Forensic and Investigative Psychology

I've just updated the forensic psychology book of the month page on the main website. The July entry is: Professionalizing Offender Profiling: Forensic and Investigative Psychology in Practice by Laurence Alison & Lee Rainbow.

See following link for details.

Forensic and Investigative Psychology in Practice.

There are several pages over at the main forensic psychology website dedicated to offender and criminal profiling. If you would like to learn about criminal profiling a good place to start would be to explore the history of the discipline; which you can do via the following link.

Criminal Profiling

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Forensic and Investigative Psychology

Criminal Profiling Debate

Criminal Profiling Special



Consultant psychologist Dr Craig Jackson has reignited the debate over the utility and effectiveness of criminal profiling.

Jackson argues that criminal profiling is unscientific and potentially harmful adding that "Behavioural profiling has never led to the direct apprehension of a serial killer or murderer, so it seems to have no real-world value." Dr. Jackson's views have received considerable press coverage (see following links).

http://bit.ly/criminalProfiling1

http://bit.ly/CriminalProfiling2

To be honest, there is nothing new in this type of criticism, particularly of the criminal profiling methodology developed by the FBI. In 2007 Malcolm Gladwell wrote a provocative article on criminal profiling entitled "Dangerous Minds" that appeared in the New Yorker. The article documents the historical roots of criminal profiling, beginning with the pioneering work of psychiatrist James Brussel and how the work of Brussel influenced FBI profiling. The article then presents a critical review of the work of prominent FBI profilers such as John Douglas; a review that clearly questions the usefulness of criminal profiling as an investigative methodology.

See following link to read Gladwell's article on criminal profiling in full.

http://nyr.kr/DangerousMinds

Learn About Criminal Profiling

A good way of enagaing with this debate is to learn more criminal profiling and there are plenty of opportunites to do just that over at the All About Forensic Psychology Website.

Criminal Profiling (First Documented Use)

Criminal Profiling (The FBI Legacy)

Criminal Profiling (Methodology)

Geographic Profiling

Criminal Profiling (A Realistic career aspiration?)



In the early 1970s, Special Agent Howard Teten and others in the FBI began to apply the insights of psychological science to violent criminal behavior. In 1972, the FBI Academy launched a Behavioral Science Unit—later called the Behavioral Analysis Unit—which began looking for patterns in the behavior of serial rapists and killers. Agents John Douglas and Robert Ressler conducted systematic interviews of serial killers like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and Jeffrey Dahmer to gain insight into their modus operandi, motivations, and backgrounds. This collected information helped agents draw up profiles of violent criminals eluding law enforcement.

By the 1980s, the concept of criminal investigative analysis was maturing into a full-fledged investigative tool for identifying criminals and their future actions by studying their behaviors, personalities, and physical traits. Accordingly, in July 1984, the Bureau opened the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) on the campus of the FBI Academy to provide sophisticated criminal profiling services to state and local police for the first time.

The aim of Inside the Criminal Mind: A Forensic Psychology eBook Collection Special is to showcase all the major articles written by members of the Behavioral Science Units, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, at the FBI Academy. The articles added to the collection so far are:



Read Criminal Profiling : A Viable Investigative Tool Against Violent Crime



Read A Psychological Assessment of Crime Profiling



Read Criminal Profiling From Crime Scene Analysis

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A Free & Comprehensive Guide to The World of Forensic Psychology

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Criminal Profiling Debate

Criminal Profiling From Crime Scene Analysis

Forensic Psychology



The aim of Inside the Criminal Mind: A Forensic Psychology eBook Collection Special is to showcase all the major articles written by members of the Behavioral Science Units, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, at the FBI Academy.

Criminal Profiling From Crime Scene Analysis by John E. Douglas, Robert K Ressler, Ann W Burgess & Carol R Hartman is the third article in this collection. Originally published in 1986 this was a seminal publication in the history of FBI profiling. Topics addressed include.

The history of criminal profiling

The profiling of murderers

The criminal-profile-generating process

Homicide type and style

See following link for full details and to download this classic criminal profiling article for free.

Criminal Profiling From Crime Scene Analysis

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A Free & Comprehensive Guide to The World of Forensic Psychology

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Criminal Profiling From Crime Scene Analysis

A Psychological Assessment of Crime Profiling

Forensic Psychology



A Psychological Assessment of Crime Profiling is the latest article to be added to the Forensic Psychology eBook Collection Special "Inside The Criminal Mind". You can download and read this article for free by Clicking Here.

Click Here to visit the main Forensic Psychology eBook collection page.

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A Free & Comprehensive Guide to The World of Forensic Psychology

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A Psychological Assessment of Crime Profiling

Criminal Profiling: A Viable Investigative Tool Against Violent Crime

Forensic Psychology



Inside the Criminal Mind: A Forensic Psychology eBook Collection Special

In the early 1970s, Special Agent Howard Teten and others in the FBI began to apply the insights of psychological science to violent criminal behavior. In 1972, the FBI Academy launched a Behavioral Science Unit, later called the Behavioral Analysis Unit; which began looking for patterns in the behavior of serial rapists and killers. Agents John Douglas and Robert Ressler conducted systematic interviews of serial killers like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and Jeffrey Dahmer to gain insight into their modus operandi, motivations, and backgrounds. This collected information helped agents draw up profiles of violent criminals eluding law enforcement.

By the 1980s, the concept of criminal investigative analysis was maturing into a full-fledged investigative tool for identifying criminals and their future actions by studying their behaviors, personalities, and physical traits. Accordingly, in July 1984, the Bureau opened the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) on the campus of the FBI Academy to provide sophisticated criminal profiling services to state and local police for the first time.

The aim of Inside the Criminal Mind: A Forensic Psychology eBook Collection Special is to showcase all the major articles written by members of the Behavioral Science Units, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, at the FBI Academy.

Criminal Profiling: A Viable Investigative Tool Against Violent Crime by John Douglas and Alan Burgess is the first article in this collection.

Click Here to download and read this influential article.

Click Here to visit the main Forensic Psychology eBook collection page.

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A Free & Comprehensive Guide to The World of Forensic Psychology

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Criminal Profiling: A Viable Investigative Tool Against Violent Crime

Offender Profiling

(Photo Credit: John Griffiths)

This post follows on nicely from the criminal profiling debate alluded to in the last blog entry, as it demonstrates how criminal/offender/psychological profiling has evolved over the years.

There is a page on the forensic psychology website where I discuss the scientific credibility of forensic psychology. In doing so I suggest that students should seek out a more balanced view when evaluating the credibility of forensic psychology as a whole and individual topics within the discipline. To back up this assertion I make the point there is more than one approach to criminal profiling, the guiding principles of which can differ markedly.

With this in mind, I'd like to draw your attention to the concept of the behavioural investigative advisor. According to an illuminating article produced by the psychology department at Liverpool University (UK), the term behavioural investigative advisor reflects the fact that offender profiling has evolved from the traditional process of predicting the likely socio-demographic characteristics of an offender based on information available at the crime scene; toward a broader emphasis which embraces a range of reliable, tested and transparent evidence-based methods that psychologists can draw upon to assist the police during investigations.

"Extending well beyond attempts to set suspect parameters or explain the behaviour of offenders in one-off critical incidents, advisors can now assist on issues such as media strategy, interview strategy, DNA intelligence led screening, risk assessments, geographical analysis, veracity of victim statements and the linking of a series of crimes."

More Information

Click Here to read the offender profiling article from the psychology department at Liverpool University.

Click Here to access the scientific credibility of forensic psychology webpage.

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Offender Profiling

Criminal Profiling

Criminal Profiling Debate



I've just finished reading a very interesting article on criminal profiling that appeared in the New Yorker last November. Written by Malcolm Gladwell the article documents the historical roots of criminal profiling, beginning with the pioneering work of psychiatrist James Brussel and how the work of Brussel influenced FBI profiling. The article then presents a critical review of the work of prominent FBI profilers, in particular John Douglas; a review that clearly questions the usefulness of criminal profiling as an investigative methodology.

If you would like to read Gladwell's article on criminal profiling in full, you can do so by Clicking Here

Learn More About Criminal Profiling

Don't forget that there are several pages dedicated to criminal profiling on the All About Forensic Psychology website.

Criminal Profiling (First Documented Use)

Criminal Profiling (The FBI Legacy)

Criminal Profiling (Methodology)

Geographic Profiling

Criminal Profiling (A Realistic career aspiration?)

Have Your Say

So what do you think about criminal profiling? Do you agree or disagree with the points raised in the New Yorker article?

To have your say on criminal profiling or anything else related to the fascinating world of forensic psychology simply fill out the Forensic Psychology 2.0 form via the following link and you'll be a published guest author on the All About Forensic Psychology Website in no time.

Forensic Psychology 2.0

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Criminal Profiling

The Colin Stagg Case

Forensic Psychology



With respect to the application of psychology within a legal context, the Colin Stagg case is a very important one as it raises the issue of ethical practice and questions the efficacy of criminal profiling and expert evidence within forensic psychology.

Background To The Case

In September 1992 Colin Stagg was arrested on suspicion of murdering Rachel Nickell. Following his release without charge, the police in conjunction with the psychologist Paul Britton began a "covert operation" which involved an undercover female police officer befriending Colin Stagg. According to Gudjonsson & Haward (Gudjonsson assessed Stagg while on remand), the operation was designed to elicit a confession from Stagg. The covert operation continued for several months during which time Stagg consistently denied the murder but revealed fantasies that could possibly be seen as incriminating.

However, following a detailed psychological assessment of Colin Stagg, it was concluded that:

"There is no doubt that Miss James subjected Mr Stagg to psychological manipulation in order to elicit responses from him that fitted Mr Britton's profile of Miss Nickell's murderer. His 'fantasies' involving domination, humiliation and aggression were clearly a product of a subtle process of influence and should not be relied upon as representing Mr Stagg's genuine sexual preferences and fantasies."

As a result of the psychological reports, the judge ruled that the correspondence and tape recordings elicited from the covert operation were inadmissable and no evidence was entered against Colin Stagg.

Related Reading

To find out more about the case from the perspective of Colin Stagg himself, you should get hold of Pariah, described by Dr. Laurence Alison, an expert in psychological profiling at Liverpool University as “An important book and a bloody good read”. See following link for full details.

Pariah: Colin Stagg

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www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com

A Free & Comprehensive Guide to The World of Forensic Psychology

The Colin Stagg Case