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

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 crimeInductive and deductive logic and the dangers of fallacies in logical reasoningChildhood deviant behaviors and research on the historical search for an explanation of criminal behaviorDeveloping typologies based on different criminal characteristicsSexually based offenses, serial and rage killings, and hero complex killersThe critical role of crime scenes in investigations and the Locard exchange principleThe value of geographic profiling in solving crimes and modern approaches such as COMPSTATBalancing the role of victims in crime solving with concern for their well-beingThe 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.