Investigative Psychology: Offender Profiling and the Analysis of Criminal Action

Citation

Turner, J.T. and Phoenix, X. (2012), "Investigative Psychology: Offender Profiling and the Analysis of Criminal Action", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 35 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm.2012.18135baa.003

Investigative Psychology: Offender Profiling and the Analysis of Criminal Action

Investigative Psychology: Offender Profiling and the Analysis of Criminal Action

Article Type: Book review From: Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, Volume 35, Issue 2

David Canter and Donna Youngs,Wiley,2009,484 pp.

“Investigative Psychology: Offender Profiling and the Analysis of Criminal Action” by David Canter and Donna Youngs is a remarkable textbook describing in detail this newly emerged field of psychology. David Canter, father of Investigative Psychology (IP), takes us into the heart of this new field, transforming what has always been viewed as an art, and often described as “an educated guess”, into a data and research supported science. Canter and Youngs organized this book in a logical and comprehensive pattern, separating it in three parts, evolving from the history of IP, its fundamentals, and finally its application in the world of criminal justice and investigation.

The first part of “Investigative Psychology” describes in detail the history of criminal profiling, the relation between psychology and investigations, and its evolution into what is now Investigative Psychology. Unfortunately, this part is redundant and therefore a bit harder to read. While it builds the foundations of this subject, many American readers will find this section difficult to follow due to the redundancy, the vocabulary, spelling, and slang expressions, which make reading a more difficult process. The section is nonetheless full of interesting details and historical data, from the Medieval European Witch Hunt to the FBI Behavioral Science Unit. The authors make the case for making profiling and other areas more scientifically based.

The second part is more detailed and interesting. Canter and Youngs describe clearly and with great precision the fundamentals of IP, from “The A→C Equations” developed by David Canter, demonstrating how the actions related to a crime (A) and the characteristics of typical offenders for such crimes (C) can be inferred from one to the other, to Dr Paul Ekman’s micro-expressions explaining how over twenty years of research on emotions can be used to deter deception. The authors bring together in a single location the tools needed to successfully learn and utilize Investigative Psychology. Chapter 5 is what one could call “the Wikipedia of Crime Studies” and the authors dedicate an entire chapter on geo-profiling, explaining how the locations of crimes committed can indicate the area an offender lives or works, as well as a chapter on interviewing offenders, once again describing several methods and approaches to interrogation, including the Reid technique and deception detection using Dr Ekman’s research.

The third and final part is dedicated to the applications of IP in the real world, describing, with each chapter, a specific type of crime, from burglary to terrorism. The only missing link in that final part is the study of arson and the arsonist, although mentioned on the back cover. Canter and Young’s use the tools discussed in earlier sections throughout these chapters such as the Radex of Criminality and SSA (Smallest Space Analysis, explained in detail in chapter 5) to further demonstrate how IP can successfully be applied to criminal investigation.

There are other areas which need to be covered to complete the area of investigative psychology, such as investigative decision-making and analyst biases to name only two; however, one book can only cover so much and this book is at the limit for a potential textbook. The outline in the beginning of each chapter and the questions at the end will be helpful to students.

Overall, “Investigative Psychology: Offender Profiling and the Analysis of Criminal Action” should be seen as a reference textbook for all students and professionals both in the criminology and investigative psychology fields. David Canter, father of this newly emerged field, and his associate, Donna Youngs, bring a new light to this somewhat unknown field of psychology. This book will continue to stir the decision as to how investigative, police, forensic and operational psychology intersect and interact. This discussion will broaden the range of psychologists who are interested in the area and continue to intersect with their colleagues in applied statistics, criminal justice and criminology. Maybe those who practice in this area need to consider it “investigative behavioral sciences” as the field may have already developed beyond the sole purview of psychology. This textbook is definitely the first step into the Investigative Psychology world, with all the insights and details. Even though it is not a “how-to-be” book, the readers will deeply extend their knowledge by the time they finish the last chapter. It represents a must have for your library.

James T. TurnerCalifornia School of Professional Psychology Xander PhoenixAlliant International University