Profiling Violent Crime: A Behavioral and Forensic Approach

Presented from the perspectives of a former FBI profiler and a forensic violence-risk expert, Profiling Violent Crime: A Behavioral and Forensic Approach educates readers about the nature of criminal profiling including how it works, the techniques it draws on, the types of offenders it applies to, and the psychological make-ups of those offenders.

Drawing from technique, as well as from theory and the latest clinical research, Profiling Violent Crime delves into precisely what it means to profile. Students learn what it’s like to be on the ground as an FBI profiler, dispelling myths and detailing the actual process. Subsequent chapters detail crime scene analysis; determination of the type of offender that may be at work; the fascinating interplay between mental illness and criminality; and breakdowns of the various types of criminal offenders including stalkers, murderers, rapists, mass murderers, and serial killers. The book also offers multiple real-life case examples to shed light further into the criminal mind.

Rooted in the authors’ personal experience in law enforcement and forensic psychology Profiling Violent Crime is an excellent text for courses in criminal justice, psychological profiling, and forensic psychology. It provides readers with real, intimate insight into criminal profiling, addressing its strengths and drawbacks, as well as offering a glimpse of where this crucial field has yet to go.