Perpetrator profile

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A perpetrator profile is a tool used by the investigating authority.

Working method

Acts, circumstances (location), victim profile ( victimology ) etc. are assessed in order to draw conclusions about the lifestyle and personality of the perpetrator. The expert opinion to be drawn up is based on previous findings from various research areas and combines them into a coherent picture of the facts. This should reveal the behavior and experience of the perpetrator in the past (analysis) and in the future (prognosis). Actions, patterns of action, possible victims, etc. are derived from past behavior. The individual circumstances must be considered and the development of the perpetrator must be taken into account in the case of facts. The report serves to limit the possible perpetrators to certain groups of people (for example for a saliva sample). The perpetrator profile does not lead to a single perpetrator. The expert also does not usually compare his profile with the suspect (problem of confirmatory hypothesis testing). This is the task of the enforcement authorities. The commission for an expert opinion is usually given by the court or the public prosecutor's office / police. The expert is based in the field of psychology or psychiatry (specialist).

Case analyst

In Germany, profilers are located alongside the state criminal police offices at the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) . Before the BKA creates a perpetrator profile, various processes take place. The entire process is known as Operational Case Analysis (OFA). Suitable crimes for the OFA are divided into the areas of violence, extortion and other crimes. The BKA receives a request for support in a specific case from a police station. For example, the BKA places experts (ESPE file). The case is entered or compared in ViCLAS (Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System) in order to determine facts. In addition, a geographical case analysis is made. If enough material is available, a perpetrator profile is created. Around three detective officers with additional training, psychologists, forensic doctors and, if necessary, specialists work two to three days on the reconstruction of the crime, crime scene analysis after viewing the crime scene and the written record of the findings with recommendations and tips for the investigators.

Modus operandi and signature

Characteristics are divided into modus operandi and signature (the BKA speaks of handwriting). The modus operandi corresponds to all actions necessary to carry out the act or necessary due to the circumstances. They can be influenced by professional circumstances, criminal experience, media, the development of the perpetrator, etc. All other features are possible signs for the signature (for example "overkilling"). It is the perpetrator's “leitmotif”. Conversely, the signature reveals (ideally) something about the perpetrator's fantasies / world of experience. How characteristics are to be assigned always depends on the individual case.

History of perpetrator profiling

  1. 1930 The case of Peter Kürten . A first “perpetrator profile” is created.
  2. 1941/2 The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) creates a profile of Adolf Hitler.
  3. 1949–1956 The " Mad Bomber " is active in New York. Dr. James A. Brussel creates a criminal profile on behalf of the FBI.
  4. 1978 Foundation of the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) at the FBI .
  5. 1970s First criminological and criminal research at the BKA.

Profiler myth

The modern myth of profiling is based on two major misconceptions. The first was a statement by the first FBI profiler (then an expert and psychiatrist), Dr. James A. Brussel , who intuitively said something about the offender's clothes: “Look for a heavy man. Middle-aged. Foreign born. Roman Catholic. Single. Lives with a brother or a sister. When you find him, chances are he'll be wearing a double-breasted suit. Buttoned. ”During the arrest, the perpetrator, the dreaded“ Mad Bomber ”, wore exactly these clothes. Since then, perpetrator profiling has retained this nimbus of clairvoyance. The second misunderstanding is the film industry's interpretation of profiling. Here the "clairvoyance" was perfected by u. a. it was taught that a few months of training in the field could turn any FBI agent into a profiler. This is said to be able to read everything from every course of events. From the shoe size (although there are no footprints) to the color of the eyes, according to this myth, everything is predictable by the experienced profiler. The Crime Classification Manual (1992, FBI) ​​by Douglas, Burgess, Burgess and Ressler, for example, differentiates between organized and unorganized offender types. This distinction, which is still learned - for example in relation to serial offenders - is also a myth according to Canter.

See also

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  1. cf. BKA (2008). OFA. Online at: Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bka.de
  2. cf. http://www.nizkor.org/hweb/people/h/hitler-adolf/oss-papers/text/profile-index.html
  3. Canter, DV, Alison, LJ, Alison, E. & Wentink, N. (2004). THE ORGANIZED / DISORGANIZED TYPOLOGY OF SERIAL MURDER. Myth or Model? Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 10, 293-320