PSYCH230 Lecture Notes - Victimology
2 Oct 2013
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Document Summary
#1: criminal behaviour is subject to the same set of grand laws of human behaviour to which noncriminal behaviour is subject. Function of the person and the environment interacting with the particular victim in the particular situation. What is it about the offender that contributed to the offence. Who will find characteristics that will narrow the suspect, a profile will never name a specific offender. Evidence collection problems with this = problems with profile. Interpretive biases creating stories has to be hardcore evidence story. Key questions why him/her/it, why here, why now. Key concept idea of risk of relative to the person: offender profile. The behaviour is the function of the person in the environment. Core challenges in profiling: offenders lie, apprehended vs. unapprehended offenders. Collecting data from previous solved crimes (apprehended offenders) to create a profile to find unapprehended offenders: validation of post-mortem victimology, traditional research goal vs. profiling goal. Profiling goal: narrowing down suspect pool focusing on offender.
