Profiling in Forensic Psychology
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INTRODUCTION
TO FORENSIC
PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology of Investigations
Chapter 3
Brittany Perrotta, LMHC CASAC-T
CLASS AGENDA
Chapter 3
Explore ways psychologists contribute to
criminal investigations.
Describe and differentiate the five types of
profiling.
Examine the limitations and problems of
profiling.
Discuss types and incidents of false confessions.
Review detecting deception.
Review eyewitness identification.
Examine the psychology of pretrial id methods
THREE MAIN QUESTIONS
1. What are the important behavioral features
associated with the crime that may help
identify and successfully prosecute the
perpetrator?
2. What inferences can be made about the
characteristics of the offender that may help
identify him or her?
3. Are there any other crimes that are likely to
have been committed by the same
perpetrator?
WHAT IS PROFILING?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nux
A6YgBtNU
Profiling is the technique that attempts to
identify the behavioral, cognitive,
emotional, and demographic
characteristics of a person based on
information gathered from a variety of
sources.
It is a process that can be used to identify
an
unknown
individual and can sometimes
be used to chronical the behavioral
patterns, thought processes, and emotional
characteristics of a
known
person.
PROFILER VS.
BEHAVIORAL ANALYST
PROFILING VS.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE
ANALYSIS
PROFILING CATEGORIES
Criminal profiling
Geographical profiling
Suspect- based profiling
Psychological profiling
Psychological autopsy
BRIEF HISTORY OF PROFILING
Criminal profiling is assumed to have been
developed by the FBI in 1970s
Assistance with cases of serial homicide
and serial rape
FBI Behavioral Science Unit
New York’s Mad Bomber 1950s
David Canter’s contribution to the field
Center for Investigative Psychology
An actuarial or statistics- based method
NEW YORK’S MAD BOMBER
HOW PROFILING DIFFERS
FROM THE USUAL TASKS OF
PSYCHOLOGISTS?
Psychologists are given ambiguous,
sometimes unreliable, and incomplete
material to work off of when profiling.
In a typical task of a psychologist they use
a biopsychosocial and inventories/
questionnaires to get a full picture of an
individual.
The ‘suspect profile’ must be usable for
investigators.
Profiling is not limited to serial offenses,
can be beneficial in cases of arson,
burglary, white-collar crimes.
CRIMINAL PROFILING
Requires the development of describing
some of the key behavioral, cognitive,
emotional, and demographic features of
an unknown person.
Evidence is gathered at the crime scene
and reports from victims or witnesses allow
a profile sketch to form.
profilers use this information to predict
characteristics and habits of the offender
and how the next crime may occur.
Profiling is used when there are a limiting
number of clues and there is little progress
in identifying a potential suspect.
“person is likely to be a young, unmarried,
male, blue,-collar worker who is a
substance abuser”
“may be even more likely to be a middle-
aged loner with a steady income who
stays isolated”
Linkage analysis:
method of identifying
crimes that are likely to have been
committed by the same offender
because of similarities across the crimes.
PROFILERS CAN RARELY
DIRECTLY
POINT TO THE PERSON THAT
COMMITTED THE CRIME!
PROFILING IS NOT A
FREQUENT
ACTIVITY OF POLICE AND PUBLIC
SAFETY PSYCHOLOGISTS.
GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILING
AND CRIME MAPPING
Geographical profiling
: Focuses on the
location of the crime and how it relates to
the residence or base of operations of the
offender. Refers to a
single
offender.
Geographical mapping:
Concerned with
analyzing the spatial patterns of crimes
committed by numerous offenders over a
period of time. Focuses on identifying the
’hot spots’
of certain types of crime.
Geographical profiler
aims to focus on
identifying the approximate location of
the offender’s residence, the base of
operations, and where the next crime
may occur.
Criminal profiler
focus on the
motivational, demographic and
psychological features of the offender.
WHEN IS GEOGRAPHICAL
PROFILING USED?
A series of crimes are occurring…
Arsons, sexual assaults, bombings, bank
robberies, child abductions, murders
GEOGRAPGICAL PROFILING
AND ITS PSYCHOLOGICAL
CONNECTION
Offender’s operating within their comfort
zones or feeling the need to be as far
away from one’s residence as possible.
“HUNTING PATTERNS”
1.
Hunter:
those criminals that specifically
set out from their residence to look for
victims, looking in their awareness spaces
for those that would be a suitable target.
Tend to be geographically stable and
often occur near the place of residence/
neighborhood.
2.
Poacher:
More transient offender,
traveling a far distance from their
residence or neighborhood.
3.
Troller:
Don’t specifically search for their
victims, but rather randomly encounter
them during the course of some other
activity.
4.
Trappers:
Create situations to draw
victims to themselves.
Entertaining, ads, positions/ occupations
where an individual comes to them.
Criminal Geographical Targeting:
topographical map assigning different
statistical probabilities to areas that fall
within an offender’s territory.
SUSPECT- BASED
PROFILING
Process of collecting behavioral,
personality, cognitive, and demographic
data on
previous offenders
in an attempt
to identify other offenders.
The suspect-based profile can summarize
the psychological features of individuals
who
may
commit a crime based on
features of past offenders who have
committed similar crimes.
Various offender groups can be profiled.
Ex. Different types of sexual assault
offenders.
Example used in the text
“Someone driving at a certain speed, at a
certain time of day, in a certain type of car,
and of certain general appearance may fit
the profile of a drug courier and be
stopped for a search.”
Issue lies in the ‘general appearance’
approach which can refer to suspicious
behavioral patterns, manner of dress, and
unfortunately race or ethnicity.
Racial profiling: police- initiated action
that relies on the race, ethnicity, or
national origin rather than the behavior of
an individual or info that leads police to a
particular individual.
Profiling of this type is illegal! Courts have
determined that police action cannot be
taken against a person off the sole basis
of their race or ethnicity.
Airline security procedures following the
events of September 11
th
, 2001
“Jihad Jane”
Behavioral scientists were asked to supply
more research to help airline security identify
potential terrorists from passengers in airports.
These suspect-based profiles will be based on
dress patterns, buying habits, and the cultural
and social backgrounds of previous airline
terrorists.
Look at the facial expressions and suspicious
behavior patterns.
Every 9 out of 10 persons have a perfectly good
reason for their suspicious behavior.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
PROFILING
The gathering of information on a known
individual(s) who pose a threat or is
believed to be dangerous.
The identity of the individual can
sometimes be unknown, but the person
has made some sort of threat to a specific
target.
Two types of procedures:
Threat assessment:
determination if an
actual, expressed threat is likely to be
carried out.
Risk assessment:
determination if a person is
dangerous to self or others.
These assessments are made up of
evaluation measures, background
checks, observations, and interviews.
This type of profiling can also be used to
prepare profiles on specific types of
offenders. (child molester, the firesetter)
PSYCHOLOGICAL
AUTOPSY
Procedure that occurs 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
death.
This type of profiling typically occurs when
there is an apparent suicide.
Assisted in clarifying deaths that were
initially ambiguous, uncertain, or
equivocal as the manner of death.
Equivocal death is one in which the
manner is
unknown
or
undetermined.
Two types of psychological autopsy:
Suicide psychological autopsy
: suicide is
established and the psychologist is
investigating to identify and understand the
psychosocial factors that contributed to the
suicide.
Equivocal death psychological autopsy
: to
clarify the mode of death and to determine
the reasons for it.
Psychological autopsies are typically
done for insurance purposes.
The military conducts an EDPA for every
equivocal death and suspected suicide that
occurs.
In legal contexts the psychological autopsy is
done to evaluate the reasons for a suicide to
see if there is legal culpability on the part of
other persons or organizations.
Where there any early-detection procedures
or stress- management techniques?
Do certain aspects of a job affect persons?
Did the job adequately handle harassment
issues/ have proper policies in place?
WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL?
Interviews with family members, friends,
acquaintances, supervisors, teachers, mental
health professionals, physicians, and coworkers.
Any substance abuse issues, mood or emotional
changes, psychological stressors.
A comprehensive report is written describing the
relevant factors and significant events prior to the
death. An opinion is often included about the
mode of death.
Pre- death behaviors are also listed:
Paying insurance policies, writing notes
Quality of relationships
Psychologists performing psychological
autopsies
cannot
make conclusions about
the
precise
mental state or actions
suspected at the time of death.
LIMITATIONS OF
PROFILING
The assumption that human behavior is
consistent across various situations.
The assumption that the offense style or
crime scene evidence is related to
specific psychological characteristics.
Profilers tend to rely on unsupported
hypotheses about personality theory and
that personality types will override the
influence of all situations.
”gut feelings”
The power of the situation and the victim.
Incorporating victimology can have
improvements in the success of profiling.
Profiling and it’s use in the judicial system.
In U.S. depends on the profilers credentials
and the ability to persuade the court that
there is scientific reliability and validity to
their profile.
Trans-temporal consistency
: Tendency of
people to exhibit the same behavior and
tendencies across time.
Ex. A person who engaged in a lifetime of
burglary is likely to burglarize again if
surrounded by similar psychosocial
situations.
Trans-situational consistency
: Tendency of
people to exhibit the same behavior and
tendencies across different situations.
If an offender recognizes some behavioral
patterns don’t work, they will likely change
their
modus operandi
.
Some profilers will interpret the ambiguous
information to fit their own biases about
the suspect.
They will select certain aspects that they
find fitting while ignoring the many
conclusions and predictions that are
contradictory.
POLICE INTERVIEWING
AND INTERRORGATION
Primary aim of police interrogation is to
obtain a confession from a suspect or to
gain information that may lead to a
conviction.
Skillful and legally useful interrogation
involves the application of psychological
principles and concepts.
Accusatorial approach
: an aggressive
questioning procedure that assumes the
suspect is responsible for a criminal
offense and has the goal of obtaining a
confession.
Information- gathering approach
: this
approach does not presume guilt on the
part of the person being questioned, but
rather seeks to obtain information about
events surrounding a crime.
REID METHOD
Interview
interrogation
Highly confrontational
Interrogator vs. Suspect
Direct purpose is to obtain confession
rather than gather information
Interrogator maintains the control
Asks only yes/no questions
Three part process
1. custody and isolation
2. confrontation
3. minimization
The Reid Method uses the approach that
if the interrogator makes the suspect
uncomfortable enough and puts them
into a state of anxiety and despair that
they will confess.
While this can result in confession,
sometimes false confessions can come
out of it.
INVESTIGATIVE INTERVIEWING/
PEACE MODEL
Confrontational behavior is avoided
The focus is gaining information rather than
obtaining a confession.
Maintains a neutral role
Open-ended questions
Being kind and having rational arguments to
persuade interviewee to provide info
Research has found that more substantial
and relevant information has been produced
FALSE CONFESSIONS
Admissions of guilt that are not valid and
are often but not necessarily induced by
coercive interrogation procedures.
”is an admission to a criminal act- usually
accompanied by a narrative of how and
why the crime occurred- that the confessor
did not commit”
16% of DNA exonerations have involved
false confessions.
Most convictions are the result of
evidence at the crime scene, rather than
through interrogations and confessions.
When confessions do occur, however,
they are treated as compelling evidence
of guilt.
Psychologists role: training police officers
on how to recognize false confessions,
understand what causes them.
WHY DO PEOPLE CONFESS IF
THEY DON’T COMMIT THE
CRIME?
Promised lighter sentences
Protect others
Mentally ill
Want to become ‘celebrities’
Exhausted after a long extensive
interrogation process
Some people actually come to believe
that they committed the crime
TYPES OF FALSE CONFESSIONS
Voluntary false confessions
: self- incriminating
statements made without any external pressure
from law enforcement. (recognition, fame)
Coerced-compliant false confessions
: happen
after prolonged and intense interrogation
experiences, such as when sleep deprivation is a
feature. Suspect wants to avoid further discomfort
even knowing they’re innocent.
Coerced- internalized false confession
: occur
when innocent beings- who are tired, confused,
and highly psychologically vulnerable- come to
believe they actually committed the crime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czp
LDLrA5iM&authuser=0
DETECTION OF
DECEPTION
Deception is behavior that is intended to
conceal, misrepresent, or distort the truth
of information.
1. emotion
2. behavioral control
3. cognitive load
Good liars lack guilt and fearful feelings.
They will monitor their own behavior as
well as the interviewer’s reactions to their
answers.
They will control their own bodily
indicators of guilt and nervousness.
Research suggests concentrating on the
verbal patterns and analyzing the manner
in which the interviewer handles the
questions will lead to improved detection
of deception.
Cognitive load
: increasing the workload
of the suspect. Asking questions they
don’t anticipate or asking for them to
provide more detail. Have the suspect tell
the story in reverse.
EYEWITNESS EVIDENCE
WHAT IS EYEWITNESS
TESTIMONY?
Identifying the offender based off of
facial and physical features.
Description of the events that occurred
before, during, and after.
Requires the accurate recall and
recognition of something or someone the
witness has observed.
One of the most influential pieces of
evidence admitted into the courtroom.
Even if the eyewitness is contradicted by
other forensic sciences, jurors have a strong
tendency to take the eyewitness testimony for
face value.
Research has shown that memory and recall
of past events are partially unreliable and
highly susceptible to varying influences.
Leading and suggestive questions
Courts have allowed more expert testimony
on eyewitness testimony to be given by
psychologists.
Identifying the face
Highly unique faces are better identified
Unconscious transference
Seeing an individual at another instance and
confusing with or recalling seeing them in
another situation
Memory becomes tangled with new events/
experiences
Own-race bias
Research indicates that people are much
better at discriminating between faces of their
own race or ethnic group
LINEUPS AND PHOTO SPREADS
Simultaneous lineup
Sequential lineup
Witnesses and victims may be influenced
by the comments and behavior of the
police.
Commitment bias
Continue to identify a face even if incorrect
Want to please police officers
Legal psychologists suggest a double-
blind approach where the person
conducting the lineup is unaware of the
identity of the suspect.
Establishment of the “Police Lineups”
white paper
WHITE PAPER
1. The person putting together the lineup knows
who is the suspect; the person administering does
not. The witness should be told that the administer
does not know.
2. Eyewitness should be told that the suspect might
NOT be in the lineup.
3. The suspect should not stand out in the lineup
based on the eyewitness original description.
4. Clear statement should be taken from the
eyewitness at the time of ID, prior to any feedback
by the police that would inform they chose the
‘right’ suspect.
ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!
Explore the concept of profiling in forensic psychology, including its techniques, history, and applications in criminal investigations. Learn about the various categories of profiling and the role psychologists play in identifying unknown individuals based on behavioral patterns and characteristics. Delve into the challenges and benefits of profiling in aiding law enforcement agencies to solve crimes.
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Presentation Transcript
INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY Psychology of Investigations Chapter 3 Brittany Perrotta, LMHC CASAC-T
CLASS AGENDA Chapter 3 Explore ways psychologists contribute to criminal investigations. Describe and differentiate the five types of profiling. Examine the limitations and problems of profiling. Discuss types and incidents of false confessions. Review detecting deception. Review eyewitness identification. Examine the psychology of pretrial id methods
THREE MAIN QUESTIONS 1. What are the important behavioral features associated with the crime that may help identify and successfully prosecute the perpetrator? 2. What inferences can be made about the characteristics of the offender that may help identify him or her? 3. Are there any other crimes that are likely to have been committed by the same perpetrator?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nux A6YgBtNU
Profiling is the technique that attempts to identify the behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and demographic characteristics of a person based on information gathered from a variety of sources. It is a process that can be used to identify an unknown individual and can sometimes be used to chronical the behavioral patterns, thought processes, and emotional characteristics of a known person.
PROFILER VS. BEHAVIORAL ANALYST PROFILING VS. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE ANALYSIS
PROFILING CATEGORIES Criminal profiling Geographical profiling Suspect- based profiling Psychological profiling Psychological autopsy
BRIEF HISTORY OF PROFILING Criminal profiling is assumed to have been developed by the FBI in 1970s Assistance with cases of serial homicide and serial rape FBI Behavioral Science Unit New York s Mad Bomber 1950s David Canter s contribution to the field Center for Investigative Psychology An actuarial or statistics- based method
HOW PROFILING DIFFERS FROM THE USUAL TASKS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS?
Psychologists are given ambiguous, sometimes unreliable, and incomplete material to work off of when profiling. In a typical task of a psychologist they use a biopsychosocial and inventories/ questionnaires to get a full picture of an individual. The suspect profile must be usable for investigators. Profiling is not limited to serial offenses, can be beneficial in cases of arson, burglary, white-collar crimes.
Requires the development of describing some of the key behavioral, cognitive, emotional, and demographic features of an unknown person. Evidence is gathered at the crime scene and reports from victims or witnesses allow a profile sketch to form. profilers use this information to predict characteristics and habits of the offender and how the next crime may occur. Profiling is used when there are a limiting number of clues and there is little progress in identifying a potential suspect.
person is likely to be a young, unmarried, male, blue,-collar worker who is a substance abuser may be even more likely to be a middle- aged loner with a steady income who stays isolated Linkage analysis: method of identifying crimes that are likely to have been committed by the same offender because of similarities across the crimes.
MYTH FACT Profilers get into the mind of the suspect. More to do with discovering how victims are chosen, how they are treated, and what forensic evidence is there to use as assistance. Profilers make predictions about a suspects personality. Stating someone is a narcissistic vs. behaviors of a narcissist. What is more helpful? Lacks reliability and validity. Established scientific enterprise.
PROFILERS CAN RARELY DIRECTLY POINT TO THE PERSON THAT COMMITTED THE CRIME! PROFILING IS NOT A FREQUENT ACTIVITY OF POLICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY PSYCHOLOGISTS.
GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILING AND CRIME MAPPING
Geographical profiling: Focuses on the location of the crime and how it relates to the residence or base of operations of the offender. Refers to a single offender. Geographical mapping: Concerned with analyzing the spatial patterns of crimes committed by numerous offenders over a period of time. Focuses on identifying the hot spots of certain types of crime.
Geographical profiler aims to focus on identifying the approximate location of the offender s residence, the base of operations, and where the next crime may occur. Criminal profiler focus on the motivational, demographic and psychological features of the offender.
WHEN IS GEOGRAPHICAL PROFILING USED? A series of crimes are occurring Arsons, sexual assaults, bombings, bank robberies, child abductions, murders
GEOGRAPGICAL PROFILING AND ITS PSYCHOLOGICAL CONNECTION Offender s operating within their comfort zones or feeling the need to be as far away from one s residence as possible.
HUNTING PATTERNS 1. Hunter: those criminals that specifically set out from their residence to look for victims, looking in their awareness spaces for those that would be a suitable target. Tend to be geographically stable and often occur near the place of residence/ neighborhood. 2. Poacher: More transient offender, traveling a far distance from their residence or neighborhood.
3. Troller: Dont specifically search for their victims, but rather randomly encounter them during the course of some other activity. 4. Trappers: Create situations to draw victims to themselves. Entertaining, ads, positions/ occupations where an individual comes to them.
Criminal Geographical Targeting: topographical map assigning different statistical probabilities to areas that fall within an offender s territory.
SUSPECT- BASED PROFILING
Process of collecting behavioral, personality, cognitive, and demographic data on previous offenders in an attempt to identify other offenders. The suspect-based profile can summarize the psychological features of individuals who may commit a crime based on features of past offenders who have committed similar crimes.
Various offender groups can be profiled. Ex. Different types of sexual assault offenders. Example used in the text Someone driving at a certain speed, at a certain time of day, in a certain type of car, and of certain general appearance may fit the profile of a drug courier and be stopped for a search.
Issue lies in the general appearance approach which can refer to suspicious behavioral patterns, manner of dress, and unfortunately race or ethnicity. Racial profiling: police- initiated action that relies on the race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of an individual or info that leads police to a particular individual. Profiling of this type is illegal! Courts have determined that police action cannot be taken against a person off the sole basis of their race or ethnicity.
Airline security procedures following the events of September 11th, 2001 Jihad Jane Behavioral scientists were asked to supply more research to help airline security identify potential terrorists from passengers in airports. These suspect-based profiles will be based on dress patterns, buying habits, and the cultural and social backgrounds of previous airline terrorists. Look at the facial expressions and suspicious behavior patterns. Every 9 out of 10 persons have a perfectly good reason for their suspicious behavior.
PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILING
The gathering of information on a known individual(s) who pose a threat or is believed to be dangerous. The identity of the individual can sometimes be unknown, but the person has made some sort of threat to a specific target.
Two types of procedures: Threat assessment: determination if an actual, expressed threat is likely to be carried out. Risk assessment: determination if a person is dangerous to self or others. These assessments are made up of evaluation measures, background checks, observations, and interviews. This type of profiling can also be used to prepare profiles on specific types of offenders. (child molester, the firesetter)
PSYCHOLOGICAL AUTOPSY
Procedure that occurs 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 death. This type of profiling typically occurs when there is an apparent suicide. Assisted in clarifying deaths that were initially ambiguous, uncertain, or equivocal as the manner of death.
Equivocal death is one in which the manner is unknown or undetermined. Two types of psychological autopsy: Suicide psychological autopsy: suicide is established and the psychologist is investigating to identify and understand the psychosocial factors that contributed to the suicide. Equivocal death psychological autopsy: to clarify the mode of death and to determine the reasons for it. Psychological autopsies are typically done for insurance purposes.
The military conducts an EDPA for every equivocal death and suspected suicide that occurs. In legal contexts the psychological autopsy is done to evaluate the reasons for a suicide to see if there is legal culpability on the part of other persons or organizations. Where there any early-detection procedures or stress- management techniques? Do certain aspects of a job affect persons? Did the job adequately handle harassment issues/ have proper policies in place?
WHAT DOES IT ENTAIL? Interviews with family members, friends, acquaintances, supervisors, teachers, mental health professionals, physicians, and coworkers. Any substance abuse issues, mood or emotional changes, psychological stressors. A comprehensive report is written describing the relevant factors and significant events prior to the death. An opinion is often included about the mode of death. Pre- death behaviors are also listed: Paying insurance policies, writing notes Quality of relationships
Psychologists performing psychological autopsies cannot make conclusions about the precise mental state or actions suspected at the time of death.
LIMITATIONS OF PROFILING
The assumption that human behavior is consistent across various situations. The assumption that the offense style or crime scene evidence is related to specific psychological characteristics. Profilers tend to rely on unsupported hypotheses about personality theory and that personality types will override the influence of all situations. gut feelings
The power of the situation and the victim. Incorporating victimology can have improvements in the success of profiling. Profiling and it s use in the judicial system. In U.S. depends on the profilers credentials and the ability to persuade the court that there is scientific reliability and validity to their profile.
Trans-temporal consistency: Tendency of people to exhibit the same behavior and tendencies across time. Ex. A person who engaged in a lifetime of burglary is likely to burglarize again if surrounded by similar psychosocial situations. Trans-situational consistency: Tendency of people to exhibit the same behavior and tendencies across different situations. If an offender recognizes some behavioral patterns don t work, they will likely change their modus operandi.
Some profilers will interpret the ambiguous information to fit their own biases about the suspect. They will select certain aspects that they find fitting while ignoring the many conclusions and predictions that are contradictory.
POLICE INTERVIEWING AND INTERRORGATION
Primary aim of police interrogation is to obtain a confession from a suspect or to gain information that may lead to a conviction. Skillful and legally useful interrogation involves the application of psychological principles and concepts.
Accusatorial approach: an aggressive questioning procedure that assumes the suspect is responsible for a criminal offense and has the goal of obtaining a confession. Information- gathering approach: this approach does not presume guilt on the part of the person being questioned, but rather seeks to obtain information about events surrounding a crime.
REID METHOD Interview interrogation Highly confrontational Interrogator vs. Suspect Direct purpose is to obtain confession rather than gather information Interrogator maintains the control Asks only yes/no questions
