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STUDY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR IN PENAL CASES

R O M A N I A

MINISTRY OF ADMINISTRATION AND INTERIOR

PRAHOVA COUNTY POLICE INSPECTORATE

Psychologie Polizei Kongress Wissenschaft 1.12.2009 SALZBURG 3.12.2009

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CONTENTS:

• psychological methodologies

• setting the problem/art of asking questions

• motives, criminal signature and modus operandi

• differentiation of behavioral indicators

• investigation behavioral inferences as exemplified by case

dramatisation

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Psychological Methodologies

• Cantitative:

= psychological verbal tests

= their utility

• Qualitative:

= observation method

= projective techniques

= their utility

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Setting the problem

1. the criminal event

2. the relevant information extracted from crime

scene

3. known or unknown author

4. exploring possible tracks

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Motives, modus operandi (MO) and criminal signature

• The motive

• Modus operandi (MO): - modus operandi is learned behavior

- what the offender does in order to commit a crime

- it is dynamic, that means it can change

• Criminal signature (def. John Douglas) - those things done by the offender, which are not necessary for the

completion of the crime, but which the offender must do to satisfy himself

- it is an imaginary product.

Behavioral drive

Psychoanalyitical “trieb”

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Differentiation of behavioral indicators

-access method /leaving method

-criminal situation

-primary crime scene /secondary crime scene (if the victim/body was

moved)

-the sequence that actions took place in

-materials/objects in the crime scene

-the control

-the style of attack

-hitting the "seduction/deception” of alertness

-weapon and reason for choosing the specific weapon

-disguise used

-behavior of hidding

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Investigation behavioral inferences

victim

selection

location

selection

hobbies &

interests

employment

residence

education

intelligence

physical

characteristics

the killer

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CASE DRAMATISATION

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The reporting scenarios will be done according to the event that:

• can show that it occurred in a particular manner

• may indicate that it rather occurred in a particular manner

• can show that it could not occur in a rather specific manner

• can show that it could not occur in a specific manner

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A. can show that it occurred

in a particular manner :

Scenario no 1:

- The author is in the victim’s house;

- He hits directly the victim;

- He applies her a cut with a knife in

the left axillary area. Traumatic

shock installs quickly, and the

victim collapses. The killer cuts the

woman`s neck, and moves (!) the

body;

- The killer returns to the garage and

takes over two cans full of

petroleum product and set a fire on

the corpse;

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… the killer brings the blue can to the chip marked 5, and threw the flammable

petroleum product out the window, splashing it on the wall. He leaves in a hurry,

throwing away the empty can (chip 4).

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B. may indicate that it rather occurred in a particular manner :

Scenario 2

- the killer needs money urgently, and he tries to find

a way to solve his problem;

- he thinks that the woman might help him, and he pay a visit to her. She and many other people are talking in front of her house;

- he enters the house, but nobody asked him why, because he is familiar with the woman;

- suddenly, a storm breaks out, and the woman enters the house. He asks her money;

- she refuses immediately. He insists on convincing her, but cannot bear the tension any longer. He hits her in the head with a stick;

- face-to-face, the victim is pushed into the room where the corpse was to be found;

- he wounds her face twice, and then cuts her neck. She dies instantly;

- afterwards, he takes the jewels from her neck, and scatters all the clothes in the wardrobe. He takes a bracelet, then covers her with some clothes. He gets the two cans - one green and one blue, from the garage, following the sequences of scenario no 1.

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C) can show that it could not occur in a rather specific manner :

Scenario no 3

• the killer knows the house well;

• all the lights are turned off, and the killer is surprised when the victim enters;

• it follows a volley of violent attacks with a knife, which ends in the room where the corpse is to be found;

• down on the ground, the victim tries to defend herself with her right hand, but the balance of power is unfair. Wounds in the neck leads to exitus and rigor mortis, aspects resulted out of her defence position; he brings the cans from the garage, following the succession of the previous

scenario.

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D. can show that it could not occur in a specific manner:

Scenario no 4:

• the killer might have been a foreign household and lives in the victim`s house;

• the killer might have been sexually motivated;

• the killer might have been psychotic (schizophrenic, paranoid, maniac-

depressive);

• the killer might have been an arsonist.

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the control

• The style of attack: EPILEPTIFORM

Acummulation of

tough affects

Discharge stage

Quiet stage

Leopold Szondi

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– Weapon and weapon choice motivation

– Disguise used

– Behaviors of hidding

– Investigation of relevant behavioral inferences (Physical, Intelligence, Education, Employment etc)

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The results of judiciary investigations have led to full confirmation

• of the scenario 2, together with the relevant behavioral inferences described above;

• in the history of his life, the killer has committed acts of violence using the knife;

• between the victim and killer was held a brief dialogue and threats have been worn. The attack occurred suddenly and much of the interaction took place face-to-face, consuming in a few seconds. Wounds in the upper third of the body reflect the author wishes to punish and destroy any image of himself in the victim’s mind;

• the specific purpose was not robbery, but, at most, indirectly;

• the victim's resistance sparked an angry response that surprised the killer;

• the state of panic, quickly controlled by the killer, determined him to erase all his tracks, by setting the fire on;

• the victim did not have the time to scream, or she has not any reason to do it because she knew him well;

• the killer dissapeared from the crime scene with the help of the vegetation ;

• because most of the wounds were in the face and neck areas, it is very possible that the victim knew the attacker. In addition, using a cutting object (knife) held in hand, means a "personal" death, which means a common history of victim-perpetrator;

• do not leave the murder weapon at the crime scene, also suggests control of the situation and again a clear conscience.

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Villen Dank für Ihre Aufmerksamkeit !