Criminal Profiling: International Theory, Research, and Practice / Edition 1

by Richard N. Kocsis

Overview

International Perspectives into the Practice and Research of Criminal Profiling Today criminal profiling is no longer viewed as some secretive, mysterious technique that police from the United States of America exc- sively indulge in when seeking to solve high-profile aberrant forms of crime. Although popular culture representations of criminal profiling still mostly favor such depictions by emphasizing this context, the reality is that individuals from a range of occupational and disciplinary backgrounds from around the world are involved in the practice loosely referred to as “criminal profiling. ” Different nomenclature is adopted from time to time to describe essentially the same practice such as “offender profiling,” “psychological profiling,” “pers- ality profiling,” and “crime analysis,” and indeed different techniques are often employed, but nonetheless as an endeavor profiling has expanded both in app- cation and in popularity across the world. Criminal profiling has evolved chiefly because researchers and comm- tators from around the globe have spent many years examining the perpetrators of serious crimes such as murder, rape, and arson. In particular, they have concentrated their efforts on studying the motivations and actions of violent offenders while seeking to document the experiences of both the victims and the perpetrators of crime. Many have also sought to assess the input of inv- tigative experience employed in criminal investigations and the influence of expert witnesses on jury decisions and examined at length the assessment and treatment of the protagonists of crime.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781617377174
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	11/05/2010
Edition description:	Softcover reprint of hardcover 1st ed. 2007
Pages:	418
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.35(d)

Table of Contents

Profiling Crimes of Violence.- Homicidal Syndromes.- Offender Profiles and Crime Scene Patterns in Belgian Sexual Murders.- Profiling Sexual Fantasy.- Murder by Manual and Ligature Strangulation.- Criminal Propensity and Criminal Opportunity.- New Techniques and Applications.- Case Linkage.- Predicting Offender Profiles From Offense and Victim Characteristics.- Criminal Profiling in a Terrorism Context.- Geographic Profiling of Terrorist Attacks.- Legal and Policy Considerations for Criminal Profiling.- Criminal Profiling as Expert Evidence?.- Criminal Profiling.- The Phenomenon of Serial Murder and the Judicial Admission of Criminal Profiling in Italy.- Criminal Profiling and Public Policy.- The Observations of the French Judiciary.- The Image of Profiling.- Critiques and Conceptual Dimensions to Criminal Profiling.- Contemporary Problems in Criminal Profiling*.- Fine-Tuning Geographical Profiling.- Skills and Accuracy in Criminal Profiling*.- Investigative Experience and Profile Accuracy.- Schools of Thought Related to Criminal Profiling.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: This book describes criminal profiling from the perspective of authors from many different countries. The contributors discuss this topic from various schools of thought including criminal investigative analysis, investigative psychology, and crime action profiling.
Purpose: According to the editor, "Put simply, the aim of this book is to highlight differing perspectives and challenges in profiling by discussing work that has been undertaken to date and identifying the research that remains to be done if criminal profiling is to be developed in to a robust, scientific endeavor. He adds, "The broader intent of this book is to encourage continued interest in criminal profiling with the view to promoting its further development to the point where it can be used in a reliable, responsible manner."
Audience: The book is intended as a reference for forensic scientists, consultant forensic psychologists, and students. The editor is a forensic psychologist and expert consultant who has authored or coauthored almost 90 publications in the criminal justice area. The contributors also have impressive credentials.
Features: The four sections cover profiling crimes of violence, new techniques and applications, legal and policy considerations for criminal profiling, and critiques and conceptual dimensions to criminal profiling. Interesting chapters discuss homicidal syndromes, predicting offender profiles from offense and victim characteristics, the image of profiling, and contemporary problems in criminal profiling. The book deals with a broad spectrum of issues in the field of criminal profiling from an international perspective. It is full of research that links theory to practice. I particularly appreciated the comments of Dr. Kocsis and Dr. Palermo in chapter 16, who note: "In view of the renown of criminal profiling, it seems somewhat trite to question the efficacy of the technique given its status alongside other well-established forensic investigative adjuncts. Surprisingly, though, the empirical evidence to support profiling, unlike other forensic techniques, is remarkably scarce." In contrast to the television crime shows which make profiling seem so easy and effective, research and theoretical paradigms still need to advance to a stage which will help clinical practice flourish.
Assessment: This book is really for serious students of criminology. It is enhanced by the contributions of authors from many different countries, providing cross-cultural comparisons. The book's only drawback is that it is somewhat expensive.

Doody's Review Service

From the reviews:

"Criminal Profiling: International Theory, Research and Practice, is a compilation of scholarly works by some 30 contributors from around the globe. … The book contains a mix of both interesting and insightful chapters … . this book may be of interest to those looking for international grounding or to academics looking for avenues for future research. Richard Kocsis should be commended on his continued efforts to lend scientific rigour to a field that is often a difficult research subject." (Melissa Martineau, Canadian Society of Forensic Science, May, 2008)

"Richard Kocsis presents us with a balanced, thoughtful, and insightful collection of papers dealing with the state of the art in criminal profiling at this point in time, along with suggestions about where future research needs to go. … In summary, this is a very intriguing and thoughtful book that has some excellent and very thought-provoking chapters. … this book is an excellent contribution to what is often a very misrepresented field." (David L. Shapiro, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 53 (15), 2008)

"This book describes criminal profiling from the perspective of authors from many different countries. … The book is intended as a reference for forensic scientists, consultant forensic psychologists, and students. … deals with a broad spectrum of issues in the field of criminal profiling from an international perspective. It is full of research that links theory to practice. … is really for serious students of criminology. … enhanced by the contributions of authors from many different countries, providing cross-cultural comparisons." (Gary B Kaniuk, Doody’s Review Service, November, 2007)

From the Publisher