, jewelry, clothing
and even body parts. |
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| Inductive
Profiling |
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| Investigators putting together a profile
use either inductive or deductive approaches. Inductive profiling
involves assuming that when a criminal commits a crime, he or she
will have a similar background and motive to others who have committed
a similar crime. An example of this is a re-offending rapist whose
target are white women, is not likely to be black, because crimes
of the past that have been similar to this one have rarely crossed
racial lines. However, these statements have been questioned and have
experienced a lot of publicised drawbacks. |
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| Deductive
Profiling |
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| Deductive profiling involves a process
that avoids generalisations and averages. This method involves
intently studying suspects in extreme detail and adapting findings
in which new evidence surfaces. A deductive profile is set up based
on the offender's actions before, during and after committing the
crime. For example, if the murderer used a makeshift weapon, investigators
are then able to deduce that the crime was probably spontaneous. Another
example involves serial murderers. Investigators are able to find
out whether the murder was organized, which means that the killer
carried out a planned, premeditated attack on a victim, or if the
attack was disorganized, meaning that the murder was unplanned and
the killer behaved in an uncertain way. Organised and planned killers
often carry a tool kit containing duct tape and rope to bind their
victims and gloves and a mask to hide their identity. |
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| Serial
Killers |
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| Serial killers are also known to stick
within their 'comfort zone', for example, their own neighbourhood,
before traveling further as their sense of power and domination heightens.
A serial killer often leaves behind a signature or trademark of their
work that is usually unnecessary, but emotionally fulfills the killer.
There are usually also similar aspects, which will link the crimes
together, for eg. the method of murder or the victims may all have
some form of similarity. Profilers use this to trace and link crimes
committed earlier together. |
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