Criminal Psychology

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Criminal Psychology

• Chapter 4
• Techniques of Criminal Investigation
• Profiling, Psychological Autopsies, Hypnosis, and
  Lie Detection
• Talbot
• Kellogg Community College

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Profiling

• Is it an appropriate topic for Forensic
  Psychology?
• Is Clarice Starling typical? Maybe in Britain.
• What is Criminal Profiling?
• It is an application of psychological principles
  to the legal field.
• How is it different from Psychological/Personality
  Profiles?
• PP attempts to typically identify problems or
  characteristics of ones personality from
  information provided by the subject.
• CP is the process by which one applies assesses
  information from a crime in order to determine
  possible characteristics of the perpetrator.

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Psychological/ Personality Profile

• Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI
  - 2)
• High reliability and validity (LFK)
• Myers Briggs Personality Profile
• DiSC Tests
• Colors Personality Test
• House-Tree-Person
• California Personality Inventory

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Criminal Profile

• No one agreed upon method.
• John Douglas
• Ohio v. Lowe
• As a whole, the record reflects that Douglass
  opinion for the most part is based on the
  behavioral science of clinical psychology, an
  area in which he has no formal education,
  training or licensure While we in no way
  trivialize the importance of his work in the
  field of crime detection, we do not find
  sufficient evidence to qualify Douglas as an
  expert witness.
• Science or Art?

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Criminal Profiling

• Three approaches
• Prediction of Individual Behaviors (CIA)
• Determining Common Characteristics Developing a
  descriptive process for crime classification
  (Crime Classification Manual).
• Extracting Specific Characteristics (FBI)
• Modus Operandi method/ mode of operation
• CHANGES in order to assist in the perpetrators
  efficiency.
• Signature a reflection of the unique, personal
  aspects of the criminal act.
• NEVER CHANGES Part of why they commit the
  crime.

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Signature or M.O.?

• A bank robber requires all bank patrons and
  employees to remove their clothes prior to
  leaving.
• A bank robber requires all bank patrons and
  employees to remove their clothes. He then
  poses them and photographs them.

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Criminal Profiling

• Three approaches
• Prediction of Individual Behaviors (CIA)
• Determining Common Characteristics Developing a
  descriptive process for crime classification
  (Crime Classification Manual).
• Extracting Specific Characteristics (FBI)
• Modus Operandi method/ mode of operation
• CHANGES in order to assist in the perpetrators
  efficiency.
• Signature a reflection of the unique, personal
  aspects of the criminal act.
• NEVER CHANGES Part of why they commit the
  crime.
• Organized v. Disorganized

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Organized v. Disorganized

• Organized (nonsocial) Ted Bundy
• Plan
• Use restraints
• Commit sexual acts with live victims
• Emphasize control over the victim
• Use a vehicle
• Disorganized (asocial)
• Leave a weapon at the scene of the crime
• Reposition the dead body
• Perform sexual acts with the dead body
• Keep the dead body
• Try to depersonalize the body
• Not use a vehicle

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Ted Bundy

• 1967 Linda Healy
• 1969 Parentage
• 1974 - Carol DeRonch
• 1978 - 1979

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Criminal Profiling

• Three approaches
• Prediction of Individual Behaviors (CIA)
• Determining Common Characteristics Developing a
  descriptive process for crime classification
  (Crime Classification Manual).
• Extracting Specific Characteristics (FBI)
• Modus Operandi method/ mode of operation
• CHANGES in order to assist in the perpetrators
  efficiency.
• Signature a reflection of the unique, personal
  aspects of the criminal act.
• NEVER CHANGES Part of why they commit the
  crime.
• Organized v. Disorganized
• Serial v. Spree v. Mass
• VICAP

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Serial Spree - Mass

• Serial Three or more separate events with a
  cooling-off period. Joseph Kallinger
• Spree Killings at two or more locations with no
  emotional cooling-off period.
• Mass More than three victims in one location
  and within one event. Charles Whitman

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Psychological Autopsies

• An investigative method used by psychologists or
  other social scientists to help determine the
  mode of death in equivocal cases.

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• equivocal
• /?'kw?v?k?l/ Show Spelled Pronunciation
  i-kwiv-uh-kuhl Show IPA Pronunciation
  adjective 1. allowing the possibility of
  several different meanings, as a word or phrase,
  esp. with intent to deceive or misguide
  susceptible of double interpretation
  deliberately ambiguous an equivocal answer. 2.
  of doubtful nature or character questionable
  dubious suspicious aliens of equivocal loyalty.
  3. of uncertain significance not determined an
  equivocal attitude.

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Psychological Autopsies

• An investigative method used by psychologists or
  other social scientists to help determine the
  mode of death in equivocal cases (i.e. determine
  the mode of death in questionable cases).
• NASH classifications
• Natural
• Accidental
• Suicidal
• Homicidal

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Psychological Autopsy

• Victim
• 36 year old female
• Mother of 2 children (ages 4 and 7)
• Married to husband for 8 years
• Circumstances
• Fire department called by husband.
• Husband claimed wife had been depressed for
  approximately 2 years and had been recently
  making suicidal comments.
• Wifes body was found on a couch, face down.
• No note left.
• Problems? The results can be equivocal as well.

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Hypnosis

• Definition An altered state of consciousness
  characterized by narrowed attention and increased
  suggestibility.
• Hillside Strangler 1977 - 1978
• The case of Kenneth Bianchi
• 10 women murdered, raped, tortured and strangled
  to death.
• Bodies found on hillsides northeast of Los
  Angeles.
• Under hypnosis displayed DID traits including an
  alter ego - Steve
• Forensic expert in hypnosis cast doubt on this
  due to slight inconsistencies in his actions.
• Problems?
• Hypnotic susceptibility?

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Polygraphs

• Lie Detector?
• Measures Sympathetic Nervous System activation as
  an indicator of truth.
• GSR
• Blood Pressure
• Heart Rate
• Respirations
• Control Question Technique
• Problems?
• False Positive (Classification of truth tellers
  as liars)
• False Negatives (Classification of liars as truth
  tellers).
• Admissibility