Why does Behavioural Profiling fail to catch serial

Why does Behavioural Profiling fail to catch serial killers The Case of the BTK Professor Craig A. Jackson Head of Psychology Education, Law & Social Sciences Birmingham City University

Article Wilson D, Jackson CA, Kaur-Rana B. Against the Medical-Psychological Tradition of Understanding Serial Killing by Studying the Killers. Amicus Journal, 2010; 22: 8 -16.

If the citizen fits the profile. . .

“ Offender profiling generally refers to the process of using all the available information about a crime, a crime scene, and a victim, in order to compose a profile of the (as yet) unknown perpetrator. ” Ainsworth 2001

“ The crime scene is presumed to reflect the murderer’s behaviour and personality in as much the same way furnishings reveal the homeowner’s character. ” Douglas, Burgess, Ressler 1992 Burgess,

Behavioural “Embedded” Profilers

Amateur Profilers

Critical Overview 1. Behavioural Profiling has never led to the direct apprehension of a serial murder 1. Behavioural Profiling based on spurious science in 1950 s-1960 s • Small Data sets / Limited numbers / Biased sample • Profiles too vague to be specific 2. Given too much credibility as a scientific discipline 3. Application of Behavioural profiling is not open, replicable or repeatable 4. No scientific test of the validity and usefulness of this method

Challenge the Notion of “Understanding Serial Killers. . . in order to Prevent and Capture Serial Killers” • Can we prevent serial murder by understanding the killers’ minds? • Deconstruct taken-for-granted assumptions of behavioural profiling • The grey areas and weak methodology of behavioural profiling • “Climbing inside the heads of monsters” – Primitivism as Poor Public Science • James Brussel, Howard Teten, John Douglas - Behavioural Science Unit 1972 • Questionnaire Interviews with 36 convicted serial killers – a biased

Killers who Talk too Much. . . • Killlers’ views and insights were more often than not socially constructed to suit the nature and circumstances of their arrest, conviction and imprisonment Parole, Transfer, Activity, Image • “(Fred) West’s interviews were worthless except to confirm that nothing that he said could be relied upon as anything near the truth. ” John Bennet 111 pages of autobiography 145 tape recordings 6, 189 transcribed pages • Organised & Disorganised Offenders – too simplistic and binary

Which are You? . . .

. . . and Those who Don’t Talk at all

The Crimes of the BTK Serial killer in Kansas active from 1974 to 2005 Murdered 10 people from 1974 – 1991 (caught in 2005) Victims

The Crimes of the BTK

Pen Pal

A gift for the Profilers Two teams of FBI profilers assessed all case details 1979 Hot Dog squad 1985 Ghostbusters 3 letters from BTK to media (1 was a poem) A letter sent to a potential victim who evaded him A recording of his voice calling for an ambulance after killing Nancy Fox Used best known profilers from FBI’s behavioural science unit “A jam session” Profiles were so varied as to be useless Contradictory Vague

A gift for the Profilers “Look for an American male with a possible connection to the military. His IQ will be above 105. He will like to masturbate, and will be aloof and selfish in bed. He will drive a decent car. He will be a ‘now’ person. He won’t be comfortable with women. But he may have women friends. He will be a lone wolf. But he will be able to function in social settings…he will be either, never married, divorced or married, and if he is married his wife will be younger or older. He may or may not live in a rental, and might be lower class, upper lower class, lower middle class or middle class. And he will be crazy like a fox, as opposed to

Pen Pals

Pen Pals Radar taunted Police and News Agencies throughout his 17 year run. Resumed taunts in 2004, 14 years after last killing in 1991 14 letter drops 2004 -2005 Communicated with Chief Detective Kenny Landwehr via local papers, then began leaving packages and notes in places e. g. Home Depot stores, highways etc. “COMMUNICATION. Can I communicate with Floppy and not be traced to a computer. Be honest. Under Miscellaneous Section, 494, (Rex, it will be OK) run it for a few days in case I’m out of town-etc. I will try a floppy for a

At the End of it All. . . Radar sent a floppy disk to detectives “This is a test. See 3 X 5 Card for details on Communication with me in the Newspaper” Metadata: Dennis Christ Lutheran Church Park City Community Library

Who was BTK? Dennis Lyn Rader Married father of two Heterosexual ADT hone security installer Scout Leader Church Minister City dog warden

Who was BTK? Dennis Lyn Rader Bondage BDSM Violent sexual fantasist

Who was BTK? Why undetected by wife and children? Why so long between kills? How evaded Police for so long? Why correspond with police and journalists? Why not stay undercover – 14 years after his last kill? Any more kills after 1994?

Preventing future serial murders It is people from within marginalized groups that are the focus of the murderous efforts of serial killers If we really wanted to deliver on John Douglas’ objective of reducing the numbers of people who fall victim to violent crime, we would be just as well concentrating on eradicating : • Homophobia • Prejudice against sex workers • Prejudice against immigrants • Supporting young people • Supporting the elderly rather than climbing into the heads of serial killers