Investigative psychology

Investigative Psychology is the term given to a new area of applied Psychology [Canter, D. (2000)Offender Profiling and Psychological Differentiation. "Journal of Criminal and Legal Psychology, Volume 5", pp. 23-46.] .

Overview

It brings together issues in the retrieval of investigative information, the drawing of inferences about that information and the ways in which police decision making can be supported through various systems derived from scientific research. It should not be confused with profiling which grew out of the experience of police officers offering opinions to their colleagues about the possible characteristics of unknown offenders. Investigative Psychology grows directly out of empirical research and logical inference to cover the full range of investigative activities not only the preparation of 'profiles'. The inference processes at the heart of Investigative Psychology contrast with the approach used in the FBI which emphasises subjective processes such as "thinking like the criminal". Investigative Psychology stresses that the results of scientific psychology can contribute to many aspects of civilian and criminal investigation, including the full range of crimes from burglary to terrorism, not just those extreme crimes of violence that have an obvious psychopathic component.

The contribution to investigations draws on the extent to which an offender displays various tested characteristics.Canter, D. (2004). Offender Profiling and Investigative Psychology.'Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling, Volume 1", pp. 1-15.] as well as procedures for enhancing the processes by which interviews are carried out or information is put before the courts. One aim of investigative psychology research is determining behaviourally important and empirically supported information regarding the consistency and variability of the behaviour of many different types of offenders, although to date most studies have been of violent crimes there is a growing body of research on burglary and arson. It is also important to establish valid and reliable methods of distinguishing between offenders and between offences.

Already the use of statistical analysis techniques such as Multi dimensional scaling in offender profiling has provided support for a theoretical distinction between homicide offenders as either instrumental (43% of offenders) or expressive (31% of offenders) in their use of aggression.Alison, L., & Canter, D. (1999). "Profiling in Policy and Practice". In Canter, D. & Alison, L. (1999). Profiling in Policy and Practice. Aldershot, UK: Dartmouth, pp. 3-22. ] This method of analysis has also expanded upon the original theoretical distinction by identifying sub-themes of aggressive action which can be used to further discriminate amongst offenders (Santilla, Hakkanen, Canter & Elfgren, 2003). These behavioural themes have also been linked to background characteristics and post-offence behaviour, demonstrating their usefulness to the investigation of serial murder cases. [Santilla, P., Hakkanen, H., Canter, D., & Elfgren, T. (2003). Classifying Homicide Offenders and Predicting their Characteristics from Crime Scene Behaviors. "Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, Volume 44", pp. 107-118.] The development and application of these techniques to serial offenders is likely to facilitate an increase in the validity of offender profiling of serial murderers.

See also

* Forensic psychology
* Offender Profiling
* FBI Method of Profiling
* David Canter

References

External links

* [http://www.i-psy.com Centre For Investigative Psychology] , based at the University of Liverpool, UK.