Believing is seeing III: perceptions of content in criminal psychological profiles

This study explored Kocsis and Heller's findings concerning the relationship between one's belief and the perceived accuracy of a profile. The influence of types of information was also considered. A sample of 353 participants was used in the present experiment that gauged the perception of information contained in a profile. The results supported Kocsis and Heller's earlier findings with a positive relationship found between belief and perceived accuracy. The more an individual believes in profiling, the more likely he or she is to perceive a profile to be accurate. This relationship was most pronounced in participants' perceptions of information contained in a profile concerning an unknown offender's crime behavior and past history. The more an individual believes in profiling, the more information relating to these two factors is likely to be perceived. This relationship was not observed where information in the same profile involved physical features of the offender.     

An empirical assessment of content in criminal psychological profiles

Although criminal psychological profiling has been in use by law enforcement agencies for almost three decades, there is a paucity of empirical research examining the technique. A fundamental issue that has received little attention is the empirical evaluation of information contained in profiles composed by professional profilers. In this study, a group of profilers, police officers, psychologists, college students, and self-declared psychics were given information from a solved murder investigation, after which the participants composed a written profile predicting the probable offender. Professional profilers tended to write more lengthy profiles that contained more information about the nonphysical attributes of the offender and more information about the crime scene or the offender's behavior before, during, and after the crime. These results are discussed in terms of their implication for our broader understanding of the technique of profiling and future directions for research into profiling.     

The impact of race on perceptions of criminal injustice

Based on a stratified sample of 239 residents of Cincinnati, Ohio, the present study explored whether African Americans and Whites differ in their perceptions of racial injustice in the criminal justice system. The data revealed a cleavage in the extent to which the races believed that Black citizens would be differentially stopped by the police, given a speeding ticket, jailed, and sentenced to death. The effect of race remained strong even when controls were introduced for sociodemographic characteristics, experience with the criminal justice system, experience with crime, neighborhood disorder, and political and crime related ideology. Perceptions of injustice, moreover, were strongest among the least affluent African Americans. The possibility that the racial divide in perceived criminal injustice both reflects and contributes to a larger racial chasm in how Black and White citizens understand and experience their lives in American society is explored.     

The basis of citizen's perceptions of the criminal jury

Two studies examined citizens' perceptions of the criminal jury and their evaluations of 6- or 12-person juries operating under unanimous or majority decision rules. Study 1 was a telephone survey of 130 adult citizens in which respondents evaluated alternative jury structures in the abstract. In Study 2, students were asked to evaluate jury structures for a hypothetical trial in which they were either the defendant or the victim in a crime with a mild or serious outcome. In both studies, jury size and decision rule were related to ratings of procedural cost, and the severity of the crime moderated procedural evaluations. In Study 1, juries were preferred to judges and the 12-person unanimous jury was preferred over other jury structures when the crime involved was serious. In Study 2, there were no direct effects due to variations in jury structure, but subjects appeared to trade off procedural cost and thoroughness of deliberation as a function of the seriousness of the crime. Procedural fairness emerged as the strongest independent predictor of desirability for jury procedures, and fairness was related to representativeness and accuracy. The role manipulation did not influence subjects' responses. In both studies, respondents were very supportive of the jury as an institution, despite a perception that erroneous jury verdicts do occur.     

Juvenile sex-only and sex-plus offenders: an exploratory study on criminal profiles

In this study, research was done on the criminal profiles of a large group of juvenile sex-only and sex-plus (sex and other offenses) delinquents (N = 4,430) in the Netherlands. Use was made of information from police records. Results show that sex-plus offenders start their careers earlier, that more of these offenders are of non-Dutch origin, that they commit more crimes, and will partly continue their criminal career after their adolescence. Juvenile sex-only offenders rarely go on committing crimes. In sex-plus offenders, sexual crimes play only a minor role in their total crime repertory. As time goes by, their criminal career will develop into the direction of property crimes. Finally, the implications and limitations of this study will be discussed.     

The effectiveness of psychological profiles

Although psychological profiling of unknown offenders is becoming a popular media topic, there has been little research on the effectiveness of these profiles. In this study, surveys were sent to 95 police departments in the United States, asking participants to indicate if they use psychological profiles to solve crimes. The survey also asked whether the profile was helpful, and in what sense it was helpful. The results from this sample indicate that profiles are used mainly in cases of rape and homicide, and that police officers view profiles as an effective tool to guide interrogations of a suspect and to guide the criminal investigation but not necessarily to identify the suspect.     

Joinder of criminal offenses: A review of the legal and psychological literature

Criminal courts routinely allow a defendant to be tried for multiple charges in a single trial. The practice is known as joinder of offenses. The issue of joinder of offenses is examined from a legal and psychological perspective. Relevant court decisions and their implications are discussed. In addition, the recent research conducted by social scientists concerning the possible reasons for the prejudicial effects of joinder of offenses is critically reviewed. Suggestions are offered, based upon previous joinder research, for the direction of future research into the loci of the effect and into potential remedies.This paper is an elaboration of one presented at the annual meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Chicago, March 1984.     

A neural network applied to criminal psychological profiling: an Italian initiative

The author presents a brief discussion of criminal profiling followed by an introduction to the Italian Neural Network for Psychological Criminal Profiling (NNPCP) project. This project, based on a so-called neural network and data mining, is an innovative technique being developed with the intention of extending criminal profiling to single serious crimes through the use of a computerized database.     

试论刑事执行阶段的罪犯心理测试

在人格矫正理论和行刑个别化思想的影响下,将心理测试技术运用于刑事执行阶段,在国内外得到了广泛的实践,显示了远大的发展前景。目前由于心理测试在执行阶段的价值定位不明,导致其没有发挥应有的作用。心理测试不仅应当在分押分管、心理改造等方面发挥作用,还应当在减刑假释过程中有新的发展。此外,心理测试规范还存在许多问题有待进一步完善。     

Hispanic interaction with the criminal justice system in Texas: Experiences,attitudes, and perceptions

This is an exploratory study of Hispanics in Texas examining attitudes toward crime and the criminal justice system. The study focuses on cultural determinants among Hispanics as affecting attitudes and behaviors and identifies differences between Hispanics and other population groups. The article provides a background of general cultural dynamics which can affect human relationships and then examines specific characteristics of the Hispanic culture. Among the significant findings are that Hispanics in Texas (1) feel “less safe” concerning crime than does the general population, (2) do not feel that the police can reduce the incidence of crime, (3) feel they have inadequate police protection, (4) evaluate the police generally lower than does the general population, (5) feel that the criminal courts are generally fair and just, and (6) possess a strong punitive—rather than rehabilitative—attitude toward corrections. The article presents a critical summary of the methodology and findings of an extensive research project.     

Social science research and experimentation in Australian criminal proceedings: prejudicial pre-trial publicity and psychological research

Using the decision of Barr J in Attorney-General (NSW) v John Fairfax Publications [1999] NSWSC 318, the authors analyse the need for external validity and relevance in social science evidence adduced in the courts. They argue in favour of the rigour employed within Barr J's judgment and contend that a constructive legacy of the decision should be a greater sensitisation on the part of researchers to the kinds of factors that can distance experimental scenarios from curial contexts to a point where generalisations from the former become strained and even spurious. A number of these considerations have the potential to be addressed to a significant extent by improved methodologies. However, the authors warn against an excess of purist fervour in demanding complete comparability of scenarios, lest the fruits of social science be denied to the courts and decision-making be adversely affected by the absence of expert insights falling short of complete replication of conditions between experiments and forensic reality.     

Effects of genetic and environmental explanations of psychopathy and gender on perceptions of criminal behaviors

Genetic/biological evidence is increasingly introduced into courtrooms but findings regarding its impact are mixed. This study integrates research on psychopathy and the use of genetic evidence in legal contexts by considering how information on genetic causal accounts of psychopathy affect perceptions of culpability, recidivism, amenability to treatment, and sentencing severity. Perpetrator gender was examined as a moderator. Two-hundred thirty-eight undergraduates read a hypothetical violent crime vignette and mock expert testimony regarding psychopathy. The testimony included a diagnosis only, or a diagnosis plus genetic or environmental explanations of the etiology of psychopathy. Results indicated that a genetic account of psychopathy was not clearly perceived as aggravating or mitigating such that participants were more lenient in their perceptions of culpability yet more punitive in their sentencing recommendations when perpetrators were described to have genetically-caused psychopathy. An environmental account of psychopathy was mitigating but only for sentencing severity. In addition, although participants were more lenient in sentencing male and female perpetrators when provided with an environmental cause of psychopathy, participants judged male perpetrators most harshly when provided with a genetic cause of psychopathy. Implications of the relations between etiology and gender in legal decision-making are discussed.     

The life histories and psychological profiles of 59 incestuous stepfathers

Incest is both more common and more severe in stepparent families. The reasons for this have been unclear. In this comparison of 59 incestuous stepfathers, 70 incestuous biological fathers, and 158 offenders against unrelated children, there were few substantial differences in psychological characteristics between fathers and stepfathers, but their life histories and marital histories differed significantly. Stepfathers were significantly more likely to have prior convictions for sexual offenses, to have been sexually abused as a child, and to have juvenile criminal records. Stepfathers were more likely to have histories of previous marital failure. There was great heterogeneity of psychological characteristics. Increased prevalence in incest in stepfamilies is probably related to interactions between stepfathers' psychopathology, problems inherent in stepfamilies, and the availability of a potential victim.     

Attachment styles and psychological profiles of child sex offenders in Ireland

When 29 child sex offenders, 30 violent offenders, 30 nonviolent offenders, and 30 community controls were compared, a secure adult attachment style was 4 times less common in the child sex offender group than in any of the other three groups. Ninety-three percent of sex offenders had an insecure adult attachment style. Compared with community controls, the child sex offender group reported significantly lower levels of maternal and paternal care and significantly higher levels of maternal and paternal overprotection during their childhood. Compared with all three comparison groups, the child sexual offenders reported significantly more emotional loneliness and a more external locus of control. With respect to anger management, the child sexual offenders' profile more closely approximated those of nonviolent offenders and community controls than that of violent offenders.     

White privilege,juvenile justice,and criminal identities: a qualitative analysis of the perceptions and self-identification of incarcerated youth

This study examines in-depth interview data from thirty male juveniles incarcerated in a private correctional facility in the Midwest. Comparing the perceptions and experiences of 14 white male youth with 8 Native American, 4 black, and 4 Latino participants, white privilege was reflected in responses involving perceptions of the self as a ‘criminal’. Youth of all races described the effect of correctional facilities on their self-identification as a ‘criminal’ and youth of color were more likely than white youth to report the feeling that other community members viewed them as criminal before and after being arrested. Overall these findings demonstrate the ‘clean slate’ that white youth begin with compared to youth of color. Ultimately, time spent in a correctional facility appears to liken white youth’s perception of themselves as criminals to the self-identification of youth of color. Policy implications include implementing alternatives to incarceration, such as community service requirements to reintegrate youth into the community and avoid the negative effect of incarceration on the identities of juveniles. For youth of color, reducing racial discrimination is necessary to end the self-fulfilling prophecy and the sense of being labeled a criminal by the community prior to incarceration.     

Incarcerated male and female offenders' perceptions of their experiences in the criminal justice system

This study compared the experiences of males and females who have been convicted of criminal offenses and institutionalized. The inmates were asked about their arrests, trials, sentencings, and incarcerations, their impressions of the criminal justice system and court personnel they encountered, and their feelings about justice in America as it applied to them.It was found that substantial percentages of both the males and females in the sample were minority group members, poorly educated, products of disorganized family life, and individuals who had experienced repeated contacts with the criminal justice system. Males were more likely than females to have had contacts with the criminal justice system from their early teens, to view the police as unnecessarily harsh and harassing, not to have been released on bail, and to have entered guilty pleas without going to trial. The females as a group received swifter dispositions of their cases than did the males.The vast majority of both males and females felt that the sentences they received were too harsh and they were dissatisfied with their lawyers' services. Most felt that a poor man cannot get a fair trial in America.     

Lifetime criminal history of sex offenders seen for psychological assessment in five decades

A sample of 2,190 sex offenders seen between 1966 and 2009 was compared on lifetime sexual and all offending, using charges, convictions, court appearances, and self-report as criteria. Of these various criteria, between 47.4% and 81.1% reoffended. Canadian child abuse reporting laws, which came into effect in the 1980s, were associated with increased charges and convictions for offenders, who victimized children, and with a reduction in their longer term reoffense rates. Immigration and population mobility, use of aliases, study follow-up time, and self-reported undetected sex crimes influenced reoffense rates. Results indicate that sex offenders continued to have short prison sentences and/or spend little or no time incarcerated during the latter part of the 20th century.