Offender Profiling and Case Linkage in Criminal Investigations in the U.K.
Name of Student
Name of the University
Author note
Table of Contents
The science of offender profiling 3
The process of criminal profiling in U.K. 4
Introduction
In past years, thanks to the media impact, ever more individuals have been more and more obsessed with criminal psychology. An indication of such is the well-known crime monitoring film The Silence of the Lambs, centred on that novel of a similar title by Thomas Harris. Several Television programs include Twilight, forensic scientist, and The X-Files are often focused on the suspect profiling concept. Nevertheless, Hicks and Sales (2006) argue that while these profilers have scholarly credentials and expertise with police departments, such portrayals promote the impression of surveillance as just an expression instead of a method. During the last three decades, the use of criminal profiles has risen, while reports indicate that ‘profiles are more successful as an analytical resource, never as a response to particular crimes.’ The use of criminal profiling may seem to be more efficient than focusing entirely on conventional identification approaches (Ainsworth, 2001). Furthermore, police investigators must learn the incidents are interconnected in an attempt to compile and correlate the details within such similar cases (Egger, 1984 as quoted in Rossmo, 2000). The article would address the fundamental principles of both criminal identification and case partnerships, and then suggest that such approaches are valuable in comparison. The context of the U.K. shall be analyzed through this essay.
The science of offender profiling
Different scholars have identified criminal identification using various definitions such as individual identity review, behavioural testing, and criminal identification and stereotyping of criminal personalities. And the basic meaning principle stays the same. Beauregard, Lussier, and Proulx (2005) note that the identification of criminals offers possibly informative details regarding a perpetrator’s actions and an appearance by utilizing the features of the scene of the crime to limit the range of perpetrators and assist in arrest attempts.
Throughout the United Kingdom, the concept of suspect identification means ‘trying to create a picture of the perpetrator(s) of a crime based on an interpretation of the features of the event and other relevant details,’ and this term means accepted throughout the U.K. by the Psychological Science Forensic Service Sub-committee of the Conference of Chief Executive Officers. While the exact profiling method varies through one detective to the next, the objective remains the same in to conclude the accused’s actions, temperament, and physical features. Profiling includes three primary objectives: socioeconomic and psychiatric evaluation of the perpetrator; Physiological examination of specific items associated with accused criminals and consulting with public management authorities about other techniques to be included when questioning suspects.
The process of criminal profiling in the U.K.
The method of creating an unidentified perpetrator’s background usually consists of three phases, first of all, the gathering of scenes of that case information by law enforcement officers is required, and afterwards, the information is transmitted to a detective; furthermore, the analyzer should start evaluating information from the crimes incident; and lastly, the forecasts of temperament, behavioural and socioeconomic features. This further explains the probability of classifying the methods of evaluating crime scene evidence into two types: therapeutic and mathematical. Medically driven approaches are focused on the insight, expertise, practice, and preparation dimensions of the profilers for producing forecasts. Comparing this with systematically driven methods, the above projections are focused on concise and inferential mathematical frameworks deriving through the ‘study of criminals’ traits that have historically performed specific forms of offence’ (Davies and Woodhams, 2019).
This may appear that discrimination is more apt than others for some forms of crime (Stevens, 1995). Say that a string of robberies, mass shootings, molesters, ritualistic assaults, intimidation messages, occupational harassment, and recurring incendiaries was especially useful for surveillance. Indicates that the most popular offences for using criminal classification are homicide and more severe sexual assaults, in certain particular sequences of related crimes. Reports that these extreme, intimate communication offences include assaults on outsiders are by far the most dangerous problems for police to tackle. Do notice that targeting is of greater value in repeated crimes, the forensic psychologists will conclude different criminal investigations and evaluate them. The FBI, however, maintains that property offences and thefts are not especially appropriate for surveillance as these activities are unable to provide several details regarding the inherent identity of a suspect.
Crime scene linkage in the U.K.
Detect departments are also expected to concentrate their inquiry resources and classify offences perpetrated by many of that specific perpetrator as the bulk of the offences are performed by the population. Woodhams and Toye (2007) suggest that case correlation should be utilized to investigate the possibility of a sequence of crimes perpetrated by the currently suspected perpetrator in the absence of sufficient physical proof, such as DNA data. Police researchers evaluate the documented criminal investigations behaviour of offenders to assess if a particular suspect has a reasonable level of consistency of illegal activity. Furthermore, propose that the study of the linkages may establish links among related offences perpetrated by separate criminals. These days, numerous computer-controlled programs are commonly used at the local or regional level to investigate a variety of cases, including the Dangerous Crime suspicion Programmed of the bureau of investigation (VICAP), the Violent Crime correlation monitoring system of both the Canadian government (VILLAS), the N.Y. State Police crime Evaluation and Led Tracker System (HALT), and the United attorney general (Tonkin et al., 2017). Concerning the secondary presumption of case association, several reports have investigated that offenses perpetrated by some other perpetrator may be separated from offenses by multiple perpetrators investigating 86 solved industrial bank robberies, noting that 43 suspects had distinctive behavioral characteristics. Confirmed that various connecting characteristics occur in separate bank robberies, this study further confirms the theory of interpersonal variability between offenders. That being said, the aforementioned findings also show that the event linking mechanism is not flawless, and the quality of the correlation tends to differ with the causes of law). In comparison, analytical precision tests named gradient areas (AUCs) were used and found the intrusion analysis shows high statistical reliability (Burrel and Tonkin, 2020).
It appears to be the situation that either the results of the identification of criminals and the correlation of incidents can be of considerable benefit in the prosecution of crimes in criminal proceedings. Stereotyping criminals can ‘notify the categorization of perpetrators with identified attributes’ and case linking may incorporate police investigation resources and knowledge from various criminal investigations (Almond et al., 2019). Profiling may often be utilized to include interrogation tools or methods for investigators after a suspected offender has also been arrested, and it has significant implications when the trial begins, as profiling may offer helpful techniques for lawyers to seek the psychological examination of the convicted witnesses. Note that correlation detection tools may not only detect probable offenders with reports of specific prior offenses but can offer optimum details for social and regional targeting strategies through detecting related crimes. Given the importance of sampling and event relations, Ainsworth (2000) is concerned that perhaps the casual reader might have had a mix-optimistic perception of profiling as it has generated broad attention in the media. Hang on to the fact where a model never prevents crime or captures a suspect on its own, but is seen as a help to the police who are examining it. Profiling specialists often note freely that criminal models are just one forensic assistant, ‘they’ve never planned to contribute directly to criminal apprehension’.
Therefore, emphasizing that criminal descriptions do not fix offenses and the responses they are given are not remedies, thus, classification can be used as a resource that can also be incredibly helpful in directing the implementation of policies, promoting evidence processing and enhancing the comprehension of incidents. Similarly, he confirmed that ‘crime identification is an effective method for community enforcement. Which is only some of several devices, however, and may never substitute strong investigation techniques. Also, the prospect of behavioral analysis and case linking looks optimistic, while there have been little empirical and longitudinal tests to evaluate the precise effectiveness of criminal identification and case linking, work tends to confirm the basic hypotheses of such activities (Woodhams et al., 2019).
Eye-witness evidence
Graphical recognition of offenders, provided that a truthful yet confused witness may be a credible eyewitness, may be inherently inaccurate. The literature review looks at the precautions generated to decrease the potential of wrongful arrest. In situations where the perpetrator’s identification is not clear, a complainant might be brought to a different area or position and to see if anyone can locate the individual they observed in an earlier instance. Code D lays out the specific protocols to obey and the obligation to report the exact description of the conditions surrounding any suspect recognition (Davies et al., 2019).
Code D, to 3.3. It specifies the photos must be displayed to a plaintiff in compliance with Rule D, Appendix E, sections 6 and 8. Photos can only be seen one arm-witness at a period, so at minimum, six photos will be seen at a time, both of them would be of a common sort, as far as practicable (Wells et al., 2020). This needs to be explained to both the eye-witness that perhaps a picture of the individual he observed may not have been amongst us, so in no manner can it be encouraged or directed. When an ocular-witness allows a valid image recognition, until the named subject may be excluded from the investigation, no photos should be displayed to other observers. Alternatively, a photo recognition or procession will be planned, etc., whether the accused’s identity is contested. Likewise, where the presence of other recognizable stimuli leads to a suspected individual who might be requested to engage in an identifying test, then all observers will not be given the similarities (Almond et al., 2018).
An identified participant participating with the legal enforcement environment would undoubtedly have a better understanding of the value of identity and will search for a unique distinguishing characteristic. Professional police officials are required to become quite knowledgeable than that of the common population, to be educated, and less expected to be influenced by the enthusiasm of the moment with their perceptions and remembrances. If the normal notices are provided, the explanations are thoroughly investigated and the defendant ‘s reputation is not in question, the court will give legitimacy to what has been basic decency only: R. V. Ramsden, Crim. L.R. [1991] CA: 295, C.A.
The polygraph test
The highest-profile usage in Britain is by the prison system. Until 2007, the right to conduct thematic apperception testing for convicted sex criminals seeking parole in southern England has already been in effect, however, until 2014, compulsory checks will be added to bail requirements for an inmate. This comes after studies from the Department of Justice found that child abusers undergoing a questionnaire were double as probable by conducting a lie detector test to consider violating release terms.
If a polygraph exam is administered, the findings can’t be presented in the trial to make an argument throughout the U.K., confirms criminal justice attorney Ian Kelcey. “It’s not evidentiary in this area. Certain places in America require it, but users’ never supposed to have it accepted here” (Peleg et al., 2020). Police will use lie detector tests to support prosecutions and track other individuals who are at threat. Seven local departments in England & Scotland are already utilizing them on suspected sex criminals and even victims although that is optional.
Conclusion
Throughout crime enforcement, identification as an analytical method plays a significant role, particularly throughout repeat offenders, and research shows that profilers may have more extensive information than quasi-profilers. Case association is a successful means of gathering and sharing details about similar incidents, so analytical activities can be coordinated and prosecutions can be prevented. Some law enforcement officers will receive guidance and incident connection for discrimination due to their value being accepted. Nevertheless, an over-optimistic view of identification and court connection may be cautious as they will not often produce positive and effective outcomes, even though numerous settled incidents have been linked to targeting criminals and case connection. Last but not least, analysis and event relations are valuable methods and cannot override other strong study strategies.
References
Almond, L., Matin, E., and McManus, M., 2019. Predicting the criminal records of male-on-female U.K. homicide offenders from crime scene behaviors. Journal of interpersonal violence, p.0886260519888522. Burrell, A., and Tonkin, M., 2020. Behavioural Crime Linkage in Rape and Sexual Assault Cases. Preventing Sexual Violence: Problems and Possibilities, p.111. Tonkin, M., Lemeire, J., Santtila, P. and Winter, J.M., 2019. Linking property crime using offender crime scene behavior: A comparison of methods. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 16(2), pp.75-90.
Almond, L., McManus, M., Bal, A., O’Brien, F., Rainbow, L., and Webb, M., 2018. Assisting the investigation of stranger rapes: Predicting the criminal record of U.K. stranger rapists from their crime scene behaviors. Journal of interpersonal violence, p.0886260518756118.
Davies, K., and Woodhams, J., 2019. The practice of crime linkage: A review of the literature. Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, 16(3), pp.169-200.
Davies, K., Woodhams, J., and Tonkin, M., 2019. REVIEWING THE USE OF CRIME LINKAGE EVIDENCE WITHIN A LEGAL CONTEXT. The Routledge International Handbook of Legal and Investigative Psychology.
Peleg, D., Ayal, S., Ariely, D., and Hochman, G., 2019. The Lie Deflator-The effect of polygraph test feedback on subsequent (dis) honesty. Judgment & Decision Making, 16(6). Wells, G.L., Kovera, M.B., Douglass, A.B., Brewer, N., Meissner, C.A. and Wixted, J.T., 2020. Policy and procedure recommendations for the collection and preservation of eyewitness identification evidence. Law and Human Behavior, 44(1), p.3.
Tonkin, M., Pakkanen, T., Sirén, J., Bennell, C., Woodhams, J., Burrell, A., Imre, H., Winter, J.M., Lam, E., ten Brinke, G. and Webb, M., 2017. Using offender crime scene behavior to link stranger sexual assaults: A comparison of three statistical approaches. Journal of criminal justice, 50, pp.19-28.
Woodhams, J., Tonkin, M., Burrell, A., Imre, H., Winter, J.M., Lam, E.K., ten Brinke, G.J., Webb, M., Labuschagne, G., Bennell, C. and Ashmore‐Hills, L., 2019. Linking serial sexual offenses: Moving towards an ecologically valid test of the principles of crime linkage. Legal and criminological psychology, 24(1), pp.123-140.