Police and Profiling in the United States : Applying Theory to Criminal Investigations

Traditionally, criminal profiling texts have focused on the technicalities of conducting an investigation, but recent developments in criminal justice have encouraged greater consideration of related fields. Highlighting the current paradigm shift in criminology towards a cross-disciplinary understanding of behavior, this book enables investigators to combine theory, instinct, and hunches with contemporary technology to construct a solid criminal profile. It examines theories on criminal behavior, describes how to develop typologies based on different criminal characteristics, examines the critical role of crime scenes, and concludes with scintillating profiles of 13 of the most notorious serial killers.

Traditionally, criminal profiling texts have focused exclusively on the technicalities of conducting an investigation, but recent developments in criminal justice have encouraged greater consideration of the related fields of psychiatry, forensics, and sociology. Highlighting the current paradigm shift in criminology towards a cross-disciplinary understanding of behavior, Police and Profiling in the United States: Applying Theory to Criminal Investigations provides investigators with the insight necessary to view events, data, and evidence in the context of contemporary theory.

Topics include:

• Classical and determinist views on criminal behavior and social theories on crime
• Inductive and deductive logic and the dangers of fallacies in logical reasoning
• Childhood deviant behaviors and research on the historical search for an explanation of criminal behavior
• Developing typologies based on different criminal characteristics
• Sexually based offenses, serial and rage killings, and hero complex killers
• The critical role of crime scenes in investigations and the Locard exchange principle
• The value of geographic profiling in solving crimes and modern approaches such as COMPSTAT
• Balancing the role of victims in crime solving with concern for their well-being

The book concludes with scintillating profiles of 13 of the most notorious serial killers. Written in a practical and approachable manner, this book enables investigators to combine theory, instinct, and hunches with contemporary technology to construct a solid criminal profile.