Profiling - books of an academic quality?

[Springheeled]

Apologies if this is another tired old request, but I wonder if might ask if anyone has been privileged enough to read any decent (i.e. professional or academic) books on profiling?

I already have some of the more popular, general audience ones, like: Whoever Fights Monsters by Ressler & Schachtman; the Anatomy of Motive + The Cases That Haunt Us by Douglas & Olshaker. The nearest to academic quality I have is Profilers by Campbell & DeNevi, which is probably the most detailed and helpful work I possess.

My interest lies in offender profiling, geographic profiling and criminal psychology.

As regards geographic profiling, any book which contains some of the maths behind this methodology would be rather splendid. I am cognisant of the fact that the basic principles are available on ye olde Internet, but I fear I am somewhat kinaesthetic, and prefer the experience of the printed page.

Whilst I am fully aware that such a discipline is not a magic bullet, it is a potential tool in the available toolkit for exploring the possible identity of the infamous Whitechapel murderer.

Thanks in advance,
Rich

[The Grave Maurice]

This isn't an area I know a lot about, Rich, but I think you might like David Canter's Mapping Murder: The Secrets of Geographical Profiling. (London: Virgin Books, 2003). Canter is a Psychology prof at the University of Liverpool.

[Springheeled]

Thank you for that suggestion. I've heard of David Canter, and shall give that book a go when the old finances decide to be less fraught.

[OscarWildeFan]

Profiling - books of an academic quality?

Apologies if this is another tired old request, but I wonder if might ask if anyone has been privileged enough to read any decent (i.e. professional or academic) books on profiling?

I already have some of the more popular, general audience ones, like: Whoever Fights Monsters by Ressler & Schachtman; the Anatomy of Motive + The Cases That Haunt Us by Douglas & Olshaker. The nearest to academic quality I have is Profilers by Campbell & DeNevi, which is probably the most detailed and helpful work I possess.

My interest lies in offender profiling, geographic profiling and criminal psychology.

As regards geographic profiling, any book which contains some of the maths behind this methodology would be rather splendid. I am cognisant of the fact that the basic principles are available on ye olde Internet, but I fear I am somewhat kinaesthetic, and prefer the experience of the printed page.

Whilst I am fully aware that such a discipline is not a magic bullet, it is a potential tool in the available toolkit for exploring the possible identity of the infamous Whitechapel murderer.

Thanks in advance,
Rich

Good morning, Rich:

If you are interested in academic-quality books on profiling, I would recommend both of the following which I have recently read and which I think may be helpful to you:

"Sexual Homicide: Pattern and Motives" by John Douglas and Robert Ressler
"Signature Killers" by Robert Keppel and William Birnes

In addition, I have just read a book entitled "Jack the Ripper and the Case for Scotland Yard's Prime Suspect" by Robert House. This book is fascinating in that it ties in modern profiling methods to the hunt for the Ripper and does have a section on geographic profiling, as well.

Good luck with your endeavors.

Regards,

Victoria

[OscarWildeFan]

Apologies if this is another tired old request, but I wonder if might ask if anyone has been privileged enough to read any decent (i.e. professional or academic) books on profiling?

I already have some of the more popular, general audience ones, like: Whoever Fights Monsters by Ressler & Schachtman; the Anatomy of Motive + The Cases That Haunt Us by Douglas & Olshaker. The nearest to academic quality I have is Profilers by Campbell & DeNevi, which is probably the most detailed and helpful work I possess.

My interest lies in offender profiling, geographic profiling and criminal psychology.

As regards geographic profiling, any book which contains some of the maths behind this methodology would be rather splendid. I am cognisant of the fact that the basic principles are available on ye olde Internet, but I fear I am somewhat kinaesthetic, and prefer the experience of the printed page.

Whilst I am fully aware that such a discipline is not a magic bullet, it is a potential tool in the available toolkit for exploring the possible identity of the infamous Whitechapel murderer.

Thanks in advance,
Rich

Dear Rich:

In addition to the two books I suggested for you, I found four articles on profiling which may interest you. They are as follows:

1. The FBI report on Jack the Ripper which can be obtained from their website under the Freedom of Information Act;

2. Article entitled "The Jack the Ripper Murders: A Modus Operandi and Signature Analysis of the 1888-1891 Whitechapel Murders" by Robert D. Keppel, Joseph G. Weis, Katherine M. Brown and Kristen Welch published in the "Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling";

3. Article entitled "The Whitechapel Murders - The Case of Jack the Ripper" by William G. Eckert, M.D. published in "The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology" and

4. Article entitled "The Ripper Project - Modern Science Solving Mysteries of History" by William G. Eckert, M.D. published in "The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology".

I hope this helps you. Good luck.

Regards,

Victoria