Description
Book Synopsis
The increasing portrayal of forensic investigative techniques in the popular mediaâCSI, for example, has resulted in criminals becoming forensically aware and more careful about leaving behind physical evidence at a crime scene. This presents law enforcement with a significant problem: how can they detect serial offenders if they cannot rely on physical forensic evidence? One solution comes from psychology. A growing body of research has amassed in the area of behavioral consistency and the detection of serial offenders. A number of innovations are taking place in the field that have important implications for the practice of crime linkage and its use by police and the courts. Crime Linkage: Theory, Research, and Practice assembles this research and discusses its practical use.
Topics include:
- Theoretical explanations for how, when, and why we may (or may not) see similarities in a personâs crime scene behavior
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Table of Contents
Introduction: Time to Consolidate and Reflect. Consistency and Distinctiveness of Criminal Behavior. Sex Crime Linkage: Sexual Fantasy and Offense Plasticity. The Effect of Mental Disorder on Crime Scene Behavior, Its Consistency, and Variability. Linking Crimes with Spatial Behavior: A Need to Tackle Some Remaining Methodological Concerns. Testing the Theories Underpinning Crime Linkage. A Cross-National Comparison of Behavioral Consistency in Serial Homicide. Crime Linkage: A Practitioner’s Perspective on Theory, Practice, and Research. The Use of Linkage Analysis Evidence in Serial Offense Trials. Crime Linkage as Expert Evidence—Making a Case for the Daubert Standard. The Ability of Human Judges to Link Crimes Using Behavioral Information: Current Knowledge and Unresolved Issues. Extending Crime Linkage to Versatile Offenders. Exploring If (Situation) … Then (Behavior) Contingencies in Interpersonal Crimes. Informing Practice: Research Methods in Crime Linkage Analysis. Crime Linkage Research: Where to from Here? Index.