CRIMINAL PROFILING
AND CRIME SCENE ANALYSIS:
Who did it?
What is Criminal Profiling?
Behavioural Evidence Analysis
criminal profiling is a sub discipline of Forensic Criminology used to provide investigative insights and recommendations for unsolved criminal offences. Criminal profilers are thus forensic examiners employed to interpret physical and behavioural evidence involved in an unsolved crime. A well trained and educated criminal profiler is skilled in making deductive scientific inferences about an unknown offender's likely physical ability, psychological traits, personal characteristics, habits, skills, motivation and criminal psychology. Additionally, criminal profilers are also frequently employed to determine probable case linkage in various types serial crimes such as homicides, sex crimes, kidnappings, assaults, burglaries, white collar crimes as well as various other kinds of criminal offences.
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The ideographic tradition of criminal profiling: known as Behavioural Evidence Analysis (BEA) utilises only scientifically validated methods of forensic investigation for criminal profiling. Criminal profilers of the Behavioural Evidence Analysis tradition are required to have a scientific education and behavioural science background. BEA profilers are also required to be board certified in order to practice professionally as criminal profilers.
Dr. Brent Turvey is the world's leading criminal profiler and forensic examiner and developed the methodology which has been called the most scientific method of criminal profiling known yet developed: The methodology utilises the scientific method to eliminate theoretical reconstructions of a crime until what remains is the most scientifically accurate reconstruction of what occurred at the crime scene. The result is a complete forensic analysis and behavioural reconstruction of the crime, the idea-deductive method of criminal profiling thus uses the actual case evidence to establish the inferred modus operandi, precautionary acts, skills, psychological traits, physical ability, method of approach and attack, and signature behaviours of an offender to reduce the suspect pool and render the likely characterises of that unknown offender using deductive logic and analytical reasoning.
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This method thus employs strict adherence to established forensic practices and protocols as well as maintaining the objective investigative principles to eliminate bias and present the most accurate forensic findings to assist crime investigations.
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Kevin Garnett has trained directly under Dr. Turvey and is a board-certified Behavioural Evidence Analyst with a postgraduate qualification in criminal profiling and crime scene analysis awarded by the forensic Criminology Institute.
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He is also an official member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologist (IAFC)
Forensic Analysis
This aspect of Behavioural Evidence Analysis profiling involves a complete examination, evaluations, or appraisal of the evidence record and forensic findings involved in a case. This includes all physical evidence such as any trace and transfer evidence, all forensic pathology findings, type or written communications, bloodstain patterns, wound patterns, as well as the official statements of witnesses and suspects, interview transcripts or sworn court testimony. Additionally, all documented photos, video footage, audio recordings, phone records, etc, provide the foundational evidence for contextualisation of the forensic evidence for assessment.
Forensic Victimology
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Forensic victimology provides a deep background and history of the victim which assist in defining the suspect pool, provides understanding of the contextual elements of the crime, allows for the development of a timeline, highlights aspects of an offender's modus operandi in relation to victim selection. The forensic victimology findings also assists in development of likely offender motive by exploring how the victim was of interest to an offender.
Forensic victimology additionally allows the BEA profiler to establish a more accurate reconstruction by understanding the victim's behaviour at the crime scene at the time they were victimised.
The causes of how the offender came into contact with the victim can only be truly understood and uncovered when the profiler understands and knowns the forensic victimology as well as the forensic evidence in any case.
Crime Scene Analysis
Crime Scene Analysis is a comprehensive assessment and categorisation of all the physical and behavioural evidence gained from the forensic analysis and forensic victimology which seeks to understand the activity of both the offender and the victim at the crime scene.
Crime Scene analysis requires complex accurate assessment of various different elements include accurate analysis of evidence classifications, the dynamic influences of pre-discovery of the victim, For example, Crime scenes are subject to post environmental influences which may have altered the scene. potential crime scene staging may be evident. These are just some of the many elements which are required to establish a scientific reconstruction of a crime and the relationship between the various types of crime scenes involved in an offence.
Crime Scene Analysis thus includes utilising established forensic crime reconstruction methods. A crimes reconstruction is ultimately the synthesis of all the evidence available in order to further eliminate any inaccurate theories about what occurred.
Only when these three crucially important aspects of Behavioural Evidence Analysis have been complete using the establish guiding scientific principles of the International association of Forensic Criminologists can a criminal profile be constructed. A profile must be informed by the forensic evidence.