Criminal Profile and Behavioral Patterns of the Criminal - Case Study Example

Case Assessment Guidebook Criminal profiling may be defined as a process used to study a specific crime or number of crimes in order to create a behavioral composite of a possible offender. Behavior of a person is influenced by his or her personality which is what they would leave behind at a crime scene and reflect in their own lives as well. In other words a chaotic crime scene would mean a sloppy person while a clean crime scene would mean the criminal is probably a meticulous person and invariably a perfectionist. This is just a basic while in reality the behavioral patterns vary to a great extent which is why an analysis is required to study the behavior of the criminal and interpret in crime scene. This study of the criminal profile and behavioral patterns of the criminal assists the investigator in distinguishing him from the rest of the crowd to create the initial suspect list which is the first step in the investigation. Criminal profiling helps in narrowing down the list of suspects in any major investigation. Based on certain studied and proved facts which point to a specific type of crime like a serial murder or offender the clues are studied to identify the person or group, the gender, race and social status of the criminal which help in identifying the person faster. The first stage would be to make sure that a crime has been committed or not and if so the type of crime has to be determined followed by the study of the crime scene to determine the nature of the killer. This evidence is then presented in court which involves an in-depth look into the behavioral profile at all stages which could be interview techniques, lie detection etc. To study the behavior patterns of a particular suspect it requires a sound knowledge of psychology and law at the same time. The motive which plays a key role comes into focus when we start looking into the criminal psychodynamics and psychopathology. The important factor to be kept in mind is the fact that there is no common profile for any type of criminal as each one is a different individual and unique in their own manner. To be close to accurate in the profiling the investigative information has to be faultless. This information coupled with the FBI’s massive database on criminal behavior offers a distinct analysis of the behavior profile of the criminal. There are two ways of profiling it could be inductive and deductive reasoning. Inductive is based on the fact that a particular type of crime e.g. serial murders have a behavioral profile that would be similar to all such offenders. This study of the behavioral composite of the suspect would give us a reasonably accurate picture of the criminal. With any form of profiling, the principal aim is to generate a behavioral composite of an unknown offender so that it tells you something about the personality of the individual and process to be followed to produce a clear report would be to first evaluate the criminal act itself with a complete evaluation of the crime scene. The victim or victims need to be thoroughly evaluated along with the initial police report and the medical examiners autopsy report. Once the profile is created you can look into the crime scene with view of the profile to see what can be predicted. An analytical model can be made which could link the profile of the criminal along with his behavioral patterns to the events and consequences on the crime scene. Probabilities can be correlated using inputs and outputs. The inputs would be the checklist from the crime scene along with the medical examination reports of the victim, the outputs would be all the information gathered about the criminal. There are various typologies in criminals and we can categorize them accordingly after making a study of their profile. For e.g. The serial killer typology would be: The stable killer The transient killer The organized killer The disorganized killer When the crime scene is left intact and neat without much mayhem it would immediately point to the criminal being an organized person. Organized criminals usually hate mess and try not to disturb the place of the crime too much. Even after the crime they tend to clear the mess and leave it orderly. As soon as we categorize him / her in the organized killer group certain traits stand out about the person’s general character. An organized killer usually tends to plan and carry out the crime in a meticulous fashion. The characteristics that can be assumed about him would be that he is an intelligent person of a high birth order with a masculine image. They usually tend to be charismatic people and socially and sexually capable. Occupationally and geographically they will be mobile and could probably be living with a partner. Their childhood could possibly have been harsh and disciplined with controlled emotions. These types of criminals would be interested in media and would be model inmates as well. They would go about committing the crime in a cold blooded manner with no anxiety or emotions. The fact that they had complete control of the crime scene would be evident with their planned methodology in committing the crime itself. The psycho pathetic personality would be combined with an aristocratic manner and calculated intelligence. Signature behavior - or a particular aspect of criminal behavior, is those behaviors which are not related to the offense. Signature is made up of certain personality traits that distinguish the manner of the offenders crime scene methodology. These specific and highly individualized personality traits are evident in things such as: When an offender inflicts similar types of wounds to various victims When the criminal leaves the body in a particular manner for shock value When an offender mutilates his victims, or engages in some other form of specific ritualistic behavior. There are four stages in the crime analysis that needs to be looked into: Pre-crime stage or Antecedent: What fantasy, methodology or plan, or both, did the murderer have in place before the act? What urged the murderer to act on a particular day and not others? Actual time when the crime was committed - What type of victim or victims did the murderer zero in on? What was the method and manner of murder: shooting, stabbing, strangulation or something else? Disposal of body - Did the murder and body disposal take place all at one scene, or multiple scenes? Post offense behavior –Is the murderer trying to project himself into the investigation by reacting to media reports or getting in touch with investigators? Profiling Inputs The behavioral profile is initiated by the profiling inputs wherein the first step would be to gather all the data regarding the crime including the physical evidence, photographs taken of the crime scene which could be crucial, autopsy reports with snaps, testimonies from witnesses and detailed information of the victim along with the police report. All this is to be done without any reference being made to the criminal as it might prejudice the investigation in view of the possible suspect. Decision process models During this stage the all the data needs to be organized to create a brief profiling in line with the extent of the criminal activity. The nature of the crime can be determined if it is a serial killing, spree killing or a mass murder. The motive of the crime which is the key to the investigation should be considered if it is sexual, monetary, personal vengeance or due to emotional disturbance. The risk involved from the point of the victim and the criminal can be judged. The sequence of events leading to the crime and the acts committed after the crime depending on if the body has been moved should be studied to get a clear picture. Crime assessment With the data collected in the above the profiler can look at reconstructing the crime scene and the behavior of the victim and the offender as well. This would help in giving a basic view of the behavioral profile of the criminal if he planned the act by carefully choosing the victim in an organized manner or was it just a random psychotic killing spree. The motive that comes into focus will determine if the crime was staged to mislead the investigators. Details such as the location of the wounds, blood spatter patterns and the position of the body can give further inputs about the killer. Fro e.g. brutal facial wounds reveal the killer knew his victim. The murder weapon can also be a crucial clue wherein if it was a random weapon it would mean it was an act of impulse whereas a gun would usually suggest a planned motive. A crime that takes place early in the morning does not usually involve alcohol or drug abuse. Forensic Evidence: A complete forensic analysis must be done before profiling can begin, to make sure the originality of the behavior and the crime scene characteristics are intact as nothing can be assumed by the profiler. Criminal profile By now the profile would be fairly clear with a description of the likely suspect in place. The typical findings would reveal the criminal’s sex, race, if he or she is married or single, employment status, psychological characteristics, beliefs and values; probable reactions to the police and past criminal record, including the possibility of similar offenses in the past. This stage can be linked with the Decision process model to ensure the behavioral profile relates to the original data collected. Investigation In this stage the investigator has a written report which he can refer to when dealing with the suspect who matches the profile closely. This background information can help the probe better and give a clearer view of the crime that was committed. The profile can be revised if new evidence is found at this point of time. Apprehension All the above procedures will help in rounding the closest possible suspect. The next would be the interview in which the technique used can make a lot of difference. A through interview can help judge the offender furthering relation to his background and psychological make up. Validity research needs to be adhered to a large extent in profiling. It is clear that  the Investigational Psychology approach makes it easier for investigators to zero in on the suspect making it popular due to its accuracy in results. Works Cited Dr. Ramsland. 2003. Web Mystery Magazine articles. 14th July, 2008. http://www.lifeloom.com/I2RamslandA.htm Criminal Profiling Research. Jan 2000. Introduction to criminal profiling. Basel University law students journal. 14th July, 2008. http://www.criminalprofiling.ch/introduction.html Brent E. Turvey. Jan 1998. Deductive criminal profiling. 14th June, 2008. http://www.corpus-delicti.com/Profiling_law.html Criminal Profiling. FBI (VI-CAP), Investigative Psychology; Behavioral [Equivocal] Analysis; Deductive & Inductive Method. 21st June, 2008. http://www.hku.hk/sociodep/soci0057/lecture10.ppt Read More