Criminal Profiling

by Kocsis, Richard N., Ph.D.; Palermo, George B.

• ISBN13: 9781588296399
• ISBN10: 1588296393
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-07-30
• Publisher: Humana Pr Inc

Summary

Criminal Profiling: Principles and Practice provides a compendium of original scientific research on constructing a criminal profile for crimes that are not readily resolvable by conventional police investigative methods. Leading profiling expert Richard N. Kocsis, PhD, utilizes a distinct approach referred to as Crime Action Profiling (CAP), a technique that has its foundations in the disciplinary knowledge of forensic psychology. The initial four chapters examine the skills, accuracy, components, and processes surrounding the construction of a criminal profile. The next two chapters focus on CAP research, the methods developed for the profiling of violent crimes and describing a systematic method for the interpretation and use of the CAP models. The subsequent three chapters canvass the respective CAP studies undertaken for crimes of serial rape, serial/sexual murder, and serial arson. An explanation for how each of the models is developed is also given. The final chapters of the book are devoted to the geographical analysis of crime patterns and to a discussion of the format conventions and procedural guidelines for developing a criminal profile. Offering a scientifically grounded method for the construction of a criminal profile, Criminal Profiling: Principles and Practice provides law enforcement personnel, forensic psychologists and psychiatrists, criminologists, and forensic investigators with a step-by-step, practical guide for understanding and applying CAP techniques for the construction of a criminal profile in a systematic and replicable manner.

Table of Contents

Dedication	v
Foreword	vii
Preface: The Evolution of Crime Action Profiling	ix
About the Author	xxi
What Is Criminal Profiling?	1	(12)
Smoke and Mirrors: The Illusions of Accuracy in Criminal Profiles	13	(14)
Rhetoric vs Reality: Investigating the Skills and Accuracy of Criminal Profiling	27	(22)
The Components and Processes of Criminal Profiling	49	(16)
Defining Serial Violent Crime	65	(22)
Operational Interpretation of the CAP Models	87	(22)
Criminal Profiling of Serial Rape Offenses	109	(24)
Criminal Profiling of Sexual Murder Offenses	133	(20)
Criminal Profiling of Serial Arson Offenses	153	(22)
Offense Location Patterns: Geographic Profiles	175	(20)
Procedural Considerations and Format Guidelines	195	(20)
Epilogue: Fighting Fire With Fire	215	(6)
Appendix A: Understanding Descriptive and Inferential Statistics: A Beginner's Guide	221	(8)
Appendices B---G: Variable and Coding Tables	229	(30)
Index	259