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INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:For instance, Empirical and logical approach

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
Lesson 06
INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY
Objectives
To understand the major approaches towards investigation
To understand the phenomenon of profiling and issues involved in profiling
Investigative Psychology is the term given to a new area of applied Psychology. It brings together issues
in the recovery of investigative information, the drawing of inferences about that information and the
ways in which police decision making can be supported through various systems derived from scientific
research. Inferences about the characteristics of the offender are made to identify him. Like what type of
persons can commit some specific type of crimes. Important behavioral features of crime are identified
that may help make out and prosecute the crime successfully.
For instance:
A dead body is found with knife in right hand along with suicidal note. While investigating, it was
uncovered that murdered man was left handed, although knife was found in right hand. At the same time
when interviewing family only wife stressed that her husband was under stress and was not mentally
healthy. Whereas other sources like friends, family members, neighbours and written records (diaries,
letters) were depicting that murdered man was quite happy and satisfied. So, these behavioural features
lead to the incorporation of his wife into the list of suspects.
There are two approaches to investigate a criminal case
1. Clinical /Subjective Approach
2. Empirical and logical approach
Clinical /Subjective Approach
Traditional police profiling which grew out of the experience of police officers offering opinions and
making judgments to their colleagues about the possible characteristics of unknown offenders and
criminals. This approach emphasizes subjective processes such as "thinking like the criminal
phenomenon".
Empirical and logical approach
In contrast investigative Psychology originates directly out of empirical research and logical illation to
cover the full range of investigative activities not only the preparation of 'profiles'. Important behavioral
features of crime are identified that may help make out and prosecute the crime successfully. The
assumption processes at the heart of Investigative Psychology contrast with the subjective approach, the
Investigative Psychology stresses that the results of scientific psychology can contribute to many
aspects of civilian and criminal investigation, including the full range of crimes from robbery to
terrorism, not just those intense crimes of violence that have an obvious psychopathic component.
Investigations are done with the help of research findings and statistical analysis. The contribution to
investigations draws on the extent to which an offender displays various tested characteristics.
Investigative psychology research is determining behaviourally important and empirically supported
information regarding the consistency and variability of the behaviour of many different types of
offenders.
Criminal investigation done by forensic psychologists is normally the kind done by detectives in police
departments. Broadly investigative psychology encompasses all the ways that psychology can be used
or integrated with the processes and procedures of criminal investigation. A criminal investigation
roughly consists of the following eight steps:
1 - Determine if a crime has been committed.
2 - Verify the jurisdictional and statutory authority before beginning a thorough and systematic inquiry.
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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
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3 - Discover all the facts and collect the evidence.
4 - Recover any stolen property, if any.
5- Identify the executors or culprits.
6 - Locate and apprehend the culprits.
7 - Aid the prosecution by providing evidence of guilt admissible in court.
8 - Testify effectively as a witness in court.
Narrowly investigative psychology is a term referring to methods of identifying key features of a crime
and the likely characteristics of the perpetrator. In short, investigative psychology is profiling, and in
some instances, profiling is used to summarize the psychological features of persons who may commit a
crime, and in this sense, profiling is prediction. So, Inferences about the characteristics of the offender
are made to identify him. Assumptions are made and chances are viewed that are there any other crimes
likely to have been committed by the same person.
Profiling
Profiling is the psychological sketch of the unknown criminal and is mostly used to narrow down an
investigation to those suspects who possess certain behavioral and personality features that are revealed
by the way a crime was committed. Therefore, the primary goal is to aid local police in limiting and
rectifying their suspect list so they can direct their resources where they might do the most good.
Profiling in itself, however, does not identify a specific suspect, reveal a certain individual and give an
address or a phone number. Instead, Psychological Sketch a general biographical description of the most
likely type of unknown suspect.
The basic components of a profile include:
1. Probable AGE of suspect
2. Probable SEX of suspect
3. Probable RACE of suspect
4. Probable RESIDENCE of suspect
5. What INTELLIGENCE level the suspect is operating at
6. The probable OCCUPATION of suspect
7. The probable MARITAL STATUS of suspect
8. The probable LIVING ARRANGEMENTS of suspect
9. The PSYCHOSEXUAL MATURITY of the suspect
10. The probable TYPE AND CONDITION OF VEHICLE driven by the suspect
11. The suspect's probable MOTIVATING FACTORS
12. The probable ARREST RECORD of the suspect
13. What PROVOCATION FACTORS might drive the suspect out?
14. What INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES would work best with the suspect?
If we are suppose to make a profile of a witch the more expected profile would be:
Profile of a Witch
1. Elderly female beyond child bearing range
2. Poor
3. Lives on edge of town
4. Displays knowledge of herbal medicines
5. Contains the Mark of the Devil on her body
6. Steals men's potency, causing impotence in the surrounding areas
(Kramer & Sprenger 1971)
Prevent Terrorism
Same psychological sketch of criminal is made but to prevent the future crime and terrorism.
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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
Computerized Profiling
Contemporary uses of computerized profiling can be found in USA Airline Security. For quite a while,
the airline industry used CAPPS (Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System), an automated
system which scores each airline passenger's profile to identify drug dealers and potential terrorists or
who might pose a threat to civil aviation. 10 out of the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attack were identified
via the CAPPS system (unfortunately, nothing much was done about It.
CAPPS is sensitive to followings traveling patterns:
One-way tickets
Under the light of past terrorist activities, terrorist are more likely to buy one way tickets.
·  Pay in cash
In Pakistan paying in cash is quite frequent but in US usually people pay through cards so, paying in
cash can be considered as a reason of black money.
·  Travel alone
Terrorist usually do not travel with the family
·  Persistent patterns
One very important factor is the persistent patterns of traveling; suspected person always buys one
way tickets, always pays in cash and travels alone.
Is It Successful?
Is CAPPS is successful? CAPPS did flag two of the four hijackers of flight AA 77 as suspicious when
they checked in at Dulles Airport on September 11, 2001.Their bags were searched but they were not
given a personal search.
The problem of false positives
Many times passengers face the problem of false positive in simple terms; a false positive normally
means that a test claims something to be positive, when that is not the case. For example, a CAPPS
identifying a person as terrorist when he is actually not.
September, 9/11 incident of terrorism has changed the way psychologists view the terrorism.After the
incident it was realized that only traveling profile is not enough and for further data Psychologists were
asked for deeper profiling and cameras were fixed to record the behavior of people at air port. And a
deeper profile came forward to avoid the chances of errors.
·  Dressing pattern and clothes
·  Nationality
·  Travel history
·  Behavior at airport
·  Books purchased at airport
·  Cultural and social background
The Hijacking Epidemic
In 1968 to 1978 a much heightened crime was plane hijacking in US. There was a hijacking epidemic in
US and hundreds of local flights were hijacked and diverted to Cuba. Few figures are listed below to
show you the picture
In 1968, 36 hijackings 20 of which were US planes diverted to Cuba
In 1969, 71 hijackings, 58 diverted to Cuba
In 1970, 69 hijackings
The Profile In 1970's
In 1970s psychologists prepared the profiles of hijackers and identified that they were
·  Unsuccessful Members of Society
·  Socially Inadequate
·  Unsteady Occupational Patterns
·  Occupational Problems
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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
·
Lacking in Resourcefulness
·
Feelings of Helplessness & Hopelessness
·
Suicidal
·
Unconscious ­desire to gain control over world
But this profiling is no longer valid on international levels. Now days terrorists are not coming up to the
earlier profiling and no terrorist has a typical profile, they are socially adequate have girl friends,
happily married with children and have stable businesses or jobs.
Criminal Profiling
Another form of profiling relevant to police work is the criminal profiling, like who is the offender? Or
/and what place or person can be the next target of criminal act.
Geographic Profiling
Geographic profiling is an investigative aid that predicts the offender's most likely location i.e., home,
work, social venues and travel routes).
Racial Profiling
Police initiated action that relies on the race ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of
an individual or information that leads the police to a particular criminal. Racial profiling is the
inclusion of race as a primary determinant in the characterization of a person considered likely to
commit a particular type of crime.
"Driving While Black" is a parody of the real crime driving while intoxicated; it refers to the idea that
a driver can be pulled over by a police officer simply because he or she is black and then questioned or
searched and charged with a niggling or perhaps non-existent offense. This concept stems from a long
history of racism in the United States and other countries. It is generally a reference to racial profiling,
as employed by many police forces.
Limits of profiling
There are several limits of profiling like the way it is done: Profiling requires lots of training and
experience on the other hand many experts stated that profiling can not be taught or learned as is an art.
With all sophistications only profiler can give an ambiguous sketch, can not tell about any thing
certainly, it can hardly ever directly point to an individual even the most sophisticated profiling can only
yield some judgment of probabilities. Old profiles have been failed because of ever changing different
types and styles of terrorists and terrorism acts. It tends to eliminate a large number of people from
investigation, innocent people are suspected and this could be problematic as some times profiles miss
guide as well i.e. according to profile suspect is 20 years old black while crime was committed by 40
years white.
Two major limits are
1. Individual differences
2. Unpredictability
(Will discuss in detail in next lecture)
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Future of Forensic Psychology
  2. INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOOGY:Way of police investigation
  3. FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY AND POLICE:Violent Criminals
  4. POLICE PSYCHOLOGY:Use of excessive force, Corruption, Personnel Selection
  5. POLICE PSYCHOLOGY:Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation (FFDE), False Confessions
  6. INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:For instance, Empirical and logical approach
  7. INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:Crime Scene Investigation, Staging
  8. PSYCHOLOGY OF VIOLENCE:Law of Conservation of Energy, Super ego
  9. PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Fixation at Oral Stage
  10. PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Defense Mechanism, Rationalization
  11. JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND VIOLENCE:Freudian Methods, JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY
  12. JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND VIOLENCE:Religion and mental illnesses
  13. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Shadow’s violence, Child’s violence
  14. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Operant Conditioning
  15. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Schedules of Punishment
  16. SOCIAL LEARNING MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Observational learning, Vicarious punishment
  17. MORAL DEVELOPMENT AND VIOLENCE:Symbolic functioning, Formal operational stage
  18. BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL MODEL:Mental hospitals are factories of abuse
  19. ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ABOUT VIOLENCE:Morality is essential
  20. ISLAMIC MODEL:Nafs al-Ammara, Nafs al-Lawwama, Nafs ul Naatiqa
  21. TREATMENTS FOR THE SOUL:Tawba, Sabr o Shukr, Niyyat o Ikhlaas, Taffakkur
  22. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY:Personality Disorders, Common Crimes
  23. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY AND VIOLENCE:Mnemonic, Similarities
  24. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY AND VIOLENCE:Terrorism and Psychopaths
  25. LEARNING DISABILITIES/MENTAL RETARDATION AND VIOLENCE
  26. ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Reasons for referral, Personality Inventories
  27. ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Different cutoff scores
  28. RISK ASSESSMENT:Violence reduction scale, Stability of Family upbringing
  29. TREATMENT OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR / PERSONALITY PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
  30. JUNGINA THERAPEUTIC MODEL:Limits of re-parenting, Personality Typologies
  31. GROUP THERAPY FOR OFFENDERS:Learning in Groups, Humanistic Groups
  32. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Narrative Therapy
  33. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Solution Focused Therapy
  34. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Avoiding reactance, Externalization
  35. PSYCHOTHERAPY IN FORENSIC SETTINGS AND SPECIAL CHALLENGES
  36. FORENSIC PSYCHOTHERAPY:Exploring therapeutic alliance, Music Therapy
  37. VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAM:Target Population, Lack of motivation
  38. VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAM:Criminal attitude, Interpersonal Aggression
  39. VICTIM SUPPORT:Main features of PTSD, Emotional Support
  40. VICTIM SUPPORT:Debriefing, Desensitization, Eidetic Therapy, Narrative Therapy
  41. SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Marijuana, Unconventional drugs
  42. SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Stages of Change, Homosexuality
  43. EXPERT WITNESS:Insanity Pleas, Sexual Offence Risk, Instructions
  44. COUNTER TERRORISM:Misconceptions, Psychologists & Propaganda war
  45. SUMMING UP FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Problems with Risk Assessment, Expert Witness