Behavioral analysis unit profiling methods and criminal investigation

Psychological Analysis of Behavioral Consistency, Recidivism & Serial Crime

Psychological analysis of behavioral consistency, recidivism, and serial crime

The behavioral analysis unit (BAU) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the unit that is involved with providing criminal investigation analysis to the law enforcement agencies. Special agents trained in preparing case files for law enforcement agencies by profiling suspects staff it. It is under the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) and has there are four units. Their work is to crosscheck suspects in various law enforcement databases to find case linkages and provide other analysis results. The first unit deals with counterterrorism, bombing issues and arson while the second deals with threats, white-collar crime, cybercrimes, and public corruption. The last two units deal with crimes against children and against adults respectively The Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2013.

Psychologists are some of the most attractive candidates for positions in the FBI Behavioral Analysis unit because they are able to understand human behaviors and to use investigative psychology to conduct criminal profiling. By analyzing how the psychological analysis of behavioral consistency, recidivism, and serial crime course applies to the work of an FBI profiler in the behavioral analysis unit, it will be possible to complete the section of the application that requires the applicant to state how what they have studied will be useful to their job.

How the module will be useful to the job

I think that module 4 has been useful to me in understanding the Psychological Analysis of Criminal Behavior. I learnt from that module that behavioral consistency can be used in linking serial homicide only when factors such as impulse control, presence of and reaction to a stimulus, and the relation between a person and the situation are all taken into account when analyzing the data and applying the analyses to the courtroom. "…we need to take account of all these factors in our analysis, and see if they do affect consistency, and if so, how" (Salfati, 2008, p.3). As a future criminal investigative analyst, I will be studying and attempting to link every behavioral aspects and detail of a violent crime; "…both linkage analysis and offender profiling share the underlying assumption of offender behavioral consistency; the hypothesis that offenders will display in their behavior consistency across a series of offenses" (Canter, 1995; Woodhams, Bull, & Hollin, 2007). Understanding behavioral consistency helps the criminal investigative analyst understand broader patterns including potential repeat offenders. This will enable the profiler to offer potential means of apprehending the subject and preventing further crimes; "the correct linking of cases is likely to be valuable contribution to police investigation and ultimately reduces the number of suspects" (Grubin, Kelly, & Brundsdon, 2001). Because the Behavioral Analysis Unit work in diverse environments, it is important to understand the role that culture plays in behavior. Cultural variables may inform tendencies toward some patterns vs. others; and could help an investigation team develop a coherent response strategy.

According to Salfati (n.d.), victim characteristics are different between different cultures: "…in the U.S., in serial homicides, we see prostitute victims as being one of the most targeted in a series. When we look at other countries like South Africa, interestingly enough, almost no prostitutes are being targeted as part of the series," (p.20). Clearly, different cultural patterns determine victim choice and selection. There may also be sociological dimensions to the cultural differences that would explain the patterns of behavior. Conflict theory would likely explain serial crimes committed by the politically disenfranchised; sexual repression, sex norms, and gender norms might explain serial crimes targeting sex workers. The profiler who understands the link between culture and crime take control of the data and presents evidence in ways meaningful to the situation.

Salfati (n.d.) also points out the power dynamic usually at play in both single and serial crimes against women and other disenfranchised groups. Public policy addressing power differentials in society could eventually root out the causes for criminal behaviors linked to the power differential. Thus, understanding behavioral consistency in crimes is one of the most fundamental dimensions of being a member of the BAU; "Once the profiler has collected all the relevant information, he or she composes a list of the behavior demonstrated by the offender" (Woodhams, 2010). Analyzing data requires frameworks and paradigms, which are evidence-based and reliable. Using empirical data related to the target population of suspects and victims, the investigators can draw up reports related both on apprehending the guilty and on protecting the innocent.

This module also helped to understand that sexual offenders often commit another offense after they have served their term in prison. This is because of the concept of recidivism which is defined as getting reconvicted for a sexual offense. In understanding recidivism, the module highlights the importance of factors used in determining recidivism. These include the length of follow-up which is defined as the period through which the study follows up the sexual offenders to determine their recidivism rate. According to Harris and Hanson (2004)

, as the period of follow up increases, it is expected that the number of recidivist will increase. However, this should not be confused with increase in yearly rate of recidivism. Another important factor is the definition of recidivism that is used. When a broad definition is applied, the recidivism rate will appear to be larger compared to where a narrow definition is applied. Therefore, the criteria for determining recidivism should be clearly specified. The last factor is that there is diversity in the sexual offenders. There is because there are different types of offences such as incest and non-incest offences, child, teenage and adult molestation. Therefore, it is important to understand which category of sexual offenders one is dealing with.

The findings of their study show that there was a relatively low rate of recidivism in sexual offenders. Factors predisposing offenders to increased risk of recidivism were being male victims, having prior offences and being young. The authors also show that recidivism rates decreased the longer offenders remained offence-free. As a profiler, it is important to understand this variation in recidivism rates in order to understand that all sexual offenders are not the same and therefore should not be treated the same. This shows that there is a need to assess the risk of recidivism in order to determine whether a repeat offender is a likely suspect. These findings also highlight the importance of profilers using different information sources such as personality characteristics and recidivism risks in profiling activities.

Conclusion

In the new job as an FBI profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, it is important to understand the key defining features of the job in order to define the concepts of the psychological analysis of behavioral consistency, recidivism, and serial crime and how these will be useful in the job. The module has helped me understand the concepts of typology of offenders, behavioral consistency, and recidivism. By applying these concepts in the profiling job, it will be possible to build a successful career as an FBI profiler.