Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling最新文献

Research on sentencing decisions has found female offenders are often sentenced more leniently than male offenders. However, mixed findings have prompted researchers to argue that other factors, such as the offence type and gender-role attitudes of the decision-maker, may also play a role. This study is a loose replication of previous research conducted with a Turkish sample, to establish whether gender and gender-role attitudes can predict sentencing decisions in a UK sample, and if there is an interaction effect of these variables, for three different crimes. Participants included 143 University students and members of the public between the ages of 18–64, who were randomly assigned to either the male or female offender condition. Three vignettes were presented, and participants rated their level of agreement that the offender should be incarcerated and recommended a sentence length. Gender-role attitudes were also measured using the Sex-Roles Egalitarianism Scale and on average the sample had strong egalitarian attitudes. Neither gender nor gender-role attitudes were found to be significant predictors of sentencing decisions, and there was no significant interaction effect. Findings were not consistent with those in the original study which is likely due to the UK endorsing greater gender equality and having more egalitarian attitudes. Limitations associated with the sample and use of vignettes highlight the importance of continued research into gender-based sentencing, and there are important implications for judicial training to help reduce the influence of personal biases in the courtroom.

Geographic profiling (GP) can be regarded as vital within the apparatus of investigating serial offenders. Since prevailing theories focus on offenders emanating from developed countries, the aim of this study was to examine, amongst others, the uncertainty that exists regarding their relevance in the South African context. This study, therefore, focused on South African commuter serial rapists and, in particular, their correlation with distance decay, the least effort principle, and buffer zones. While the overall data revealed a strong link between theories related to crime pattern, routine activity, awareness, and activity space, theories about distance decay, buffer zones, and the least effort principle had far weaker associations. Fundamentally, the study challenged existing assumptions that a commuter serial rapist profile could not be determined prematurely in an investigation, highlighting the ability to distinguish commuter offenders based on their directional behaviour within their convex hull(s). The research found that understanding these distinctions underscores the need for a theoretical perspective that better grasps the spatial reality of crime in this context.

Sexting is the sharing of sexually suggestive or provocative content via new technologies. Due to the lack of studies on sexting in Greece, this study aimed to investigate the Greek sexting landscape and its impact on individuals and human relationships. Thus, 485 participants (354 women, 124 men, 4 “other”, 3 undefined) were recruited through an online questionnaire. All participants were Greeks or residents of Greece, and the age range was 16–64. Analysis showed that teens and young adults aged 16–30 tend to sext more than the ones over 30 years old; also, men are more likely to sext (both receive and send) than women. Despite the potential benefits of sexting between partners, it poses several dangers, too, especially when it is not consensual. Apart from its limitations, the study opens the way for further investigation into sexting in Greece.

High-status financial fraudsters can inflict significant financial and social damage on society. This study aims to provide insight into the dynamics during investigative interviews with such suspects. To this end, 409 half-hour episodes of audio-recorded investigative interviews with 28 high-status suspects were analysed. Officers’ interview techniques are classified in four categories (rapport building; disclosure of potential evidence; adopting a challenging posture; authoritative signalling). Suspects' statements are classified into three categories (general disclosure; providing alternative explanations; uncertain statement behaviour). The dynamic relations between interviewers’ questions and suspects’ statements are studied, both within and across half-hour episodes.

Research on investigative interviewing tends to focus on a limited number of interview methods employed during an interview in pursuit of a singular outcome. The present study took an expansive view of the techniques used, questions asked and interviewer disposition, and related them to three interview goals—overcoming resistance, gathering information and eliciting confessions. Drawing upon theory and prior research, we hypothesised that certain methods would be more relevant to certain outcomes than others, such as question types would have a greater effect on information gain than techniques or interviewer disposition. Using a sample of 43 suspect interviews provided by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), we found partial support for our hypotheses. Rapport-based approaches and a respectful disposition reduced resistance, open-ended questions elicited more information than closed-ended ones and in the final model, only open-ended questions increased confessions. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Mental pathology and violence have been studied by the scientific community, a topic that is sometimes perceived as controversial, partly due to the prevailing stigma around psychiatric disorders. In this project, all those factors concomitant with psychotic pathologies and ‘Cluster B’ antisocial disorders, which could interfere with the commission of violent actions, and their maximum expression, the homicide, are addressed from a comprehensive psychological perspective. To this end, a rigorous methodological selection of 15 high-impact articles has been carried out, from which the results have been extracted and compared in this systematic review. The findings obtained revolve around the importance of adherence to treatment, the therapeutic alliance, the absence of toxic consumption, and concomitance with other mental pathologies, taking into account the idiosyncratic differences of the subjects, as well as between the pathologies and diagnoses described, always maintaining the comparison between said disorders, and with the population in absence of pathology.

The current study examined the Cognitive Interview (CI) for eliciting information about an overheard conversation (planning a future crime). Interviews were conducted either in-person or via telephone. The CI elicited more information, and at a comparable accuracy level, in comparison to a structured interview (SI). The efficacy of the CI was not significantly influenced by whether the interview was conducted in-person or via telephone. It took more time to conduct the CI than the SI. Finally, various measures of efficiency showed that the CI was as or more efficient than the SI. Suggestions are offered about adapting the CI for telephone interviews.