Offender Profiling Essay Example
Offender Profiling Essay Example

Offender Profiling Essay Example

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  • Pages: 10 (2676 words)
  • Published: December 16, 2017
  • Type: Case Study
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Offender profiling is a technique that involves analyzing the nature of a crime and how it was committed to identify the person responsible. The criminal's behavioral traits before, during, and after the offense are evaluated to determine various aspects of their personality. This information is then combined with relevant physical evidence and compared with known personality types and mental disorders to create a practical profile of the offender.

[edit] HistoryThe concept of profiling can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when inquisitors attempted to "profile" heretics. In the 1800s, several individuals, including Jacob Fries, Cesare Lombroso, Alphonse Bertillon, and Hans Gross, recognized the potential of profiling. However, their research is often seen as biased due to reflecting the prejudices of their era. [edit] Notable profilers [edit] Thomas Bond In the 1880s, Dr. Thomas Bond, a police s

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urgeon and medical doctor, attempted to profile Jack the Ripper's personality. He assisted in Mary Kelly's autopsy.

On November 10, 1888, Dr. Bond's records indicated that the killings had a sexual aspect, along with identifiable misogyny and anger. He endeavored to reconstruct the murder and decode the perpetrator's behavioral patterns. Consequently, he devised a profile of distinctive characteristics to guide police inquiries. The profile identified the murderer as an individual who acted alone and committed five of the seven homicides in the vicinity at that time. Dr. Bond described this person as robust, undaunted, and brave.

Dr. Bond posits that the culprit is an unassuming and tidy person, potentially of middle age, who may use a cloak to conceal evidence of their violent actions. They are likely a solitary individual who lacks steady employment, exhibits eccentric behavior, and suffer

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from mental instability and Satyriasis (known today as hypersexuality or promiscuity). Furthermore, Dr. Bond dismissed the possibility that the perpetrator could be a surgeon or butcher due to their lack of anatomical knowledge. To aid in apprehending the offender, Dr. Bond recommended offering a reward as an incentive for those with information to come forward and assist law enforcement.

[citation needed] Additionally, Dr. Bond determined that the murder of Alice McKenzie was committed by the same perpetrator. [edit] In 1943, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) enlisted psychoanalyst Dr. Walter C. Langer of New York to create a psychological profile of Adolf Hitler.

The OSS requested a psychological and behavioral analysis to develop strategic plans. Dr. Langer utilized speeches, Mein Kampf, and interviews with those who had personal connections with Hitler to create a 135-page profile outlining Hitler's behavioral tendencies and potential reactions to Germany losing World War II.

Dr. Langer's profile indicates that Hitler placed great importance on his physical appearance, adhering to traditional standards and viewing himself as a role model. Although he occasionally had bursts of energy, he didn't make fitness a priority. In general, Hitler presented a strong yet unassuming appearance.

Although he was not likely to die from natural causes due to his good health, Hitler's mental state was deteriorating and he had no intention of fleeing to a neutral country. His fear of syphilis and germs caused him to walk diagonally when crossing a room and whistle a marching tune. The profile also revealed his oedipal complex, which drove him to prove his manhood to his mother, as well as his coprolagnia and urolagnia. Hitler held disdain for the educated and

privileged, but enjoyed classical music, vaudeville, and Richard Wagner's opera.

Demonstrating a penchant for sadistic behavior, the individual displayed a preference for daring and hazardous circus performances, frequently engaging in lengthy, one-sided discussions rather than engaging in reciprocal communication. Struggling to form intimate connections with others, their apparent delusions signaled the potential for psychological disintegration in the face of impending failure.

The prospect of him taking his own life was the most probable, although there was a chance that he might command a henchman to conduct euthanasia. [edit] James A. BrusselFrom 1940 to 1956, an unknown individual terrorized New York City by planting explosives in various public locations such as movie theaters, phone booths, Radio City Music Hall, Grand Central Terminal, and Pennsylvania Station. The police grew disappointed and, in 1956, enlisted the help of James A. Brussel, a psychiatrist from Greenwich Village who worked as New York State's assistant commissioner of mental hygiene.

After examining the crime scene photographs and scrutinizing the "mad bomber's" communications to the media, Dr. Brussel developed a comprehensive profile of the perpetrator.

According to Brussel, the perpetrator of the bombing would be an unmarried, middle-aged man who possibly lives with a sibling. He also stated that the offender may be a skilled mechanic who immigrated to Connecticut and practices Roman Catholicism. Furthermore, the offender may have an obsessive passion for his mother and a deep hatred for his father. Brussel noted that the perpetrator had a personal grudge against Consolidated Edison, New York's power company, as evidenced by the first bomb targeting its 67th Street headquarters. Dr.

According to Brussel, the offender will likely be found wearing a buttoned double-breasted suit. Brussel’s

profiling of the bomber led police to believe that he was a dissatisfied or former employee of Con Ed. This information enabled them to locate George Metesky in Waterbury, Connecticut, who had worked for Con Ed in the 1930s. Metesky, who was heavy, single, Catholic, and foreign-born, was arrested in January 1957 and immediately confessed. The accuracy of Brussel’s profile was confirmed when police apprehended Metesky.

After being instructed by the police to dress appropriately, he returned to his bedroom and donned a fully buttoned double-breasted suit, exactly as Dr. Brussel had anticipated. However, Malcolm Gladwell alleges that offender profiling is not a true science and rather, it uses vague language that can be interpreted in various ways. Regarding Brussel specifically, Gladwell asserts that he did not truly grasp the mindset of the Mad Bomber. Apparently, Brussel's technique was to make numerous predictions in the hopes that any erroneous ones would be ignored while accurate ones would earn him fame. All in all, Gladwell argues that the Hedunit - in this case, the profiling of the Mad Bomber - should not be regarded as a success in forensic analysis but rather as a mere performance trick.

During the period from 1957 to 1972, Dr. Brussel provided support to the New York City Police in numerous crime cases, particularly murder cases. Additionally, he collaborated with various investigative agencies.

By using his profile, Dr. Brussel helped the Boston Police arrest Albert DeSalvo, also known as the Boston Strangler, a notorious serial sex murderer. The media gave Dr. Brussel the nickname "Sherlock Holmes of the Couch." This information can be found in James A.'s Casebook of a Crime Psychiatrist.

Howard D. was

intrigued by Dr. Brussel's criminological approach as described in his book, published by Bernard Geis Associates in 1968. Titled "Classic" and with an ISBN of 0-583-11804-6, the book was written by Dr. Brussel himself.

Teten, a police officer from California with extensive experience, became an FBI instructor in applied criminology at the National Police Academy in Washington, D.C. in 1962. One of his passions was studying offender profiling, which he integrated into his course. During his time there, he crossed paths with Dr. Howard.

Dr. Brussel and Teten shared ideas about investigative techniques and psychological strategies for profiling crimes. Teten didn't agree with Brussel's Freudian interpretations, but he did agree with other aspects of his investigative analysis. The FBI established the Behavioral Science Unit at Quantico in 1972, which included Teten as part of Patrick J. Mullany's team of instructors.

Teten and Mullany developed a way to analyze unidentified perpetrators in open cases. They proposed examining the behavioral manifestations at the crime scene in order to discover signs of psychological disorders and other personal characteristics. This strategy would aid detectives in their deductive reasoning. The effectiveness of their theories on offender profiling was soon put to the test when a seven-year-old girl named Susan Jaeger was kidnapped from a campsite in Montana's Rocky Mountains in June of 1973. The perpetrator overpowered Susan before she had the chance to awaken her sleeping parents and abducted her from their tent in the early hours of the morning.

The FBI was brought in to investigate the disappearance of a child after an extensive search yielded no results. Teten, Mullany and Col. Robert K. Ressler employed their criminal investigative analysis technique to create

a profile of the perpetrator. Their profile suggested that the abductor was most likely a young, white male with a history of voyeurism and homicidal tendencies who had been known to mutilate his victims and keep body parts as souvenirs.

David Meirhofer, a single 23-year-old man from the local area and a suspect in a murder case, was apprehended with the assistance of the FBI's new method of investigation known as offender profiling or criminal investigative analysis. It was discovered that Meirhofer had keepsakes belonging to both victims at his residence, which resulted in his arrest and represented the initial instance where this approach helped identify a serial killer. As time progressed, this technique became more refined and structured, ultimately earning its current title: Criminal Investigative Analysis Program (CIAP).

[edit] Richard Walter and Bob Keppel played a crucial role in catching Ted Bundy and the Green River Killer in 1974, thanks to new psychological profiling methods. By combining the expertise of criminal psychologist Richard Walter, who had interviewed over two thousand murderers, sex-offenders and serial killers in Michigan's infamous prison system, with Keppel's field experience, they were able to identify common threads among offenders and group all killings and sex crimes into four subtypes: power-assertive, power-reassurance, anger-retaliatory, and anger-excitation or sadism. Walter pioneered the development of a matrix using suspect pre-crime, crime and post-crime behaviors as an investigative tool.

Richard was a co-founder of the Vidocq Society, an elite group of forensic professionals who solve cold cases globally. In conjunction with Walter, he developed the HITS database which features distinct characteristics of violent crimes that can be studied for common patterns. They also co-authored a

significant scholarly article entitled "Profiling Killers: A Revised Classification Model for Understanding Sexual Murder" for worldwide FBI and violent crime investigators. After Howard Teten left the Behavioral Science Unit, John Douglas and Robert Ressler became prominent figures in offender profiling at the FBI in 1978. They extensively researched convicted sex murderers, conducting interviews and creating an organized and disorganized typology model that is still relevant today.

Both Ressler and David Canter were influential in the field of criminology. Ressler established the National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) and contributed to launching VICAP, while Canter created the first offender profile for the Railway Rapist, who went on to become known as the Railway Killer after committing his initial murder. Their research provided insights into criminal behavior patterns, traits, and characteristics that have since been incorporated into offender profiling programs.

Following John Duffy's subsequent apprehension, prosecution, and sentencing, it was revealed that Canter had accurately identified 13 of the perpetrator's features out of a total of 17. Consequently, profiling became prevalent during extensive law enforcement operations. According to Gregg O. McCrary, the underlying principle of profiling is that conduct reflects character.

When examining a homicide, FBI profilers seek to gather insight into the killer's personality by observing their actions throughout four stages. The first stage, known as the "Antecedent" phase, concentrates on pre-existing fantasies or plans for the murder and what ultimately triggered the crime. The second phase scrutinizes "Method and manner," evaluating the type of victim(s) chosen and how they were killed (shooting, stabbing, strangulation etc.). During the third phase - "Body disposal"- investigators determine whether or not both murder and body disposal took place in

one location or multiple locations. Finally, during the fourth phase experts analyze post-crime behavior exhibited by the perpetrator.

When investigating a murder or sexual crime, the perpetrator's behavior after the offense is crucial. If they try to insert themselves into the media or contact investigators, it indicates they may be the culprit. Investigative Psychology was developed by Professor David Canter as a response to the lack of scientific bases in offender profiling. The IAIP, of which Canter is President, aims to establish professional guidelines for both practice and research in this field. Despite its popularity, offender profiling remains controversial; investigators may focus on a suspect that matches the profile and fail to investigate other leads.

An instance of a false positive is illustrated by the case of Richard Jewell, who was thoroughly examined (and criticized in the press) in relation to the Centennial Olympic Park bombing in Atlanta. This resulted not only in Jewell experiencing intense distress, but also in the delay in identifying the actual culprit, Eric Robert Rudolph. The concentration on Jewell was misguided. Furthermore, because of the false positive involving Jewell, the FBI and local law enforcement temporarily ceased searching for other suspects, resulting in added expenses.

The false negative, which happens when investigators overlook the guilty suspect due to an erroneous profile aspect, is the converse of the false positive. Criminals may use violence and threats to elicit emotional responses and coerce behavior. However, Eric Robert Rudolph, a former US Army explosives expert, displayed characteristics unique from typical criminals and even political terrorists. His crimes revolved around sex and punishment, with a focus on domination, control, humiliation, pain, injury, and violence - or

a combination of these. Criminal sexual sadists often have elaborate plans including specific methods of capture, control, multiple victims and planned sequence of acts. Rudolph's 11-page manifesto described his accounts of bombings that killed two people and injured more than 120 others. The Olympic bombing was intended to be part of a week-long campaign to humiliate the US government and shutdown the games.

[3] The Beltway sniper attacks serve as a notable example of profiling failure, as they were initially believed to have been carried out by a middle-aged white male, but were actually committed by two black males, with one being only 17 years old. The Department of Justice permits active profiling, which involves covertly altering the environment to observe a suspect's responses and determine if their behavior matches the profile. However, this can be viewed as police harassment or entrapment. The term criminal profiler has become popularized, leading to many self-proclaimed profilers providing their expert opinions on cable news shows despite lacking law enforcement experience, but often having degrees in criminal justice or psychology. 1.

The article titled "Dangerous Minds: Criminal profiling made easy" was written by Malcolm Gladwell and published in The New Yorker on November 12, 2007. The publication date was retrieved on January 1, 2008. The information is contained within the HTML paragraph tag.

According to literary scholar Donald Foster in his 2000 book "Author Unknown," James Brussel's sighting of the Mad Bomber in a collection of pictures and photostats was actually an illusion. Brussel edited his predictions for his memoirs and had instructed the police to search for the bomber in White Plains, sending them there.

Y. P. D.'s bomb unit is searching

for clues in Westchester County by examining local records, leading them on a confusing journey.

Although Metesky did not have a facial scar and had been unemployed for many years, the police were instructed by Brussel to search for a man with these characteristics. This information was taken from "THE CRIMINAL SEXUAL SADIST" by Robert R. Hazelwood, M.S.

Special Agent from the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia, alongside Forensic Psychiatrist Park Elliott Dietz, M.D. from Newport Beach, California and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, as well as Assistant Professor Janet Warren, D.S.W. from the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia [1] 3.

The article titled "Eric Rudolph lays out the arguments that fueled his two-year bomb attacks" was written by Doug Gross and was published on SignonSanDiego.com by the Union-Tribune on April 14, 2005. The text is enclosed in a paragraph tag.

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