...events, which are most often driven by a psychological thrill or pleasure. Serial killers often lack empathy and guilt, and most often become egocentric individuals; these characteristics classify certain serial killers as psychopaths.” (crime museum editors, 2017). Xxx explain quote Even though the definition seems straightforward, multiple others have different versions of what being a serial killer entails the FBI’s definition is vague when compared to others. The National Institution of Justice comes up with a definition that may better suit the needs for the definition “A series of two or more murders, committed as separate events, usually but not always by one offender acting alone. The crimes may occur over a period of time ranging from hours to years. Quite often the motive is physical and the offenders behavior, and the physical evidence observed at crime scenes will reflect sadistic, sexual overtones.” (Crime museum, 2017). Both definitions hold the same elements of the definition, 1) quantity of the homicides 2) location, the murders occur at different places 3) Time, there is some sort of break a ‘cooling-off period’ interval between murders. this is a more detailed definition than the FBI’s version and give motive to the definition. Now that there’s a solid definition, what causes a serial killer to kill someone and what leads someone to hurt another? An answer to this is the argument that can be seen with Nature vs. Nurture. Nature refers to all of the genes and...
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...paper focuses on the attempted profile of the Zodiac Killer who remains an unidentified serial killer active between 1968-1969. It is believed he is responsible for the attacks of seven victims, five of which died at the scene or shortly thereafter. Of the two male victims who survived, a physical description was given and a composite was generated. To this day, the case remains open. Included is a generic profile of the killer and the typology of the offender. The most descriptive profile is of the victims and their crime scenes because there is more locatable information pertaining to them. Much is unknown about the Zodiac Killer because in 1974 he stopped all communication with the newspapers and police. The paper concludes with interviewing techniques that would be used if a suspect were ever arrested or interrogated for these vicious crimes. The Zodiac Killer Offender Although it is impossible to say exactly, a physical profile includes that the Zodiac Killer is most likely a white male, 25-35 years of age, may not have done well in school, menial profession, may have little or no friends and no partner. One eyewitness stated he had short blond hair, a big face, 25-30 years of age and approximately 5 ft. 8 in. However, this profile is a mixture due to his seemingly fascination with the press, sending correspondence and phoning in to the police his crimes. He appears to be geographically stable and knows the area well. Psychologically offender may be a mix of a mission serial...
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...Offender profiling is an analytical, investigative tool used by investigators to try and determine the characteristics of an offender by examining all available information of a particular offense (Ainsworth, 2001). The aim is not to identify the offender committing the serious crime; the primary purpose is to establish the type of person likely to have committed the offense. John Douglas argues that you need to “think exactly as the criminal does” in order to understand potentially who could be behind these crimes (Douglas and Olshaker, 1995 p, 151). It can be an effective way in order to capture the perpetrator primarily before they strike again and to gain justice and reassurance for victims. It helps to eliminate a huge swath of the population narrowing down police searches of potential perpetrators. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the strengths and weaknesses in relation to both the UK and US approach to criminal profiling and how effective their methods are in practise. Both approaches are not that different with the techniques used but they differ in terms of the rigorous empirical techniques used by profilers in the UK. I will make reference to infamous case studies to help demonstrate the benefits and drawbacks of using...
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...Courtney Sands December 4, 2015 Professor Sever Criminal Investigation Unit 2: Reconstructing the Past As we are covering unit two within our discussion and seminar. As the assignment was presented to us. We have to discuss the methods of inquiry and how they are used in criminal investigations, then the steps to reconstruct a case and how we illustrate the concepts through a hearsay case, then understanding the fundamentals are identified witness, offenders, connecting evidence from the scene. A method of inquiry must be based on the assembly of the obvious, experimental, and measureable evidence subject to specific value of reasoning. It is part of the technical method, and they are used as part of a criminal investigation to achieve a number of goals, but biggest of which is usually determine the criminal. The scientific method is a systematic approach of observation, theory testing, and hypothesis evaluation that forms the basis for modern science. The method of analysis, at the most basic level, includes interviews and interrogations, and a on a crime scene specific levels also includes canvassing. Who gives the investigators information on what they could have seen what possibly could have happened at the scene. Interviews are non-protective, and are the common way to gather information from crime victims and witnesses, or even from stoolpigeons who might passes further information to help shed light upon the facts on the open case. Cross-examinations on the...
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...in 2005 was based on the situational factors of geographical location, distinct communities and individuals (Brian et al., 2005). This framework highlights the five different types of youth gangs that exist in Canada. This framework allows movement between the different groups of gangs. However there is no literature to support advancement of the youth from petty crime gangs to organized adult crime gangs. Youth in these different gangs however continue to stay as long as their gang remain unchallenged, and they receive protection, power, financial support and identity (Mathews, 1999:10; Richter-White, 2003: 17). The above factors, and others such as racial divisions, isolation and limited access to socially acceptable and legitimate opportunities serve as the main motivation for why the youth join one or more of these different gangs (Begin, 1994). For example, some students tend to join gangs in order to receive social recognition, and to be perceived as powerful among their peers. Other vulnerable youth also join gangs in their schools and communities in order to feel protected and safe from other gangs. Such people...
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...overcrowding in prisons. Many states are on community- based corrections now. So the question is how can evidence-based practices in community corrections effectively manage offenders without compromising safety? To be able to meet this challenge it requires correction leaders to the use the most effective resources and focus on giving services that prove to reduce offender recidivism. Some examples of community corrections are parole and probation. Both systems watch convicted offenders and sometimes use the same sanctions and rehabilitation programs, but work differently. For instance, offenders on probation serve their sentencing in the community instead of being incarcerated. On the other hand, an offender on parole served time in prison but was granted to be let out in the community; due to maybe good behavior or time served expired. As policy makers now focus to have community- based corrections, probation agencies are stepping up to the plate as a leader. Probation higher ups are having the challenge to help lower these pressures by handling the growing number of offenders within the community. Instead of sending these offenders to prison, we can use this new program but still need to try to maintain the safety of public. Researcher studies have shown that criminal justice agencies can really reduce offender recidivism by implementing a series of evidence based practices. Evidence practices are programs or tests proven to have positive outcomes through research and have consistent...
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...Sex Offender Minority in Criminal Justice February 6, 2012 Submitted by: Sherry Gadson Instructor Shawnna Williams Abstract Growing up never knowing the different cases of sex offenders, became astonishing to me. I was surprise when I heard about A person that I grew up with was on television for committing a sexual assault on a minor. This same person grew up with my nephew Tory. Throughout the years, growing up this person became a problem with the law from teenage to adult years. He has been charge with several crimes. You would think having to be incarcerated for more than five years at a time one will learn what is best for them. However, it is hard to know what one goes through in their mind. It could have been something he has witness or even went through as a child. One thing for sure is we know he has a problem with society A sex offender (also sexual offender, sex abuser, or sexual abuser) is a person who committed a sex crime, although what constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. In most jurisdictions, offenses include child sexual abuse, downloading child pornography, rape, and statutory rape. In much of the United States, public urination, mooning, streaking, and the failure to prevent one's own teenage children from engaging in otherwise consensual sexual activity also, result being designated as a sex offender, requiring registration as such in publicly available, online lists. The term sexual predator is often used to...
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...Criminal Justice Information Systems 1. Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) - the focal point and central repository for criminal justice information services in the FBI. It is the largest Division within the FBI. Programs that were initially consolidated under the CJIS Division include the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), and Fingerprint Identification. 2. National Crime Information Center (NCIC) 2000 - is a nationwide information system dedicated to serving and supporting criminal justice agencies -- local, state, and federal -- in their mission to uphold the law and protect the public. Its predecessor, NCIC, was established in 1967. NCIC 2000 serves criminal justice agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and Canada, as well as federal agencies with law enforcement missions. NCIC 2000 provides a major upgrade to those services provided by NCIC, and extends these services down to the patrol car and mobile officer. 3. Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) - is a national fingerprint and criminal history system maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. The IAFIS provides automated fingerprint search capabilities, latent searching capability, electronic image storage, and electronic exchange of fingerprints and responses, 24 hours a day, 365...
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...Capable Law Enforcers Ryan Asevo CJA/204 December 4, 2010 Gregory Todd Frum Ever since the dawn of organized society, there has been a need for capable guardians or what we now know as law enforcement agencies. In our present time, we have different levels of law enforcement agencies starting with local, state, and federal. Local law enforcement provides service to its designated jurisdiction which most of the time is one city. State law enforcement provides service to the entire state the agency is based in, and finally, federal law enforcement has a nation wide jurisdiction. In the following paragraphs, these different levels of law enforcement agencies will be discussed in detail about their history and function. The first Europeans who landed on our shores had to devise a system to effectively protect themselves and their property from the natives, who did not want to share their land. All able-bodied men and young boys were responsible for policing the community, after things became fairly settled and maintaining order was a simple task, the new colonies created Justices of the Peace. Justices of the Peace were unpaid community elected officials that patrolled the colony and kept the peace, but as colonies grew into towns and towns into cities, the Justices of Peace were not enough. The city of Boston established Night Watch in 1636, which worked well, as long as the area remained rural and pastoral. In 1651, New York City established the Shout...
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...Police Brutality Police Brutality Prof. Carolyn Snell CRMJ 470 Claflin University of Orangeburg Abstract Police brutalities have left many victims in a state of emotional and physical stress, and in some cases, the victims did not survive. Most police brutality occurs during the course of arrest and within the dispute of other incidents in the street or public places. Some of these events even occur while the arrest suspect is already in handcuffs and in police custody, on the way to the station, or while at the station. The Criminal Justice System is an organized body of men and women that have accepted the task of enforcing the law and maintaining public order. A system of this sort exists in every country. Police are employed with the duty of protecting lives and property against criminals and preserving domestic peace. These people are active in a perilous and strenuous occupation that can involve violent circumstances that must be controlled. In many of these disorders with the public, it may become necessary for the police to use force to take control of a situation. In some cases, applying force to a situation requires hand-to-hand combat with a suspect that is not willing to comply with the will of the authorities. The officers have a strict guidelines to follow when using force in any given situation. Along with these guidelines come tools that these officers have at their disposal to aid them in law enforcement. These tools include batons, mace,...
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...state prisons; this creates more expenses for the state. However, the act harms the safety of the local people as the convicted offenders return to the local societies and commit more crime and misconduct. Public safety can also decline if certain localities experience a high rate of prisoner re-entry into the society. The State also does not support re-entry assistance to local societies where the convicted felons come from, leaving the burden to the local societies. Daniel Mears believes that the central beginning point to improve the system is to understand unmonitored systems that are producing a great deal of error and injustice (Mears, 2017, p. 231). Law enforcement plays a small role in the releasing of convicted prisoners from custody; sometimes they are consulted on parole decisions. Law enforcement should be alerted by corrections department of convicted felons who are expected to be released and re-enter the society. The police should use this information to monitor this individual, for instance, categories of convicted felons such as sex offenders. Law enforcement should notify the society that a convicted felon has returned to the society. Law enforcement agencies have taken up more efforts in the participation of prisoner re-entry like the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Prisoner re-entry initiatives are organized at the state level, and the police are usually not included in this efforts. This is because the limited resources make law enforcement...
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...public trust. It deals with lying, cheating, and stealing by high profile individuals. A single con can destroy a business, hurt families by cleaning out their life savings, or cost investors billions of dollars. “Devastating losses in relation to homes, businesses, jobs, retirement funds, and college savings were widespread. “It was clear that fraudulent misrepresentations on many levels were at the center of this crisis” (Friedrichs, 2010, p. 1). We will compare and contrast the nature of white collar crime with other types of illegal acts, compare and contrast the typical participants of white collar crime against the participants of other types of illegal acts, discuss the role of technology in white collar crime and how its role may create differences from other forms of crime, and analyze the role of opportunity and how it contributes to white collar crime. Compare and contrast the nature of white collar crime with other types of illegal acts. The key elements of white collar crimes are trust and its violation. “White collar crimes take on the form of misrepresentation, stealing, misappropriation, self-dealing, corruption, and role conflict” (Friedrichs, 2010, p. 10). White-collar crimes have common characteristics with corporate crime because of the opportunity for fraud, corruption, stealing, cheating, insider trading and other illegal actions. Most white collar criminals claim to be first time offenders when before the sentencing judges compared to other types of illegal...
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...as providing environments that improve the safety of the staff and inmates, psychological services, inmate management, and conducting an evaluation of the inmate/prison population and its influence on inmates’ health necessitated the study into the topic. In addition, the fact that the correctional psychology has numerous ethical dilemmas and conflicts makes it wanting to study the topic. Introduction Today, corrections are a complex, high profile operation, which consumes a significant portion of the federal operating budget. This paper will concentrate on the duties of a correctional psychologist. The paper begins with an overview of legal issues pertinent to psychological concepts and legal rights of inmates. We then examine the practice of forensic psychology in the correctional environment. Legal issues This section describes the common legal issues facing psychologists working in correctional facilities. The issues have been organized around the principles of American Psychological Association (APA) ethics code. Correctional psychologists see the criminal as a customer. In whichever scenario, the level of confidentiality that a customer anticipates in a psychologist is smaller than that found in the community due to the safety and security risks in the correctional atmosphere. Confidentiality is an...
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...The authors of this study have found a way to set up screening that will help future generations starting now, detect and protect against those that may fit in the profiling category of being a possible offender. This study was conducted by four different author’s; Yair Neuman from the Homeland Security Institute and Department of Education, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel, the second author Dan Assaf at the Independent Researcher, Petakh-Tikva, Israel, as well as Yochai Cohen from Gilasio Coding, Tel-Aviv, Israel, and the fourth James L Knoll form Forensic Psychiatry, State University of New York Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, NY, USA. A critical component of the study is the use of starting off with the school shooters and going over their track record to find their past diagnosis, for example the Virginia Tech school shooter Seung-Hui Cho was diagnosed with multiple disease’s a couple being schizophrenia, depression...
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...ch y Psychology can assist law enforcement by profiling criminal suspects assessing in truthfulness of suspects and evaluating the validity of their confessions. Psychological theory and techniques can be used to improve police officers evaluations of criminal suspects. * Profiling is usually performed at the beginning of criminal investigation when the police need help focusing on certain types of people who might be the suspect * Once a suspect has been identified law enforcement officials use other procedures to determine whether any of them should be charged. * Police look for visual and verbal cues to determine whether they are giving truthful responses Suspects are sometimes given a lie detector test to encourage them to confess. * The tests provide more information about their guilt or innocence. * They conflict with some psychological findings about their accuracy. * Sometimes they are submitted into evidence. * Many psychologists question the validity of the test. The police interrogate suspects and encourage them to confess because the confessions make it more likely that suspects will successfully prosecute and eventually convicted the suspects. Psychological finding often conflict with the courts evaluations of a voluntary confession. There is some evidence psychological characteristics are linked to behavioral patterns and they can be detected by a psychological analysis of crime scenes. * Criminal profiling is used to...
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