Criminal Justice Research
Torres, A.N., Boccaccini, M.T., and Miller, H.A. (2006). Perceptions of the validity and utility of criminal profiling among forensic psychologists and psychiatrists, American Psychological Association, 37 (1), 51-58.
Study purpose, research topic, and research questions. This research explores the perceptions of forensic psychologists and psychiatrists in regard to the utility and validity of criminal profiling. It is important to first establish a clear definition of the key term used in this research: Criminal profiling. The definition of criminal profiling in this research is not the same as in the vernacular. The authors discriminate forensic criminal profiling as the use of "behavioral evidence left at a crime scene to make inferences about the offender, including inferences about personality characteristics and psychopathology" (Torres, et al., 2006, p. 51). From the literature (Davis & Follette, 2002), the authors overly the simplest of definitions: "…profiling is simply the postdiction of behavior; an action has taken place that allows investigators to make inferences about the person responsible" (Torres, et al., 2006, p. 51). Older television viewers of Columbo and contemporary viewers of the many variants of CSI will find this a familiar cognitive path. However, the sleuthing function of forensic criminal profiling is more limited in real-life investigations, according to Douglas and Olshaker (1995), with the main goal refined to "narrow the scope of a suspect pool rather than to identify a single guilty criminal" (Torres, et al., 2006, p. 51).
The researchers argue that, despite misgivings about its utility and scientific validity, the use of psychological profiling in criminal investigations is on the rise. The primary purpose of this research is "use a survey approach to explore perceptions of the validity and utility of criminal profiling among forensic psychologists and psychologists" (Torres et al., 2006, p. 53). The authors pose several related research questions that focus on the proportion of professionals who use a criminal profiling approach, differences in the professionals' perceptions about its use, and whether a change in the name attributed to the procedure has impacted perceptions about validity and overall acceptance of the approach. Criminal profiling is referred to by many different names that are dependent, in part, on the professional field in which they are utilized, and also in order to increase acceptance of the process in criminal proceedings. For instance, the authors refer to the term criminal investigative analysis that is currently used by the FBI. The literature provides examples of how the terms used to refer to criminal profiling have influenced the acceptability of its use by the courts. Exploration of the impact of this change in terminology is an integral part of this study.
Research design and approach. The research employed quantitative research methods using a survey approach. The survey data were quantitative and were statistically analyzed to generate findings which were shown in tabular form in the article. Data was reduced to composite scores and was treated quantitatively. No open ended questions were used in the survey and narrative data was not elicited from the respondents.
Sampling. The sampling methodology was purposive in order to ensure the sample population reflected the mental health and law professional associations whose members were likely to be in a position to utilize criminal profiling. Specifically, the researchers cross-checked association membership lists to ensure that professionals who received surveys were psychologists and not attorneys, graduate students, or other affiliate members. Some professional organizations permitted the researchers to email their member directly, others required that the presidents of those organizations send an introductory email inviting their participation in the survey. Emails soliciting participation in the survey were sent to 147 AAFP members, 175 AP-LS members, 840 AAPL members, 475 members of the Police and Public Safety section of the APA Division, and 1,637 forensic mental health professionals. Of those who received the email solicitations, only 9.9% (N=161) completed surveys. Low return rates for surveys provided on Websites or via the Internet are characteristically lower than the return rates for telephone and mail surveys (Schonlan, Fricker, & Elliot, 2002). Further, a meta-analysis of the research regarding response rates for surveys provided by academic and professional groups tend to be lower than for other groups (Cook, Heath, & Thompson, 2000). The limitations of the study that are related to the low rate of return for completed surveys are thoroughly addressed by the researchers, who caution readers to interpret the survey results with the limitations clearly in mind.
Survey instrumentation. One of the primary research objectives was to assess the differences between perceptions related to utility, validity, and acceptance of criminal profiling methods, based on whether the...
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