Transcript Peering into the Criminal Mind

Criminology
Criminology =
The scientific study of crime, criminals,
criminal behavior, and corrections.
Criminalistics =
The application of Science to those
criminal and civil laws that are enforced by
police agencies in a criminal justice system.
Synonymous with “Forensic Science”
The Causes of Crime
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The oldest theory...Bad seed or devil made me
-First scientific theory...Skull size
-Another scientific theory...It’s hereditary
-Another explanation of crime attempted to relate
criminal behavior to natural, or physical,
environment.
-19th century criminologists attribute crime mainly to
the influence of poverty.
--NOW = experts indicate multiple causation,
theories. They reason that crime springs usually
from a multiplicity of conflicting and converging
influences—biological, psychological, cultural,
economic, and political.
What do these people have in
common?
John Wayne Gacy
Son of Sam
Dennis Rader
Jeffrey Dahmer
Ted Bundy
Forensic Psychiatry
vs.
Forensic Profiling
Forensic Psychiatry
Unlike hair, shoeprints, or weapons, the
motivations of criminals aren't visible. They
cannot be studied under a microscope or
analyzed in a lab. This makes psychiatry a
totally different type of science;
the science of behavior
Forensic Psychiatry cont.
Investigators use physical and biological
evidence to determine the who, what, where,
and how. Forensic psychiatrists
help to answer why. Many times the
why is the most valuable piece of information
for solving the crime because there are very few
crimes that are committed without a motive,
the why.
What do Forensic
Psychiatrists (Psychologists) do?
• Test suspects for mental illness
• Assess a perpetrator’s sanity
• Establish a perpetrator’s mental state at the time of
a crime
• Determine an individual’s competency to stand
trial, offer testimony, sign contracts, and perform
other actions
• Evaluating suspects for signs of deception or
malingering (faking illness)
• Profiling perpetrators and victims
What does a forensic
psychiatrist do in court?
• Stand trial to offer an opinion regarding the
suspect’s mental state at the time of the crime
• Address issues related to legal sanity (in the case of
an insanity plea)
• During the sentencing phase, they may suggest the
need for admission to a mental facility instead of
prison
• They may offer how dangerous the defendant is and
how likely the defendant is to be a repeat offender.
Did you know that the term
insanity is a legal term and not
a medical term? Insanity,
therefore is determined by a
judge and jury.
(Psychiatrists determine mental disorders
and advise the courts accordingly but the
final say comes from the law.)
Forensic profiler
Psychological profiling (AKA offender
profiling, criminal profiling, or just profiling)
analyzes habits and rituals of serial criminals.
They speculate on peculiarities of the
offender's lifestyle that, when made public,
may be recognized by colleagues or
neighbors.
History
1880’s-Dr. Thomas Bond
re: Jack the Ripper
1940’s-Dr. Walter Langer
re: Adolf Hitler
1950’s-Dr. James Brussels
re: Mad Bomber
1960’s-Dr. James Brussels
re: Boston Strangler
1970’s-Dr. Robert Ressler
re: Atlanta Child Murderer
History cont.
Profiling emerged as a distinct
discipline in the 1950’s when
the FBI established a Behavioral
Science Unit. Profiling was
finally recognized as a
legitimate discipline with its
successes during the Wayne
Williams (Atlanta Child
Murderer) case of the late 70’s
Profiling
If you don’t know what you are looking for, finding it
is nearly impossible. Profiling is looking at evidence
and making a best guess as to the type of individual
who would commit the crime in question. Profiling
helps the investigator get an idea of who they are
looking for and narrows down the search.
A profiler is usually a specially trained FBI
agent who looks at the crime scene, autopsy
report, victim and likely precrime and
postcrime behaviors. They would ask
questions like:
 How did the killer gain access to the victim?
 What did the killer do to the victim?
 Did the killer try to cover his/her tracks?
 What is it about this victim that attracted the killer?
 What motive or fantasy drove the killer to harm
the victim in the particular manner at the particular
time and location?
What kind of offenders are ‘out
there’?
Mass murderers….Spree killers…
Serial killers…Serial arsonists…
Child Molesters…Pedophiles…
Serial rapists….
(just to name a few)
Let’s start out with the
multiple murderer…
Multiple murderers are people who’ve killed
more than one person. Multiple murders are
classified according to the location and
sequence of the killings:
Mass murderers
Spree killers
Serial killers
Mass Murderers
• Kill more than 4 people in one place at one
time
• Have a clear agenda and want to send a
message
• Motive often is some perceived wrong
committed by co-workers or employer
Spree Killers
• Kill more than one person at two or more
locations that are linked by motive with no
cooling off period between killings
• Constantly killing, hiding, running, or
planning his next attack
• Goes on rampages, moving from place to
place, city to city
• Many times ends up in a suicidal
confrontation with law enforcement
Serial Killers
• Kill more than two people at different times
and locations
• Cooling off period between killings (used to
unwind, calm down before the demons take
over again)
Assessing the Perpetrator’s Psyche
There are three basic categories of offenders:
• Organized offenders
• Disorganized offenders
• Mixed offenders
Organized Offenders
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Very sophisticated approach
Planning involved
Average or better intelligence
Employed
Involved in active social relationships (spouse, family, etc.)
Maintain control to avoid being impulsive
Prepare and rehearse
Target specific types of victims
Use control measures (restraints, etc.)
Bring tools
Takes care not to leave evidence behind
If killers, hide or dispose of the body with a preselected dumpsite
Disorganized Offenders
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Live alone or with a relative
Lower than average intelligence
Unemployed or work at menial jobs
Often mentally ill
Act impulsively; have little control over fantasy-driven
needs
Attack with sudden violence
Crime scene is messy and chaotic
Doesn’t plan ahead or bring tools; just uses what ever is
around and handy
As killers they leave the body behind
Take little care about leaving evidence behind
Some have sexual contact after victim is killed
Mixed Offenders
• Show evidence of planning and
sophistication but the assault itself many be
frenzied or messy
Diagnosis of Serial Killers
• Psychosis is rarely noted among serial killers.
The predominant psychiatric diagnosis noted
in the group tends toward the psychopathic,
meaning they suffer from traits within a specific
cluster of dysfunctional personality characteristics,
those most commonly associated with Antisocial
Personality Disorder or Dissocial personality disorder.
Psychopaths lack empathy and guilt, are egocentric
and impulsive, and do not conform to social, moral and
legal norms. They may appear to be quite normal and
often even charming.
Descriptors
Profilers use descriptors (categories) that
they use to describe the type of individuals
who commit the crimes. Descriptors can be
categories like age, sex, race, residency,
proximity, social skills, work/military history,
or educational level. Using these descriptors,
profilers can create a pretty good picture or
profile of the offender.
Characteristics of Serial Killers
Serial killers tend to share the following general descriptors:
1. The majority are single, white males under the age of 30.
2. They are often very intelligent.
3. They do poorly in school, have trouble holding down jobs, and often work
menial jobs.
4. They tend to come from unstable families.
5. As children, they are typically abandoned by their fathers and raised by
domineering mothers.
6. Their families often have criminal, psychiatric and alcoholic histories.
7. They often are mistrustful of their parents.
8. It is common to find that as children, they were abused—psychologically,
physically and/or sexually—by a family member.
9. Many spend time in institutions as children and have records of early
psychiatric problems.
10. They have high rates of suicide attempts.
11. From an early age, many are intensely interested in voyeurism, fetishism, and
sadomasochistic pornography.
12. More than 60 percent wet their beds beyond the age of 12.
13. Many are fascinated with fire starting.
14. They are involved in sadistic activity or tormenting small creatures.
Motives of Serial killers
( Visionary - Mission oriented – Hedonistic )
Visionary
Visionary serial killers sometimes believe they are
another person or are compelled to murder by
entities such as the devil or God.
Example: David Berkowitz, the “Son of Sam”. He
claimed a demon transmitted orders through his
neighbor's dog, instructing him to murder.
Motives of Serial killers
Mission-oriented
Mission-oriented killers justify their acts on
the basis that they are getting rid of a certain
type of person, such as homosexuals, prostitutes,
blacks or Catholics, whom they find undesirable.
Example: Ted Kaczynski, the "Unabomber",
targeted universities and the airline industry. He
wrote a manifesto that he distributed to the
media, in which he claimed he wanted society to
return to a time when technology was not a threat
to its future.
Motives of Serial killers
Hedonistic
This type of serial killer seeks thrills and derives pleasure from killing, seeing
people as objects for their enjoyment. Forensic psychologists have identified
three subtypes of the hedonistic killer: "lust", "thrill" and "comfort".
Lust
Sex is the primary motive of lust killers, whether or not the victims are dead,
and fantasy plays a large role in their killings.
Example :Jeffrey Dahmer searched for his perfect fantasy lover—beautiful
and eternal.
Thrill
The primary motive of a thrill killer is to induce pain or create terror in their
victims. They seek the adrenaline rush provided by hunting and killing victims.
Example: the Zodiac Killer wrote "killing is even better than getting your rocks
off with a girl".
Comfort
Material gain and a comfortable lifestyle are the primary motives of comfort
killers. Usually, the victims are family members and close acquaintances.
Example: Dorothea Puente killed her tenants for their Social Security checks
and buried them in the backyard of her home.
What about child molesters?
Pedophiles?
We haven’t mentioned them yet.
First of all, is there a difference between a child
molester and a pedophile?
Answer: Yes
Pedophile vs. Child Molester
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Pedophilia:
Psychological disorder
Sexual preference for
pre-pubescent children;
typically less than 12
years of age
Have sexual fantasies
but not necessarily act
on them
Maintains contact with
young children at all
costs
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Child Molester:
Different motivations
often not of sexual
origin; many times just
criminal
Described as an older
person
95% male, 5% female
Defined as any type of
sexual act with a person
who is a child
So, who is this and how do you
classify her?
arsonists
What are some descriptors?
• Dysfunctional family background
• Attraction to the aftermath of fire
• Extremely disciplined as a child; to the point
of abuse
• History of running away; truancy
Staging
Profilers also play an important role in
determining if the crime scene was ‘staged’.
Staging is when a crime scene is changed to
make it appear as if something else happened.
Example: A husband kills his wife but trashes
the house making it look like a burglary
occurred.
Trophies and Souvenirs
Many criminals take things from the crime
scene. Many of these objects can be sold.
Serial killers tend to take objects with no
monetary value. They choose objects that
hold more nostalgic value so they can relive
the crime in later fantasies. Objects of all
sorts are taken, even body parts.
Distinguishing MO from Signature
Modus operandi (MO, or method of
operation) describes the tools and strategies
a criminal uses to commit a crime….
location, tools needed, types of objects taken
from the crime, transportation, the
perpetrator’s alibi, the perpetrator’s
accomplices, etc. They are the things that
the perpetrator deems necessary in getting
away with the crime.
Distinguishing MO from Signature
So, what is a signature?
A signature is an act that has nothing to do
with completing the crime or getting away
with it. They are actions that are driven by
the killer’s psychological needs and fantasies.
Example: Torturing the victim, posing and
taking pictures with the victim, taking
trophies or souvenirs, writing letters to the
police, graffiti etc.
Whether there is a multiple killer,
child molester, or serial arsonist,
there is one common thread that
links them all together….
They are all playing out the fantasies that
plaque their minds….the demons within.