Week 2 - Discussion No unread replies. 1 1 reply. initial post 300 words reply: 200 words .. 100 words each Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will refl

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This is a graded discussion: 5 points possible due Mar 13 at 1:59am

Week 2 - Discussion 1 1

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Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Offender Profiling [WLOs: 1, 2] [CLOs: 1, 2]

Prior to beginning work on this discussion, review Chapter 8 in your textbook and the article Psychological Profiling ‘worse than useless’ (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/sep/14/psychological-profile-behavioural-psychology) .

Your initial post should be at least 300 words in length. Please elaborate on the following as you complete your discussion. Support your claims with examples from the required materials and/or other scholarly sources, and properly cite any references:

• In your textbook, five different categories of criminal profiling are covered. What are they? Please define each type. What are the pros and cons of each type of profiling?

• Of the five, which is the most promising method of offender profiling? • Now focus on crime scene profiling. What do your textbook authors and the article authors say about

the research on this type of profiling? • Is it a reliable and valid method of catching criminals? • Given what you have learned about this type of criminal psychology profiling, is it ethical for

psychologists to engage in this type of activity? Why or why not?

Guided Response: Review several of your peers’ initial posts and, in a minimum of 100 words each, respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7. Be sure to provide constructive feedback; ask follow-up questions to your peers regarding your agreement with their opinion on whether profiling is a reliable and valid method of catching criminals. Be sure to focus on what research shows about the efficacy of offender profiling in solving crimes. Respond in a substantive manner with specific examples to extend their thinking. Support your claims with examples from the required materials and/or other scholarly or credible sources, and properly cite any references. You are encouraged to post your required replies earlier in the week to promote more meaningful and interactive discourse in this discussion forum. Continue to monitor the discussion forum until 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Day 7, and respond with robust dialogue to anyone who replies to your initial post.

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(https:// Zyon Manning (https://ashford.instructure.com/courses/61753/users/73482) Yesterday

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The five distinct categories of criminal profiling are crime scene profiling, psychological profiling, geographical profiling, suspect-based profiling, and psychological autopsy. Crime scene profiling refers to analyzing various elements of a crime scene to determine critical features and understanding the incentive of the offender. A pro component to this form of profiling is its ability to identify forensic evidence and aid in capturing the offender. A negative element is that it is subjected to biases developed by the investigator that may not reflect the behaviors of the culprit (Chifflet, 2015). Psychological profiling collects data on a person or people to assess their level of risk and threat to themselves and others. A benefit to this form of profiling is that psychologists can develop detailed reports that aid in determining whether an individual will engage in harmful behaviors. A negative feature is that these descriptions are generally hypothetical, and the source material is not always reliable (Chifflet, 2015). Geographical profiling utilizes locations to identify patterns or clues to where crimes are more likely to occur. A positive aspect of this technique is that it aids in determining possible locations for future crimes and can with learning information on the killer such as comfort zones or base of operations. A con for this method is that it’s not beneficial if the offender leaves the area or does not regard locations in their acts (Chifflet, 2015). Suspect- based profiling gathers information from preceding offenders to help gain insight into other felons. This form of profiling helps to identify patterns to obstruct a similar crime from occurring. The issue with this tactic is its connection with biased and illegal attributes that rely on factors not associated with crimes such as race or religion (DeLisi, Schwartz, & Klein, 2019). Psychological autopsy refers to utilizing information from an individual that is deceased to gain insight on a crime. A positive element of this type of profiling is that beneficial information can be determined through an autopsy that can provide critical information on the cause of death. Unfortunately, the data that stems from autopsies are commonly criticized and can be manipulated by the offender, which affects its validity and reliability (Chifflet, 2015).

I believe the most promising out of the five categories is psychological profiling. Although this technique has just as many limitations as the others, significant progress has been made in its development. Instead of only using professional opinions, there are instruments that assist in increasing the accuracy of assessments (Chifflet, 2015).

Crime scene profiling is a data-based method that aids in analyzing various factors of criminal activity. Research explains that many professionals tend to create unsubstantiated assumptions derived from personality theories that obstruct the reliability and validity of the profiling process (Chifflet, 2015). I believe that crime scene profiling can be a valid method when removing unsupported assumptions based on personal beliefs. I think that this type of criminal psychological

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profiling is ethical under the condition that biases and unsupported speculations are removed as these elements can distort the accuracy and reliability of information (Sample, 2010).

References

Chifflet, P. (2015). Questioning the validity of criminal profiling: An evidence-based approach. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 48(2), 238–255. https://doi- org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1177/0004865814530732 (https://doi-org.proxy- library.ashford.edu/10.1177/0004865814530732)

DeLisi, M., Schwartz, S., & Klein, E. (2019). Criminal psychology (https://ashford.instructure.com/courses/61753/external_tools/retrieve? display=borderless&;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.ashford.edu%2Flti%3Fbookcode%3DDeLisi.5989.19.1) (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu

Sample, I. (2010, September 14). Psychological profiling ‘worse than useless.’ (Links to an external site.) (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/sep/14/psychological-profile-behavioural- psychology) The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/ (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/) sep/14/psychological-profile-behavioural-psychology