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Jack The Ripper Profiling Analysis

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Profiling has been used since the early 1800s, when it was used to gain some insight into the possible identity of British serial killer Jack the Ripper (Winerman, 2004), and while profiling has more recently been used by police services across several countries to help with prevention and management of crime (Alison 2005), it has also become a valuable tool in the investigation of serious crime and crime sprees. Profiling refers to the process of analysing and interpreting all available information from a crime scene, a victim and other similar crimes to compose a profile of an unknown perpetrator and narrow down the field of investigation (Douglas et al 1986a, Muller 2000, Ainsworth 2013). Since its emergence, other distinctive styles of …show more content…

According to Jackson and Bekerian (2007), by analysing the behaviour exhibited at a crime (or series of crimes) interpretations can be made about the unknown offender(s), therefore this approach uses the systematic analysis of a crime scene (or scenes in a spate of a similar crimes) to identify the typology of offender(s).
Through the analysis of the crime scene data offenders are classified has having either organised or disorganised characteristics (Hazelwood and Douglas,1980a), this is evidenced in a study carried out by Ressler et al (1986).
From research based on interviews with serial killers and rapists and the analysis of their crimes Ressler et al (1986a) found that offenders who showed organised characteristics were often of above average intelligence, in skilled occupation, and socially and/or sexually competent. Their crimes typically appeared planned, controlled in execution and involved the removal or evidence. Whereas disorganised offenders were often of below average intelligence, unemployed or in unskilled work and lived alone. They tended to commit crimes spontaneously, very little control and left evidence at the crime scene (Ressler et al, 1986b). Ressler concluded his research by stating that a crime scene revealed unmistakable evidence of whether the crime had been committed by an organised/disorganised offender and therefore could be used the same way as a fingerprint to help identify and apprehend a

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