NCJ Number
191671
Date Published
2001
Length
207 pages
Annotation
This book examines the contribution that psychology can make to an understanding of crime, crime patterns and offender motivation, and assesses the merits of the various approaches to profiling.
Abstract
Virtually all societies in the modern world are troubled by crime. While crime rates vary enormously from one country to another, and from one region to another, criminal behavior remains a cause for concern amongst most members of the public. Fear of victimization can have a devastating impact on large numbers of people. In the so-called “fight against crime,” many professionals, politicians, and lay people have come up with an array of methods in an attempt to reduce the level of criminal activity. Academics from fields such as sociology, criminology, geography, and psychology have made significant contributions to our level of understanding. Psychologists have attempted to bring more scientific methods to the study of criminal behavior, in particular the crime patterns and the motivation behind certain types of offending behavior. Important as these advances are, the public may have little knowledge of this research. By contrast, most people have heard of offender profiling and may see this as an important recent advance in the fight against crime. While offender profiling has captured the public’s imagination and does have a role to play, a number of other recent developments have perhaps greater potential in terms of reducing and solving crimes. Chapter 1 considers what is meant by the term offender profiling, and considers whether there might be some misunderstanding about what profiling entails and what it can achieve. Chapter 2 considers some of the more important theories that explain criminal behavior, and in particular the motivations behind certain types of offending. Chapter 3 examines why offending behavior often appears to form discernible patterns, and is not randomly distributed. This chapter also considers why repeat victimization occurs with such great frequency. In Chapter 4, attention is drawn to the fact that good analysis and profiling techniques will be dependent upon the quality and accuracy of information gathered. This chapter examines whether information from victims and witnesses is likely to be reliable, and whether inaccurate memory recall might threaten the value of any data gathered. Appropriate and inappropriate interrogation techniques are examined. Chapter 5 considers how detailed analysis of the location and timing of crimes could lead to a better understanding of criminal activity and to an ability to be able to predict future crimes. The chapter also focuses on crime hot spots. Chapter 6 reviews the historical development of profiling techniques, and introduces the FBI approach. A critical examination of FBI methods is also included. Chapter 7 considers the approaches of the most prominent British worker in the field, David Canter. Canter’s work is based firmly within the psychological arena and in this respect differs from the FBI’s approach. Chapter 8 examines psychiatry’s contribution to profiling and the work of profilers in Holland. The chapter also considers Paul Britton’s contribution and assesses the advantages and disadvantages of the different profiling techniques. Chapter 9 considers some of the more recent contributions to profiling, looking at Canter’s work using Facet Theory and Smallest Space Analysis. Profiling in its widest sense is also examined along with recent work on stalking. There is also consideration of whether profiling is best viewed as an art or a science and what the future might hold for profiling. Each chapter ends with a summary and some suggestions for further reading. References