Embedded Files
When evidence is gathered from a crime scene and analysed it may help to provide information that investigators can use to establish links between crime scenes, suspects and victims. In doing so, they can place an individual at the scene of a crime and even get an idea about what occurred.
Physical Evidence
Physical Evidence
So far, we've focused on the physical aspects of evidence - what types there are, how they are collected, what they can tell an investigator about a crime and how - based on Locard's principle of exchange - we can use evidence to identify suspects.
In cases of serial offenders - we can use the literal facts of the case to begin establishing a Modus Operandi - that is, the mode of operating for a criminal. Do they always target the same demographic? What types of tools do they use? When and where do they carry out their crimes?
Psychological Evidence
Psychological Evidence
Popularised by documentaries and crime dramas, psychological evidence is a fascinating area within criminology and deals with criminal / forensic psychology, sometimes called investigative psychology.
Psychological evidence goes beyond the physical; instead of establishing physical characteristics of an offender (gender, shoe size, genome, etc) psychological evidence is used to infer characteristics about the perpetrator (profiling) and even provide an insight into the presumed mindset and motivation of the offender
Physical Evidence
Physical Evidence
Tells us about the physical aspects of a crime - it can help us determine who, what, where and when. We learn about the physical nature of a crime via physical evidence
Psychological Evidence
Psychological Evidence
Tells us about the psychological aspects of a crime - as well as giving us insight into the 'who' it can potentially indicate the 'why'; that is, the perpetrators motivation. We learn about the psychological nature of a crime via psychological evidence
So what kind of information can we learn from psychological evidence?
So what kind of information can we learn from psychological evidence?
Intent
Intent
In the UK, when a defendant is charged with a criminal offence, the prosecution must prove that the defendant both committed the act ('actus reus'), and had the required mental element of intent ('mens rea'). Thus, evidence which suggests intent might be vital.
“In my office, we like to say, ‘It ain’t the thing that gets them, it’s the cover up of the thing that gets them," - McHard (The Challenge of Proving Intent: Bad Accounting or Criminal Intent).
Evidence of intent include those things which suggest a crime was not a 'spur of the moment' act and instead the result of planning and premeditation
Emotional Context
Emotional Context
HOW a crime has been carried out might also give us some insight into the emotional state of the perpetrator - was it a controlled incident or were they acting purely on emotion?
Think of two crime scenes - one in which a victim has been stabbed once and then left vs another identical scene in which the victim has been stabbed dozens of times and the corpse has been mutilated post-mortem (i.e., the Yorkshire Ripper) one of these crimes is much more emotionally charged than the other.
Do you think emotion-fuelled crimes are more likely to be committed by a stranger or someone known to the victim?
... And much much more; by identifying consistent patterns across crime scenes and the perpetrators of those crimes, we can make deductions about a wide variety of characteristics, from gender, age and racial profile to motivation, mental state and familiarity with the victim... (aka profiling, more on this later)
... And much much more; by identifying consistent patterns across crime scenes and the perpetrators of those crimes, we can make deductions about a wide variety of characteristics, from gender, age and racial profile to motivation, mental state and familiarity with the victim... (aka profiling, more on this later)
ACTIVITY
ACTIVITY
Complete the assignment "Psychological Evidence" on Teams.
Through years of collecting and evaluating evidence at a range of crime scenes, criminologists and more specifically profilers are able to establish links between aspects of a crime scene and expected characteristics of the perpetrator. When applied during an investigation, this is known as criminal profiling. Profiling uses patterns of evidence found at a crime scene to make assumptions about the perpetrator(s)
"Mad Bomber" George Metesky
For 16 years, "mad bomber" George Metesky eluded New York City police. Metesky planted more than 30 small bombs around the city between 1940 and 1956
In 1956, the frustrated investigators asked psychiatrist James Brussel, to study crime scene photos and notes from the bomber. Brussel came up with a detailed description of the suspect: He would be unmarried, foreign, self-educated, in his 50s, living in Connecticut, paranoid and with a vendetta against Con Edison--the first bomb had targeted the power company's 67th street headquarters
While some of Brussel's predictions were common sense, others were based on psychological ideas. For instance, because paranoia tends to peak around age 35, the bomber, 16 years after his first bomb, would now be in his 50s. The profile proved dead on: It led police right to Metesky, who was arrested in January 1957 and confessed immediately.
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