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FBI
Profiling
IntroductionFBI profiling dates back to the 'Jack the Ripper' case in
the 19th Century.
Modern FBI profiling - Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI
in Virginia (1970s).
Purpose
Narrows the search for the offender by suggesting
features.
Helps answer questions about links between different
crimes and possible number of offenders involved in the
crime/s.
Howitt (2011)
Modus Operandi (MO)
Crime Signature
"the offender's actions during the
commission of a crime that are
necessary to complete the crime"
(Keppel et al., 2005, as cited in Howitt,
2011, p. 260).
"A crime's signature characteristics
reflect things which happen during the
commission of a crime but which are
more or less idiosyncratic to or
characteristic of the offender" (Howitt,
2011, p. 261).
Howitt (2011)
FBI Profiling Process
Data Assimilation (Stage 1):
Profile Generation (Stage 4):
Crime Scene Classification (Stage 2):
Crime Scene Reconstruction (Stage 3):
Police reports
Pathologists' reports
Witness statements
Crime scene photographs
Organised
Disorganised
Generate hypotheses:
Victim behaviour
Crime sequence
Modus operandi
Present hypotheses
about:
Demographic
characteristics
Physical
characteristics
Behavioural habits
Howitt (2011)
Stage 1: Data Assimilation
The time of death
Identify the offender's psychological
signature
Stage 2: Crime Scene Classification
It is believed that organised and disorganised crime scenes
indicate some broad characteristics or the psychology of the
offender.
Organised crime scene
Evidence that the crime has been carefully
planned
Disorganised crime scene
Where the crime scene appears chaotic and
there is little sign of preparation for the
crime
Howitt (2011)
The offender is likely to:
Be sexually competent
Be charming
Live with a partner
Follow the news media
The offender is likely to:
Have low intelligence
Have an unskilled occupation
Live alone
Have poor personal hygeine
Stage 3: Crime Scene Reconstruction
Stage 4: Profile Generation
Howitt (2011)
According to Howitt (2011) the crime scene is, "the result
of a complex set of circumstances" (p. 265).
Uses information from stage one
Involves inference and deduction
Offender's modus operandi - may link the crime to other
crimes committed
Crime sequence
Victim behaviour
Uses this information to generate a hypotheses
Demographic characteristics (e.g. social class &
employment)
Lifestyle (e.g. lives alone or in a relationship)
Physical characteristics
Behavioural habits (e.g. antisocial)
Personality dynamics (e.g. depression linked to offending)
Present hypotheses about:
References
Howitt, D. (2011). Introduction to Forensic and
Criminal Psychology (4th ed.). England, UK: Pearson
Education Ltd.
Suggested Reading
Douglas, J.E., & Olshaker, M. (1995). Mind Hunter:
Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. New York:
Pocket Books.
*Netflix has a new series titled 'Mind Hunter' based
on the above book which releases 13 October 2017.