Deck 17: Inferring Offender Characteristics

Question 1

Why should a criminal profile be a written document?
a. A written criminal profile is less likely to be misrepresented
b. Information can be more easily referenced in a written profile
c. A written criminal profile represents the methods and conclusions of a criminal profiler in a given case
d. All of the above

Answer 1

All of the above

Question 2

What offender characteristics should never be offered in a deductive profile?
a. Age
b. Sex
c. Intelligence
d. All of the above

Answer 2

Intelligence

Question 3

refers to establishing the precise identity of a particular person.
a. Forensic identification
b. Individualization
c. Personal identification
d. Personal individualization

Answer 3

Personal identification

Question 4

What variable is ignored by the behavioral consistency theory and the homology assumption?
a. Motivation
b. Time
c. Offender behavior
d. All of the above

Question 5

The first step in deducing offender characteristics is to operationalize the characteristics.

Question 6

The homology assumption provides that different criminals who commit similar acts have similar traits or characteristics.

Question 7

What theory suggests that the same criminal will behave relatively the same way across offenses?
a. Behavioral motivation
b. Homology assumption
c. Principle of uniqueness
d. Behavioral consistency

Question 8

An offender who commits a particular crime more than once may get better and more proficient with time. This is an example of what offender characteristics?
a. Intelligence
b. Criminal skill
c. Knowledge of methods and materials
d. Knowledge of the crime scene

Question 9

Which of the following is an example of a circumstance that can support the conclusion that a prior relationship of some kind exists between the victim and the offender?
a. Use of a victim's name during the crime
b. Absence of forced entry
c. Willingness of a victim to get into an offender's vehicle without a struggle
d. All of the above

Question 10

Error rate refers to the frequency of errors, also known as incorrect answers, opinions, conclusions, or interpretations.

Question 11

A good argument may be made that the overall utility of Daubert is lacking apart from the criteria that relate to which of the following?
a. Error rates
b. Peer review
c. Testing and falsification
d. General acceptance

Question 12

An item can only be individualized if it has some unique feature or property that distinguishes it from all other items in the universe.

Question 13

Which of the following is a problem characteristic when rendering a criminal profiler?
a. Age
b. Knowledge of the victim
c. Knowledge of the crime scene
d. All of the above

Question 14

Behavioral evidence analysis is a tool suited for the task of individuating offenders.

Question 15

Knowledge of a crime scene requires knowledge of the victim.

Question 16

One benefit of a written criminal profile is that the information can be more easily referenced.

Question 17

Personal identification refers to establishing the precise identity of which individuals?
a. Witnesses
b. Victims
c. Offenders
d. All of the above

Question 18

A written criminal profile is more likely to be misrepresented.

Question 19

Which of the following can be used to individualize a particular person?
a. DNA analysis
b. Fingerprints
c. Odontological evidence
d. All of the above

Question 20

Evidence of criminal skill may be thought of as a function of offender and
.
a. MO, signature
b. Planning, motive,
c. Planning, precautionary acts
d. Precautionary acts, opportunistic elements

Question 21

Provide 2 offender characteristics that have proven to be investigatively relevant in a behavioral evidence analysis profile. Explain.

Question 22

Explain the homology debacle. Define the terms behavioral consistency and the homology assumption within your explanation.

Question 23

When deducing offender characteristics, skill should be left out of an assessment altogether in favor of intelligence.

Question 24

Criminal profiling is not subject to Daubert criteria because it lacks scientific methodology.

Question 25

The purpose of behavioral evidence analysis is to provide insight into criminal behavior and to define or refine the suspect pool in a criminal investigation. It is not a tool suited for the task of individuating offenders in its own right. Explain this statement.