CRM 262: Criminal Behavior Analysis

This course will address the topic of behavior evidence analysis. Based on a subset of offenses/offenders most suitable for profiling, this course will explore the process of identifying personality traits, behavioral tendencies, geographical location, and demographic or biographical descriptors of an offender (or, offenders) based on crime scene characteristics. Various aspects of the criminal's personality makeup are determined from his or her choices before, during, and after the crime. This information is combined with other relevant details and physical evidence and then compared with the characteristics of known personality types and mental abnormalities to develop a practical working description of the offender. This course will include a historical perspective on criminal profiling and report on the current practices of criminal profiling as this is used in law enforcement. The student will learn the different psychological factors behind the technique of profiling unknown offenders based on the theoretical and practical foundations of criminal investigations, the psychology of criminal offenders and the analysis of behavioral evidence as depicted in crimes scenes and by victims of crimes. The course will also educate students on the technique of criminal profiling and provide knowledge on how to interpret behavioral evidence in criminal investigations.