Criminal Profiling

Lesson3b
3 Questions

 What are the important behavioral features of the crime that may help
identify and successfully prosecute the perpetrator?

 What suggestions 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?
Introduction to Criminal Profiling
 Profiling is a technique or approach for solving crime. Some scientist define it
as a forensic technique used by forensic investigators and law enforcement
agencies to understand why criminals are committing crime, to classify
criminal behavior and to solve crimes that have already been committed
(Saroha, 2014). Others view it as a tool used by forensic experts to identify the
offender’s behavioral tendencies, personality traits, demographic variables, and
geographical variables based on the information and characteristics of the crime
(Lickiewicz, 2011). However, the general consensus is that criminal profiling
involves collecting inferences about the traits of the individual responsible for
the series of crime or for a particular crime.
 It involves understanding what a particular crime says about the perpetrator
(Kirwan, & Power, 2013). It is used by forensic investigators and law
enforcement agencies to understand and apprehend criminal offenders. As a
forensic technique, criminal profiling enables investigative agencies to use the
specific information to focus their attention on people with personality traits
that parallel those of other offenders who have committed other similar
offences (Kirwan, & Power, 2013).
Introduction
 There is no common definition in the special literature. There are diverse
interpretations of criminal profiling and different terms are used: criminal
profiling; offender profiling, psychological profiling, criminal investigative
analysis, crime scene analysis, behavioural profiling, criminal personality
profiling, socio-psychological profiling and criminological profiling, more
recently, investigative psychology. Generally speaking, criminal profiling
involves making inferences about the physical, habitual, emotional,
psychological, and even vocation characteristics of criminals .
 Integrating the sciences and the arts, criminal profiling allows investigators to
analyze victims and crime scene and comparing them to similar crimes
committed by known offenders’ personalities and traits. From this, the
criminal profiler can predict the unknown offender’s characteristics including
sex, age, and level of mental stability, geographical location and motivation
(Lickiewicz, 2011). The investigators can also link other offences committed by
the offender from the offender’s signature and modus operandi identified
from the physical evidence collected at the setting where the crime occurred
and scene of crime (Saroha, 2014)
Definitions

 Profiling—requires sketching the significant psychological and demographic features of a person or

persons.

 Criminal profiling – Criminal profiling refers to the process of identifying personality traits,
behavioral tendencies, geographic locations and demographic or biological descriptors of an offender based on
characteristics of the crime

OR
 is a technique whereby the probable characteristics of a criminal offender or offenders are predicted based on
the behaviors exhibited in the commission of a crime.
OR
 A collection of leads and a biological sketch of behavioral patterns, trends, and tendencies
OR
 A forensic technique which seeks to provide investigative agencies with specific information which will help
focus attention on individuals with personality traits that parallel traits of other perpetrators who have
committed similar other offenses
Goals of Profiling
 The primary goal of profiling is to narrow the field of possible suspects.
 To provide a descriptive template of the features that characterize the probable
perpetrator(s) of a particular crime(s) under investigation.
 To provide tactical suggestions on how facets of a criminal investigation may be undertaken.
 As such, criminal profiling contains information about the perpetrators (Kirwan,
2011):
• Likely demographics (i.e., gender and age)
• Legal history including history of prior criminal convictions/offenses and any
antecedence
• Vocational backgrounds that is the work the perpetrator is likely to be involved in, if any
• Social interests and habits (hobbies, sports, and other interests in which the perpetrator
may have)
• Family characteristics including the offender’s family background
• Various personality characteristics including the offender’s appearance, demeanor etc
• Mode of transport (i.e., type of vehicle that they offender may have)
Vocabulary

 Criminal profiler—a person who infers the personality and characteristics of a

suspect based on information gathered from a crime scene
 Modus operandi (MO)—also referred to as the method of operation, a
recognized pattern of behavior in the commission of a crime
 Signature—something unusual or specific left at the crime scene by the
perpetrator
 Victim—person who has experienced harm, injuries, loss, or death
 Victimology—the study of victims affected by crime, accidents, or natural
disasters
History in brief

 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 Hoimes, Robert
Keppel, Brent Turvey, Kim Rossmo and others) to scientize profiling and move
the practice beyond the purview of the FBI.
Profiling a Serial Killer

 NY—1989, multiple murders

 Police ask for FBI profiler, Gregg McCrary
 McCrary studied the murder’s MO, and Concluded
that the murderer probably would return to scene
of the crime
 Police delayed collecting the next victim
 Arthur Shawcross returned to the crime scene and
was arrested for the murder of 11 women
THE STRUCTURE AND APPLICATIONS OF CRIMINAL
PROFILES
 For the most part, a criminal profile consists of information that predominantly serves
to describe the biographical features of the probable perpetrator(s) of a crime. Thus,
criminal profiles typically contain information about the probable offender concerning
the following:
 Likely demographics, such as age and gender.
 Legal history, including any antecedence (i.e., history of prior criminal
offenses/convictions).
 Vocational background (i.e., the work the offender is likely to be engaged in, if any).
 Family characteristics (i.e., the likely background of the offender’s family).
 Habits and social interests (sports, hobbies, or other interests that the offender may
have).
 Mode of transport (type of vehicle, if any, the offender has).
 Various personality characteristics (the offender’s demeanor, appearance, etc).
 Geographic profiling: approximate location of an offender’s residence
THE STRUCTURE AND APPLICATIONS OF CRIMINAL PROFILES
 The range of possible tactics concerning how information contained in a profile
may be used is very much dependent on the particular circumstances of the
crime under investigation as well as the ingenuity and innovation of the
consultant profiler. On this score it should be noted that many of the
controversies related to criminal profiling have involved highly unethical,
unprofessional, and sometimes even unlawful tactical applications of criminal
profiles.
 Some of the more conventional applications of criminal profiles are listed here:
 A guide for how to potentially identify suspect(s) to the crime under
investigation.
 A guide for how to prioritize/focus investigative lines of inquiry on existing
suspects.
 A guide for patrol policing operations to potentially reduce the commission
of further offenses.
 A guide for possible surveillance operations.
 A guide for search and seizure operations.
Types of Profiling

 Modern criminal profiling takes two forms: the deductive and inductive approaches.
 Deductive is evidence-based involving analyzing the evidence found from the case in order to
construct the offender’s behavioral profile. This way, the offender’s profile is constructed based on
the evidences and information found at the crime scene (Kirwan, 2011). Professionals use this
approach to get into the mind of the criminal. They try to think in the same way the offender may
have thought whiling committing the crime. This type of criminal profiling is largely based on human
intelligence rather than on statistical data.
 Inductive profiling on the other hand uses the statistical analysis of the previous offender’s
characteristics to generate a generalized behavioral pattern of the perpetrator. Comparative and
statistical analyses are used to create the profile of the criminal. Information comes from results of
studies of previously convicted criminals, their interviews, observation, data from official databases,
and the usage of clinical methods. The profiler analyzes all these information and constructs a
possible profile of the likely offender of the type of crime basing on the traits of criminals that
committed similar types of crimes. The inductive technique is basically based on the inductive logic,
which forms the basis of narrowing down and predicting who will commit specific types of crimes
(Halder, & Jaishankar, 2011).
Stereotypes of cybercriminals
 (1) are socially inept but bright;
 (2) have a great technical skills and knowledge and very high IQs;
 (3) are males and usually boys;
 (4) teenage boys with computers and dangerous criminals, and
 (5) all cybercriminals are never violent.
Stages of the Profiling Process
a) Input

 The profiling inputs stage initiates the criminal-profile-generating process.

 Comprehensive case resources are essential for accurate profiling. In
homicide cases, the required information includes a complete synopsis of
the crime and a description of the crime scene, encircling factors
indigenous to that area to the time of the incident such as political and
social environment and the weather conditions. Complete background
information on the victim is also vital in homicide profiles.
 The data should cover domestic setting, reputation, hobbies, physical
condition, employment, habits, fears, personality, criminal history, family
relationships, and social conduct.
 Forensic information concerning to the crime is also critical to the profiling
process, including an autopsy report with toxicology/serology results,
autopsy photographs, and photographs of the cleansed wounds.
b) Decision Process Models
 The decision process begins by organizing and arranging the inputs into meaningful
patterns. Six key decision points, or models, differentiate and organize the
information from Stage 1 and form an underlying decisional structure for profiling:
 Homicide Type and Style: Anything beyond three victims is classified as a mass
murder; that is, four or more victims in one location, and within one event.
 Primary intent of the Murderer: In some cases, murder may be secondary action
and not itself the primary intent of the offender. The killer's primary intent could
be: (1) criminal enterprise. (2) sexual or (3) emotional, selfish, or cause-specific.
 Victim Risk: The concept of the victim's risk is involved at several stages of the
profiling process and provides information about the suspect in terms of how
he/she operates. Risk is determined using such factors as age, occupation, physical
stature, lifestyle, resistance ability, and victim’s location, and is classified as high,
moderate, or low.
 Escalation: Information about escalation is derived from an analysis of facts and
patterns from the prior decision process stages/models. Investigative profilers are
able to assume the sequence of acts committed during the crime. From this
deduction, they may be able to make determinations about the potential of the
criminal not only to escalate his crimes (e.g., rape, murder, assault etc), but to
repeat his crimes in serial fashion.
 Time Factors: There are several time factors that need to be considered in
producing a criminal profile. These factors include the length of time required: (1)
to kill the victim, (2) to commit additional acts with the body, and (3) to dispose off
the body. The time of day or night that the crime was committed is also important,
as it may provide information on the lifestyle and occupation of the offender
 Location Factors: Information about location-where the victim was first
approached, where the crime occurred, and if the crime and death scenes differ-
provide yet additional data about the offender.
 Classifying the crime
c) Crime Assessment Stage

 This stage involves the reconstruction of the sequence of events and the
behavior of both the offender and victim.
 Based on the various decisions of the previous stage, this reconstruction of
how things happened, how people behaved, and how they planned and
organized the encounter provides information about specific characteristics to
be generated for the criminal profile.
 Assessments are made about the classification of the crime, its
organized/disorganized aspects, the offender's selection of a victim,
strategies used to control the victim, the sequence of crime, the
performance (or not) of the crime, the offender's motivation for the
crime, and crime scene dynamics.
 The classification of the crime is determined through the decision process
outlined in the first decision process model.
 Motivation
 Is a difficult factor to judge because it requires dealing with the inner
thoughts and behavior of the offender. Motivation is more easily
determined in the organized offender who premeditates, plans, and has
the ability to carry out a plan of action that is logical and complete. On
the other hand, the disorganized offender carries out his crimes by
motivations that frequently are derived from mental illnesses and
accompanying distorted thinking (resulting from delusions and
hallucinations).
 Drugs and alcohol, as well as panic and stress resulting from
disruptions during the execution of the crime, are factors which must be
considered in the overall assessment of the crime scene.
 Crime Scene Dynamics
 Crime scene dynamics are the numerous elements common to every crime
scene which must be interpreted by investigating officers and are at times
easily misunderstood. Examples include location of crime scene, cause of
death, method of killing, positioning of body, excessive trauma, and
location of wounds.
 A basic premise of criminal profiling is that the way a person thinks that
directs the person's behavior. Thus, when the investigative profiler analyzes a
crime scene and notes certain critical factors, she or he may be able to
determine the motive and type of person who committed the crime.
 The features of an Organized Crime Scene
 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
The features of a disorganized Crime
Scene
 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
d) Criminal Profile Stage
 The fourth stage in generating a criminal profile deals with the type of person
who committed the crime and that individual's behavioral organization with
relation to the crime.
 Once this description is generated, the strategy of investigation can be
formulated, as this strategy requires a basic understanding of how an individual
will respond to a variety of investigative efforts.
 Included in the criminal profile are background information (demographics),
physical characteristics, habits, beliefs and values, pre-offense behavior
leading to the crime, and post-offense behavior.
 It may also include investigative recommendations for interrogating or
interviewing, identifying and apprehending the offender.
 The profile must fit with the earlier reconstruction of the crime, with the
evidence and with the key decision process models.
 In addition, the investigative procedure developed from the recommendations
must make sense in terms of the expected response patterns of the offender.
e)Investigation Stage

 Once the similarity of the criminal profile is determined, a written report is

provided to the requesting agency and added to its ongoing investigative
efforts.
 The investigative recommendations generated in Stage 4 are applied,
and suspects matching the profile are evaluated.
 If identification, apprehension, and a confession result, the goal of the profile
effort has been met. If new evidence is generated (e.g., by another murder)
and/or there is no identification of a suspect, reevaluation occurs.
 The information is reexamined and the profile revalidated.
f) Apprehension Stage

 Once a suspect is apprehended, the agreement between the outcome and the
various stages in the profile-generating-process are examined.
 When an apprehended suspect admits guilt, it is important to conduct a
detailed interview to check the total profiling process for validity.
M.O & Signature

 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 what’s necessary to commit crime
and tells about the offender’s psychological needs and motivation.
Factors that Shape M.O.

 Trade/Professional Experience

 Criminal experience and confidence

 Contact with the criminal justice system

 Offender Mood/Mental state

 Unknown/unplanned influences
 THANK YOU