WK2 DISCUSSION QUESTION

Week 2: Profiling and Typologies

Serial and mass murderers not only prey on innocent victims, but also incite a considerable amount of fear and cost society millions of dollars annually. Therefore, apprehending these violent offenders is critically important for protecting citizens, reducing fear, and decreasing costs. Profiling can be an integral tool in apprehending serial and mass murderers. However, most people are unaware of how criminal profilers construct profiles of serial and mass murderers without ever interviewing them. How are profilers able to provide law enforcement agents with physical descriptions of serial and mass murderers without ever meeting the offenders? How can profilers use crime scene evidence to create a profile of the serial or mass murderer? Although the answers to these questions vary, they all rely on the notion of the criminal typology. This week, you examine the typologies in criminal profiling. In addition, you consider strengths and weaknesses of using typologies in criminal profiling.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

Apply profiling typologies to serial and mass murderers

Analyze the strengths and limitations of profiling

Identify and apply typologies related to profiling serial and mass murderers

For this week’s assignments and discussion board posts.

Please use the information in Chapter 5 to develop an actual profile of the killer. What are the personal and social (demographic) characteristics of this killer? What are the personal characteristics of an organized killer? The Killers personal and social characteristics would be the killer’s profile. Please discuss these characteristics in detail. Please be sure to use the FBI’s Organzied/Disorganized Typology of Serial Killers to help you write your answer. Use the textbook and read my course announcements! Do not use the Holmes typology to develop a profile. Note: Be sure to read the transcripts of all 3 crime scenes found in Week 2 resources (scroll down to the bottom).

IN THIS DISCUSSION QUESTION THERE WILL BE A LOT OF READING TO BE DONE IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THIS ASSIGNMENT THERE ARE 4 CASE STUDIES THAT NEED TO BE READ ALONG WITH SOME OTHER READING THAT WILL ALL BE ATTACHED WITH THIS ASSIGNMENT. YOU WILL BUILD YOUR PAPER FROM THE READING AND PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ EVERYTHING ON THIS PAGE FROM TOP TO BOTTOME AND PAYING CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE READING THAT’S HIGHLIGHTED. THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE 2 PAGES USING TEXTBOOK AND OUTSIDE REFERENCES. I HAVE ALSO ATTACHED A SAMPLE PAPER FOR YOU TO ONLY LOOK AT NOT TO BE USED AT ALL. AND MAKE SURE THE PAPER IS PLAGARIZM FREE SO THAT WE DON’T HAVE THE ISSUE WE HAD FROM THE PASS WEEK. REMEMBER ALL MY WORK GOES THROUGH SAFEASSIGN. IF YOU SHOULD HAVE ANY QUESTION ABOUT THIS ASSIGNEMENT JUST PING ME AND I WILL ANSWER AS SOON AS I CAN THANKS….

Discussion: Typologies

Although typologies are widely used to create accurate profiles of violent offenders, especially serial and mass murderers, they usually do not lead to the immediate apprehension of a murderer. In fact in some cases, the use of typologies can lead to inaccurate profiles that can impede the identification and apprehension of a murderer. For example, many profilers incorrectly identified the D.C. Snipers as white males. Only after they were apprehended was it obvious that the vast majority of criminal profilers were wrong. The number of innocent lives that could have been saved had the race of the D.C. Snipers been correctly identified is unknown. Despite limitations, typologies are extremely useful to criminal profilers in attempting to create profiles of serial and mass murderers. Without typologies, profilers would be "shooting in the dark" when trying to identify the characteristics of murderers.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Reflect on the typologies you used in your Application this week.

Review Scientific American’s "5 Myths about Serial Killers and Why They Persist [Excerpt]"

5 Myths about Serial Killers and Why They Persist [Excerpt]

Review the article "Serial Murder in America: Case Studies of Seven Offenders." Reflect on the key limitations and criticisms of profiling serial murderers.

Review Chapter 7 of your course text, Profiling Violent Crimes: An Investigative Tool. Pay attention to the strengths and the shortcomings associated with profiling serial murderers.

Based on what you learned about profiling this week, identify at least one strength and one limitation of profiling to detect and apprehend serial and mass murderers.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post a brief explanation of the typologies you used to describe the murderer in the case study. Then explain why you chose each typology. Finally, given what you learned about profiling this week, explain at least one strength and one limitation of using profiling to detect and apprehend serial and mass murderers. Be specific.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.