Embedded Files
If you've handed in your Crime Scenes Unit Assessment then up next you'll be undertaking a short project which pulls together all of the learning we've (hopefully) achieved in Criminology so far and allows you demonstrate your knowledge of both 'Crime in the Community' and 'Crime Scenes' with a focus on profiling
But first...
But first...
Check the below link to see which serial killers you share a birthday with! You could also check which serial killers fall into your star-sign catchment... it might give you some ideas about who to select for your project
We did this a while ago but now we've got a bunch more knowledge under our belts, revisit the psychopathy checklist and find out if you display any of the traits of a serial killer!
And second...
And second...
Over the last few weeks we've looked at psychological evidence, evidence which goes beyond the physical facts at hand to imply characteristics of the offender - from their emotional state during the event to demographics such as age, gender and even things like whether or not they own a car. Prior to that, we looked at the types of physical evidence which might be deposited at a crime scene and the protocol around securing said evidence to be used in an investigation.
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
Your goal is to find a serial killer (not literally, that's the job of the police) and, by answering the following questions, generate an infographic or presentation (slides) on your subject. When you're finished, upload your completed work to MS Teams (Profiling Project)
Tools
Tools
This is supposed to be a fun way to round out the crime scenes unit so you can hand in a word doc if you like but I'd really like for people to get creative. You can use google slides (or powerpoint if you're MS loyal) or tools like canva (free version) to create an infographic or even a google doc with lots of images - the choice is basically yours!
1 - Summary
1 - Summary
For your first slide or section you should summarise the key facts; who are you investigating? When were they active and in what way? When were they caught if they were? Where are they now? ... You know what a summary is.
2 - Modus Operandi
2 - Modus Operandi
In your second section you should try to write up a modus operandi for your chosen offender. Remember, an MO summarises someone's habits of working. The following prompts could be used to generate an MO
The type of person targeted (age, ethnicity, gender, social roles, occupation, etc)
A description of the point of entry
A description of how entry was gained
The objective of the crime (what are they trying to do)
The practicalities of the crime (HOW do they do it, what do they use?)
The time of the crime (day, night, weekends, etc)
The number of people who may have been involved (in committing the crime)
Whether a vehicle was used
Any trademarks of the crime (such as always stealing a particular item, leaving a calling card, a specific ‘method’)
If the offence involves deception (such as scams, bogus officials) the style of the approach to gain entry and details of the ‘story’ given by the offender
3 - Organised vs Disorganised
3 - Organised vs Disorganised
Hazelwood's (1987) defined the characteristics of organised and disorganised crime scenes and in turn the characteristics of the offenders who tend to create each type of crime scene. For section 3, you'll need to review the available literature and work out, based on the facts of the cases, which type of offender your subject is.
To complete this section, you should turn the below crime scene characteristics into a question format, for example "are their crimes planned or spontaneous?" , "did they target strangers or known associates?"
Crime Scene Characteristics
Implied Offender Characteristics
4 - Evaluating Hazelwood's Typology
4 - Evaluating Hazelwood's Typology
This is going to be a challenge - it's supposed to be! Now that you've decided on organised vs disorganised, how do the characteristics you've assigned to the offender stack up against real life? Is is accurate? Is it way-off? A table might be a good way to display this comparison - see the example at the bottom of 'Crime Scene Profiling 1' for John Duffy (aka the Railway Rapist)
5 - Other Characteristics
5 - Other Characteristics
Alongside the organised vs disorganised dichotomy, we've touched on other features of serial offenders - particularly killers - which look at things like motivation and focus to give us a greater insight into the mind of our subject. Use the below slides / PDF to answer the following questions. Feel free to include any additional insights or theories that you have here too.
Are they a marauder or commuter?
Are they act focussed (just about eliminating life) or process focused (enjoying the kill)?
If act focussed, are they visionary or missionary? If process focused are they lust, thrill or power? Or is it some combination?
Is there a cooling off period? How long is it?
Would you diagnose them with a psychological disorder? Which one?
Did they keep any souvenirs or trophies?
Did their modus operandi evolve over time? If so, how?
What is their signature (if applicable or known)?
What does their victim choice tell us about them?
How do you predict that they trolled, wooed and captured their targets?
Insight – Based on the crimes, victims, modus operandi, signature, etc. What are your personal insights into the killer?
6 - In the Media
6 - In the Media
Chances are, the offender you've chosen to investigate has been in the headlines at some point, either local, national or international depending on their level of infamy. In section 6, see if you can find reports on your chosen offender and explain, using specific examples, how the language used by the media outlets may have influenced reader perceptions of the crime / criminal. What was the impression they portrayed?
7 - How were they caught?
7 - How were they caught?
Slide / section seven should deal with how your subject was eventually caught - if they haven't been caught, you could talk about the current state of the case - is it ongoing?
In this section you should make reference to any key bits of physical or psychological evidence which were crucial in
a) identifying the suspect
b) supporting a successful conviction
Suggested Resources!
Suggested Resources!
You can use whatever resources you can find including materials we've used in class and third party (websites). Please be aware of the types of terms you typing into Google and the results which might be returned!
I've included some websites below you might find useful
What's Next?
What's Next?
Once the unit assessment on the crime scenes unit is completed (or not as the case may well be) we'll be moving on to our FINAL unit, 'The History and Development of Criminology' wherein we'll look at the contribution of philosophy and biology to the early development of criminology. We'll also see how sociology and psychology have contributed to 20th century criminology
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