FBI

Profiling

IntroductionFBI profiling dates back to the 'Jack the Ripper' case in

the 19th Century.

Modern FBI profiling - Behavioral Science Unit of the FBI

in Virginia (1970s).

Purpose

Narrows the search for the offender by suggesting

features.

Helps answer questions about links between different

crimes and possible number of offenders involved in the

crime/s.

Howitt (2011)

Modus Operandi (MO)

Crime Signature

"the offender's actions during the

commission of a crime that are

necessary to complete the crime"

(Keppel et al., 2005, as cited in Howitt,

2011, p. 260).

"A crime's signature characteristics

reflect things which happen during the

commission of a crime but which are

more or less idiosyncratic to or

characteristic of the offender" (Howitt,

2011, p. 261).

Howitt (2011)

FBI Profiling Process

Data Assimilation (Stage 1):

Profile Generation (Stage 4):

Crime Scene Classification (Stage 2):

Crime Scene Reconstruction (Stage 3):

Police reports

Pathologists' reports

Witness statements

Crime scene photographs

Organised

Disorganised

Generate hypotheses:

Victim behaviour

Crime sequence

Modus operandi

Present hypotheses

about:

Demographic

characteristics

Physical

characteristics

Behavioural habits

Howitt (2011)

Stage 1: Data Assimilation

The time of death

Identify the offender's psychological

signature

Stage 2: Crime Scene Classification

It is believed that organised and disorganised crime scenes

indicate some broad characteristics or the psychology of the

offender.

Organised crime scene

Evidence that the crime has been carefully

planned

Disorganised crime scene

Where the crime scene appears chaotic and

there is little sign of preparation for the

crime

Howitt (2011)

The offender is likely to:

Be sexually competent

Be charming

Live with a partner

Follow the news media

The offender is likely to:

Have low intelligence

Have an unskilled occupation

Live alone

Have poor personal hygeine

Stage 3: Crime Scene Reconstruction

Stage 4: Profile Generation

Howitt (2011)

According to Howitt (2011) the crime scene is, "the result

of a complex set of circumstances" (p. 265).

Uses information from stage one

Involves inference and deduction

Offender's modus operandi - may link the crime to other

crimes committed

Crime sequence

Victim behaviour

Uses this information to generate a hypotheses

Demographic characteristics (e.g. social class &

employment)

Lifestyle (e.g. lives alone or in a relationship)

Physical characteristics

Behavioural habits (e.g. antisocial)

Personality dynamics (e.g. depression linked to offending)

Present hypotheses about:

References

Howitt, D. (2011). Introduction to Forensic and

Criminal Psychology (4th ed.). England, UK: Pearson

Education Ltd.

Suggested Reading

Douglas, J.E., & Olshaker, M. (1995). Mind Hunter:

Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit. New York:

Pocket Books.

*Netflix has a new series titled 'Mind Hunter' based

on the above book which releases 13 October 2017.