Introduction to Forensic Psychology

Dr Deepti Puranik
 Some Important Cases Handled
• Arushi Murder Case
• Beer Man case
• Vijay Palande Case
• SRA Fraud Cases
• Malegaon Blast
• 7/11 train Blast case
• Thane & Vashi theatre blasts
• NAFISA KHAN CASE
• Neeraj Grover case
 FORENSIC SCIENCE
‘Forensic’- Originated from Latin word ‘Forensis’ meaning deliberations ‘In Open Court’.
‘Forensic Science’ is the application of various physical and social sciences to provide
scientific evidences to court of law
In India, the BURDEN OF PROOF is on Prosecution.
Various types of evidence are Direct, Indirect, Circumstantial, Corroborative etc.
Evidence may be, Physical material, Human, Virtual.
In Indian courts Forensic Experts opinion are admissible under evidence act sec.
45. where as sec.293 states any scientific report by Government scientific expert
may considered as evidence, and he/she may be summoned only if court require it.
 FORENSIC SCIENCE LABORATORY- VITAL ROLE IN
CRIME DETECTION

1. Scientific evidence - Actual incidence occurred .

2. Directly links crime with the criminal.
3. Fix up the offence place.
4. Enlighten the modus operandi.
5. Establishment of the fact by the use of scientific
evidence cannot be denied.
6. It is not time related.
7. Hence an authentic tool in the hands of law
enforcement agencies and honorable Judges.
 VARIOUS FIELDS OF FORENSIC SCIENCES

• Forensic Chemistry
• Forensic DNA Fingerprinting
• Forensic Toxicology
• Forensic Physics
• Forensic Psychology
• Cyber Crime
• Speaker Identification
• Video Authentication
• Forensic Biology
• Forensic Anthropology
 Forensic Psychology

Forensic Psychology is the application of psychology to the

criminal justice system. Forensic Psychology knowledge is
used in various forms, such as in treating mentally ill
offenders, consulting with attorneys (e.g., on picking a jury),
analyzing a criminal's mind and intent, and practicing within
the civil arena.
 Forensic Psychology
“Unique Area” in Forensic Science as it Directly deals with
Human Beings

A “Neglected Variable” in a Forensic Lab in Crime Investigation

Information “Directly from person” not from any physical

materials

“Information v/s Experience” of involvement in Crime

DEVELOPMENT OF forensic psychology
CLINICAL

ABNORMAL
DEVELOPMENTAL

NEUROPSCYHOLOG
SOCIAL
Y

COGNITIVE
LEGAL

CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATIVE
Module 1: Introduction to forensic psychology

Nature, scope and history of Forensic Psychology

The roles of the Forensic Psychologist: Clinical and
Experimental.
Forensic cyber psychology and ethical hacking
 Expert evidence,
forensic reports;
Module 2: Pre-Trial preparation,
Psychologists in
forensic portfolio;
courts
examination in chief,
Cross Examination
 MODULE 3
Eyewitness THE ACCURACY OF
WITNESS EVIDENCE,
EYEWITNESS
EVIDENCE IN
COURT;

testimony &
false
confessions CONSEQUENCES
AND TYPES OF
FALSE CONFESSION
Nature of profiling work,
FBI profiling-Stage 1: data assimilation stage, Stage 2: Crime Scene
Classification, Stage 3: Crime Scene reconstruction, Stage 4: Profile
Generation.
Introduction, Strategies and Actuarial Models and profiling

Module 4: PROFILE ANALYSIS

 Introduction to forensic investigative techniques

Forensic statement analysis,

Polygraph,

Module 5 Narco-analysis,

brain electrical oscillation, signature profiling

latest techniques of investigation

Thank you
History of forensic psychology
Dr. Deepti Puranik
 Forensic psychology

Forensic Psychology is derived from the word “Forensis” which means

“forum”, the place where trials were conducted in Roman times.
In present times, “forensic” refers to the relationship between the legal
systems on the one hand and the professional fields sch as psychiatry,
medicine, pathology, chemistry, anthropology, psychology, etc.
 Definitions of forensic psychology

The committee on Ethical Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists

(1991) defined forensic psychology as a field that covers “all
forms of professional conduct when acting, with definable fore-
knowledge, as a psychological expert on explicitly psychological
issues in direct assistance to the courts, parties to legal
proceedings, correctional and forensic mental health facilities,
and administrative, judicial and legislative agencies acting in a
judicial capacity.”
 Definitions of forensic psychology

The American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP)

recognizes Forensic Psychology as a specialty and defines
it as “ The application of the science and profession of law
to the questions and issues relating to psychology and the
legal system”.
 Definitions of forensic psychology

There are two types of definitions of forensic psychology: narrow and broad.
The narrow definition is, “Forensic Psychology is the professional practice by
psychologists within the areas of clinical psychology, counseling psychology,
neuropsychology, etc, when they are engaged regularly as experts and represent
themselves as such, in an activity primarily intended to provide professional
psychological expertise to the judicial system.”
The broad definition is, “ Forensic Psychology is the development and the application of
psychological principles to the problems and administration of legal, judicial,
correctional and law enforcement systems; clearly rooted in the discipline of
psychology and it’s sub-fields, but also interdisciplinary in nature, drawing on diverse
disciplines such as the law, sociology, political science, anthropology, philosophy,
medicine and linguistic.”
 Definitions of forensic psychology

Bartol & Bartol (2004:8) define forensic psychology as:

"The research endeavor that examines aspects of human
behavior directly related to the legal process and
the professional practice of psychology within, or in
consultation with, a legal system that embraces both
civil and criminal law.
 Subfields of forensic psychology
• Divorce and child custody mediation
• Determination of criminal responsibility
• Competency to stand trial
• Jury Selection and case strategy
• Expert opinion
• Risk assessments
• Psychological testing and evaluation
• Juvenile Delinquency
• Selection & Placement of police officers
• Criminal/Offender Profiling
• Offender Rehabilitation
• Eye-witness testimony
• Investigation techniques in Forensic
Psychology
• Malingering
• Psychological Autopsy
 History of Forensic Psychology

The first recorded example of a psychiatrist, Albert Von Schrenck-

Notzing, testifying as an expert witness in the trial of a man accused
of murdering three women in 1896. In 1896, Albert Von Schrenck-
Notzing claimed to be the first psychiatrist to offer expert testimony in
a trial in Munich, Germany. The trial was that of a man who had been
accused of murdering three women and, apparently, Von Schrenck-
Notzing used, “psychological research about the conditions that can
make testimony inaccurate to assist the court in making its decision”.
 Brief History of Forensic Psychology
1908 Hugo Munsterberg publishes “On the Witness Stand”
1917 William Marston develops first modern polygraph
1921 State v. Driver: First time a psychologist testifies as an
expert witness in an American court
1922 William Marston becomes the first faculty member in
forensic psychology (American University)
1931 Howard Burtt publishes Legal Psychology, the first
forensic psychology text book
1968 Martin Reiser becomes first full-time police
psychologist (LAPD)
2001 APA recognizes forensic psychology as a specialty
 History of Forensic Psychology

Hugo Münsterberg, a student of Wilhelm Wundt and a professor at Harvard

University, is generally credited with founding the field of forensic psychology.
His landmark textbook, On the Witness Stand (1908), comprised nine chapters
arguing for the involvement of psychologists in a number of aspects of the legal
system. Relying, in part, on his own experience as an expert witness,
Münsterberg considered such topics as memories of witnesses, crime detection,
untrue confessions, hypnosis and crime, and crime prevention. He found it
“astonishing that the work of justice is ever carried out in the courts without
ever consulting the psychologist”
 History of Forensic Psychology

William Moulton Marston was an American psychologist, inventor, and comic book
writer who wrote under the pen name Charles Moulton and created the famous comic
book heroine Wonder Woman (Bunn, 1997). In 1917, while working as a lab assistant
in Psychology at Radcliffe University, Marston discovered “a significant correlation
between systolic blood pressure and lying, which became the basis of the modern
polygraph” (Bartol & Bartol, 1999, p. 11). Later, in 1923, Marston “set the original
standard for acceptance of expert testimony in federal courts” (Bartol & Bartol, 1999, p.
11). When he testified as a psychologist in the historic case of Frye v. US (Bartol &
Bartol, 1999). In the Frye case, unfortunately, the defense was unsuccessful in an
attempt to introduce Marston’s expert testimony claiming the innocence of the
defendant on the basis of his systolic blood pressure test, one component of what is
now known as the modern polygraph, invented by John Augustus Larson.
 History of Forensic Psychology

• Until 1950’s psychologists were not considered qualified enough to be allowed as expert witnesses in
a court of law.
• It was in 1960, when Judge David Bazelon was a part of Judicial System.
• He reviewed the training and the qualifications of psychologists and indicated that experts on mental
disease could not be limited to the physicians or psychiatrists but should include other experts such
as psychologists.
• In 2000, a petition was submitted to the APA in support of recognition of Forensic Psychology as a
speciality in professional psychology.
• It was only in august 2001, APA’s counsel of representatives formally approved forensic psychology as
an area of specialization within the field of psychology.
 M’ Naghten RULE
The M'Naghten rule (pronounced, and sometimes spelled, McNaughton) is any variant of
the 1840s jury instruction in a criminal case when there is a defense of insanity: that every
man is to be presumed to be sane, and ... that to establish a defence on the ground of
insanity, it must be clearly proved that, at the time of the committing of the act, the party
accused was labouring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to
know the nature and quality of the act he was doing; or if he did know it, that he did not
know he was doing what was wrong.

The rule was formulated as a reaction to the acquittal in 1843 of Daniel M’ Naghten on the
charge of murdering Edward Drummond, whom M'Naghten had mistaken for UK Prime
minister Robert Peel. M'Naghten fired a pistol at the back of Peel's secretary, Edward
Drummond, who died five days later. The House of Lords asked a panel of judges, a series of
hypothetical questions about the defence of insanity. The principles expounded by this panel
have come to be known as the M'Naghten Rules, though they have gained any status only by
usage in the common law and M'Naghten himself would have been found guilty if they had
been applied at his trial.
 M’ Naghten RULE

The rules so formulated as M'Naghten's Case 1843 10 C & F 200 have been a standard
test for criminal liability in relation to mentally disordered defendants in common
law jurisdictions ever since, with some minor adjustments. When the tests set out by
the Rules are satisfied, the accused may be adjudged "not guilty by reason of insanity"
or "guilty but insane" and the sentence may be a mandatory or discretionary (but
usually indeterminate) period of treatment in a secure hospital facility, or otherwise at
the discretion of the court (depending on the country and the offence charged) instead
of a punitive disposal.
 Forensic psychology in india

• Even today, Forensic Psychologist in India plays a very restricted role

and are not valued much.
• In 1970, Polygraph test was introduced in the Forensic Science
Laboratory for the first time.
• Polygraph tests or Lie Detection Unit were later formed in Haryana,
Gujarat, Orissa, Bangalore, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh.
• Later on Narcoanalysis and Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature
Profiling were added to the Lie Detection Unit.
• In Mumbai, Forensic Psychology Department was established in 2006.
 Forensic psychology in india

• It is very interesting to know that in 1917, there is a treatise by Prof. Profulla Chandra
Bose on how psychology has to be used in understanding the criminals and criminal
behavior. He had put forth the idea that without understanding the psychology of a
crime that has been committed it is not possible to give proper judgment in any
case.
• In fact for a very long period, psychiatry expert witness was used in all crimes
relating to mental illness. Infact Mental Health Act of 1912, in regard to the crimes
committed by the mentally ill persons, who were labelled as insane, were sent to
mental hospital for treatment instead of the prisons for serving a sentence. It
requires two government mental hospital psychiatrist to give an assessment to the
mental condition of the accused, that he or she is suffering from mental illness and
this was accepted in the court of law as expert witness.
 DR DEEPTI PURANIK

Role of forensic psychologist

 Forensic Psychology
Forensic Psychology is the application of psychology to the criminal justice
system. Forensic Psychology knowledge is used in various forms, such as in
treating mentally ill offenders, consulting with attorneys (e.g., on picking a
jury), analyzing a criminal's mind and intent, and practicing within the civil
arena.
 AGENDA

• Scope within the field of Forensic/ Legal Psychology

• Investigative Psychology
• Correctional/ Rehabilitation Psychology
• Police Psychology
• Indian scenario
• Settings/ Qualities of forensic psychologists
• Courses in India and abroad
A crime is committed : Property vs Body Crimes
or a combination of the two..
INVESTIGATION COMMENCES…

- Crime Scene is quarantined

- Biological, trace, impression, ballistic
- Crime scene records, pathology report
- Geographical Location of offences
- Personal records
- Witness statements
- Victim statements
- Suicide vs Homicide
Conducting a psychological Autopsy: Evaluating the mental state of the deceased

Equivocal death (establish mode of death)

- Data from the police officers about crime
- Personal documents journals
- Demographic data/ personal /documents
- Events just before death
- Interviews of close relatives/ significant
people
 Case study
• A 26 Year old female, was found suspended from the ceiling fan, by her
mother. The case was initially declared to be a case of suicide. However, her
family insisted that this is a homicide and not a suicide. The case was thus
referred for Equivocal Death psychological Autopsy to gain better
understanding of the entire case and to check for investigative leads.
• An equivocal death psychological autopsy was done by interviewing all the
family members and relatives and friends to assess her mental status and to
understand whether she was capable of committing suicide
 Role of Investigative Psychologist In investigations

Operational questions – Psychologist input

Salience : Highlighting the important aspect of the crime scene to
progress in investigation.
Suspect elicitation: what would the likely characteristics of the offender
be in order to effectively work through databases.
Suspect Prioritization: which suspect should be interviewed first?
Offender Location: what would be the likely location/ base of the
offender.
Case Linkage: Are two or more crimes committed by the same offender
?
How does it all take place..

- Analyzing the crime details, the

crime scene (MO) signature,
victim details.
- Preparing a report based on
clinical judgement.
- Recent efforts have made efforts
to make the area of OP more
scientific research
 Research EVIDENCE..

- Kosis, Cookseya and Irwin (2002) 62 sexual assault cases from

Australia – MDS: Offenders exhibiting a brutality pattern tend
to be relatively older , have scars and a criminal record and are
typically in a conjugal relationship.
- The impulsive and violent offence style is of young offenders
who are unlikely to have any identifiable features or social
patterns that come with age (scars, tattoos and partner).
INTERVIEWING WITNEsS, VICTIMS AND SUSPECTS: role of INvestigative psychologists

Developing effective strategies based on psychological

principles:
PEACE approach (Best Practice in the UK)
P – Planning/organizing evidence (graphs, charts)
E – Engagement
A - Account (Cognitive Interview)
C – Closure
E- Evaluation
 INTERVIEWING Continued…

Cognitive Interview – 4 techniques

Report all , Context reinstatement,
Change perspective, Change order

Cognitive Interview for suspect

Cognitive overload theory (Lie detection)
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

Psychological Profiling

Polygraph
(Lie-Detector)

Layered Voice Analysis

Brain Electrical Oscillation

Signature Profiling (BEOS)

Narco-analysis
 PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILING
It is holistic study of the person and his Psycho-social
Background which includes:

PERSONAL HISTORY MENTAL STATUS

INTERVIEW EXAMINATION

PSYCHOLOGICAL CASE RELATED

ASSESSMENT INTERVIEW
 POLYGRAPH

It is a technique that measures

physiological changes that takes
place in a body of the person
when he/she is asked questions
related to crime in question
which indicates whether an
individual is deceiving or being
truthful.
 LAYERED VOICE ANALYSIS
• The technology identifies various types of stress levels, cognitive
processes, and emotional reactions that are reflected in the properties
of his or her voice. LVA can detect anomalies in brain activity and
classify them in terms of stress, excitement, deception, and varying
emotional states, accordingly.
 BRAIN ELECTRICAL OSCILLATION SIGNATURE PROFILING (BEOS)

It’ s a scientific technique that analyzes

the electrical activation related to the
presence of Experiential Knowledge
which is the memory acquired by an
individual participating in an event,
i.e. a crime.
 narcoanalysiS

In the Narco-analysis Test, the subject's imagination is

neutralized by making him semi-conscious. In this state,
it becomes difficult for him to lie and his answers would
be restricted to facts he is already aware of. Experts
inject the subject with Sodium Pentothal. The dose is
dependent on the person's sex, age, health and physical
condition. A wrong dose can result in a person going
into a coma, or even death.
Finally The Accused is ARRESTED:
Role of Forensic Psychologist

Malingering (MMPI)

Criminal Responsibility

Competency to stand trial

Eyewitness Testimony
 MALINGERING

Definition:
The American Psychiatric Association has defined
Malingering as “ the intentional production of
false or grossly exagerated physical or
psychological symptoms motivated by external
incentives.
 MALINGERING
• Examinees may attempt to either fake good or fake bad in both the
interview and testing.
• The forensic psychologist must always be wary of the examinee’s attempt
to malinger due to the secondary gain present in most forensic
assessments.
• For example, an individual charged with a crime may feign mental illness
to avoid going to trial, or may fake or exaggerate symptoms in order to
attempt to be found not criminally responsible and therefore, not guilty
by reason of insanity (NGRI).
• Another instance in which an individual may attempt to feign mental
illness is the evaluation of psychological damages in a personal injury
lawsuit.
Delinquency and criminal responsibility
 Competence to stand Trial

• The ability to understand the basic elements of the adversary system

(prosecutor, judge, jury)
• The ability to inform their attorney of information relevant to the case
• The ability to understand their situation as a criminal defendant
 Eyewitness testimony

• The fallibility of eyewitness testimony

– Attributional biases, schemas and stereotypes
– Estimator and system variables
– Emotion and memory
• Descriptive evidence
– Alteration hypothesis
– Coexistence theory
– Source mis-atrribution theory
• Child eyewitness
• False and recovered memories
After the sentencing for the crime: role of correctional psychologist
 PRISON PROGRAMS CONDUCTED BY CORRECTIONAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Group based programs – Anger Management , cognitive skills

program, substance abuse program, Sex offender treatment
program. Cognitive Behavioral based treatment programs
Individual therapy – Needs based approach. Individualistic
treatment plans. CBT is first line treatment. Schema focused
cognitive therapy new therapeutic approach.
Assessing risk of Reoffending: Psychometric tools like
Historical, Clinical, Risk Assessment (HCR – 20).
 Other Applications

Civil Cases: Child Custody

Working with Victims of Crime : providing therapeutic services (EMDR)
Working with the correctional officers/ prison officer (Police
Psychology)
- Recruitment
- Training (attitude change, gender sensitization, skills training etc)
- Therapeutic contribution : stress management
 SETTINGS/ Personality Qualities

Psychologists who work within the criminal justice system

typically work in the Hospital setting, Prison setting, Police
departments, juvenile homes, Community based
rehabilitation center that collaborate with ngo’s
Attributes
Non judgmental attitude
Ability to work under considerable stress
Ability to deal with sensitive information
 Avenues for growth 

Assisting in the recruitment process to recruit the best

candidate for the tough job.
Bring about change in Police attitude, increase the
motivation, reduce stresses.
Developing standardized assessment protocols for legal issues
Commence research efforts in offender profiling.
Introduce rehabilitative programs within the prison system.
 Ethics in
forensic
psychology
Dr Deepti Puranik
Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology

The goals of these Specialty Guidelines for Forensic

Psychology (“the Guidelines”) are to improve the quality of
forensic psychological services; enhance the practice and
facilitate the systematic development of forensic
psychology; encourage a high level of quality in professional
practice; and encourage forensic practitioners to
acknowledge and respect the rights of those they serve.
Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology

1. Responsibilities 7. Conflicts in Practice

2. Competence 8. Privacy, Confidentiality &
3. Diligence Privilege
4. Relationships 9. Methods & Procedures
5. Fees 10. Assessment
6. Informed Consent, 11. Professional & Other Public
Notification & Assent Communication
 1. Responsibility

Guideline 1.01: Integrity

Forensic practitioners strive for accuracy, honesty, and
truthfulness in the science, teaching, and practice of
forensic psychology and they strive to resist partisan
pressures to provide services in any ways that might tend to
be misleading or inaccurate.
 1. Responsibility

Guideline 1.02: Impartiality and Fairness

When offering expert opinion to be relied upon by a
decision maker, providing forensic therapeutic services, or
teaching or conducting research, forensic practitioners strive
for accuracy, impartiality, fairness, and independence
(EPPCC Standard 2.01)
 1. Responsibility

Guideline 1.03: Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

Forensic practitioners refrain from taking on a professional
role when personal, scientific, professional, legal, financial,
or other interests or relationships could reasonably be
expected to impair their impartiality, competence, or
effectiveness, or expose others with whom a professional
relationship exists to harm
 2. Competence

Guideline 2.01: Scope of Competence

When determining one’s competence to provide services in a
particular matter, forensic practitioners may consider a variety
of factors including the relative complexity and specialized
nature of the service, relevant training and experience, the
preparation and study they are able to devote to the matter, and
the opportunity for consultation with a professional of
established competence in subject matter of concern.
 2. Competence

Guideline 2.02: Gaining & Maintaining Competence

Competence can be acquired through various combinations
of education, training, supervised experience, consultation,
study, and professional experience. Forensic practitioners
planning to provide services, teach, or conduct research
involving populations, areas, techniques, or technologies
that are new to them are encouraged to undertake relevant
education, training, supervised experience, consultation, or
study.
 2. Competence

Guideline 2.03: Representing Competencies

Consistent with the EPPCC, forensic practitioners adequately
and accurately inform all recipients of their services (e.g.,
attorneys, tribunals) about relevant aspects of the nature
and extent of their experience, training, credentials, and
qualifications, and how they were obtained
 2. Competence

Guideline 2.04: Knowledge of the Legal System and the Legal

Rights of Individuals
Forensic practitioners recognize the importance of obtaining a
fundamental and reasonable level of knowledge and
understanding of the legal and professional standards, laws,
rules, and precedents that govern their participation in legal
proceedings and that guide the impact of their services on
service recipients
 2. Competence

Guideline 2.05: Knowledge of the Scientific Foundation for

Opinions and Testimony
Forensic practitioners seek to provide opinions and
testimony that are sufficiently based upon adequate
scientific foundation, and reliable and valid principles and
methods that have been applied appropriately to the facts
of the case.
 2. Competence

Guideline 2.06: Knowledge of the Scientific Foundation for

Teaching and Research
Forensic practitioners engage in teaching and research
activities in which they have adequate knowledge,
experience, and education, and they acknowledge relevant
limitations and caveats inherent in procedures and
conclusions
 2. Competence

Guideline 2.07: Considering the Impact of Personal Beliefs and

Experience
Forensic practitioners recognize that their own cultures, attitudes,
values, beliefs, opinions, or biases may affect their ability to practice in
a competent and impartial manner. When such factors may diminish
their ability to practice in a competent and impartial manner, forensic
practitioners may take steps to correct or limit such effects, decline
participation in the matter, or limit their participation in a manner that
is consistent with professional obligations.
 2. Competence

Guideline 2.08: Appreciation of Individual and Group Differences

When scientific or professional knowledge in the discipline of
psychology establishes that an understanding of factors associated with
age, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin,
religion, sexual orientation, disability, language, socioeconomic status,
or other relevant individual and cultural differences affects
implementation or use of their services or research, forensic
practitioners consider the boundaries of their expertise, make an
appropriate referral if indicated, or gain the necessary training,
experience, consultation, or supervision
 3. Diligence

Guideline 3.01: Provision of Services

Forensic practitioners are encouraged to seek explicit
agreements that define the scope of, time-frame of, and
compensation for their services. In the event that a client
breaches the contract or acts in a way that would require the
practitioner to violate ethical, legal or professional obligations,
the forensic practitioner may terminate the relationship.
 3. Diligence

Guideline 3.02: Responsiveness

Forensic practitioners seek to manage their workloads so
that services can be provided thoroughly, competently, and
promptly.
 3. Diligence

Guideline 3.03: Communication

Forensic practitioners strive to keep their clients reasonably
informed about the status of their services, comply with
their clients’ reasonable requests for information, and
consult with their clients about any substantial limitation on
their conduct or performance that may arise when they
reasonably believe that their clients expect a service that is
not consistent with their professional obligations.
 3. Diligence

Guideline 3.04: Termination of services

The forensic practitioner seeks to carry through to conclusion all
matters undertaken for a client unless the forensic practitioner–
client relationship is terminated. When a forensic practitioner’s
employment is limited to a specific matter, the relationship may
terminate when the matter has been resolved, anticipated
services have been completed, or the agreement has been
violated.
 4. Relationships

Guideline 4.01: Responsibilities to Retaining Parties

At the initiation of any request for service, forensic practitioners
seek to clarify the nature of the relationship and the services to
be provided including the role of the forensic practitioner (e.g.,
trial consultant, forensic examiner, treatment provider, expert
witness, research consultant); which person or entity is the
client; the probable uses of the services provided or information
obtained; and any limitations to privacy, confidentiality, or
privilege.
 4. Relationships

Guideline 4.02: Multiple Relationships

A multiple relationship occurs when a forensic practitioner is in a
professional role with a person and, at the same time or at a
subsequent time, is in a different role with the same person; is involved
in a personal, fiscal, or other relationship with an adverse party; at the
same time is in a relationship with a person closely associated with or
related to the person with whom the forensic practitioner has the
professional relationship; or offers or agrees to enter into another
relationship in the future with the person or a person closely associated
with or related to the person
 4. Relationships

Guideline 4.03: Provision of Emergency Mental Health

Services to Forensic Examinees
When providing forensic examination services an
emergency may arise that requires the practitioner to
provide short-term therapeutic services to the examinee in
order to prevent imminent harm to the examinee or others.
 5. Fees

When determining fees forensic practitioners may consider salient

factors such as their experience providing the service, the time and
labor required, the novelty and difficulty of the questions involved, the
skill required to perform the service, the fee customarily charged for
similar forensic services, the likelihood that the acceptance of the
particular employment will preclude other employment, the time
limitations imposed by the client or circumstances, the nature and
length of the professional relationship with the client, the client’s ability
to pay for the service, and any legal requirements.
6. Informed Consent, Notification, and Assent

Because substantial rights, liberties, and properties are

often at risk in forensic matters, and because the methods
and procedures of forensic practitioners are complex and
may not be accurately anticipated by the recipients of
forensic services, forensic practitioners strive to inform
service recipients about the nature and parameters of the
services to be provided
 6. Informed Consent, Notification, and Assent

• Timing and Substance

• Communication with the examinees
• Persons Not Ordered or Mandated to Undergo Examination
• Persons Ordered or Mandated to Undergo Examination or
Treatment
• Persons Lacking Capacity to Provide Informed Consent
 7. Conflicts in Practise

When the conflict cannot be resolved by such means,

forensic practitioners may adhere to the requirements of
the law, regulations, or other governing legal authority, but
only to the extent required and not in any way that violates
a person’s human rights
 8. Privacy, Confidentiality and Privilege

Forensic practitioners are encouraged to recognize the importance of

complying with properly noticed and served subpoenas or court
orders directing release of information, or other legally proper
consent from duly authorized persons, unless there is a legally valid
reason to offer an objection.
If requested, forensic practitioners seek to provide the retaining party
access to, and a meaningful explanation of, all information that is in
their records for the matter at hand, consistent with the relevant law,
applicable codes of ethics and professional standards, and
institutional rules and regulations.
 8. Privacy, Confidentiality and Privilege

Forensic practitioners using case materials for purposes of

teaching, training, or research strive to present such information
in a fair, balanced, and respectful manner. They attempt to
protect the privacy of persons by disguising the confidential,
personally identifiable information of all persons and entities
who would reasonably claim a privacy interest; using only those
aspects of the case available in the public domain; or obtaining
consent from the relevant clients, parties, participants, and
organizations to use the materials for such purposes
 9. Methods and Procedures

• Forensic practitioners seek to make reasonable efforts to obtain such

information or data, and they document their efforts to obtain it. When it
is not possible or feasible to examine individuals about whom they are
offering an opinion, forensic practitioners strive to make clear the impact
of such limitations on the reliability and validity of their professional
products, opinions, or testimony.
• When conducting a record review or providing consultation or supervision
that does not warrant an individual examination, forensic practitioners
seek to identify the sources of information on which they are basing their
opinions and recommendations, including any substantial limitations to
their opinions and recommendations.
 10. Assessment

• Forensic examiners seek to assist the trier of fact to understand

evidence or determine a fact in issue, and they provide information
that is most relevant to the psycho-legal issue. In reports and
testimony, forensic practitioners typically provide information about
examinees’ functional abilities, capacities, knowledge, and beliefs,
and address their opinions and recommendations to the identified
psycho-legal issues
• Forensic practitioners use assessment instruments whose validity
and reliability have been established for use with members of the
population assessed.
11. Professional and other public communication

• Accuracy, Fairness, and Avoidance of Deception

• Differentiating Observations, Inferences, and Conclusions
• Disclosing Sources of Information and Bases of Opinions
• Comprehensive and Accurate Presentation of Opinions in
Reports and Testimony
• Out of Court Statements
• Commenting upon Legal Proceedings
CYBER PSYCHOLOGY
DR. DEEPTI PURANIK
 What is Cyber-Crime?

• The term “cybercrime” is a broad term that covers any

criminal activity that involves a computer or the Internet.
The role of the computer can either be the medium used
to commit a crime, or it can be the target of the attack.
• Cybercrime can include cyber attacks, identity theft,
cyberstalking, and many others.
• The current challenge is understanding how criminal
behavior is being incorporated in cybercrime and
intensified by technology (Europol, 2014).
 Cyber Psychology

• It is the study of human mind and behavior and how the

culture of technology, specifically, virtual reality and social
media affect them. Main stream research studies focus on
the effect of the internet and cyberspace on the
psychology of individuals and groups.
 Cyber Bullying

Jaishankar (2009) defined “Cyber Bullying is

abuse/harassment by teasing or insulting, victim’s body
shape, intellect, family back ground, dress sense, mother
tongue, place of origin, attitude, race, caste, class, name
calling, using modern telecommunication networks such as
mobile phones (SMS/MMS) and Internet (Chat rooms,
emails, notice boards and groups)”
In India, cyber bullying has already
started trapping Indian teenagers in
its insidious Web.
 Online Games and Dangers it poses

• Fire fairy
• Blue Whale
• Cinnamon Challenge
• Choking Game
• Mariam’s game
• Tide Pod Challenge
• The cutting challenge
 Psychological effects of Digital Media

• Cyber Victimization
• Cyber Bullying
• Cyber shaming
• Facebook Depression
• Facebook Addiction Disorder
• Social Isolation
 Cyber Criminal Profiling

Process would be similar to Criminal Profiling

Various questions need to be asked in terms of:

• Who was behind the computers?

• How did they choose their targets?
• What motivated them to get involved in the crime in the first
place?
• Will they strike again?
Thank you
DIGITAL FORENSICS
Dr. Deepti PUranik
 Real World & Virtual World
• Current approaches evolved
to deal with real- world crime

• Recent Crimes occurs in a

virtual-world and therefore
presents different issues
Cyber-crime

Think Before u
click
Is your information secure?
 Types of Cyber Crimes
• Hacking
• Software Piracy
• Pornography
• Forged Documents
• Credit Card Fraud
• Cyber stalking
• Phishing
 DIGITAL FORENSICS

Digital Forensics

Cyber Mobile Speaker Tape Authentication &

Forensics Forensics Identification Video Examination
 DIGITAL FORENSICS

Digital forensics pertains to the analysis of all forensic and non-

forensic applications and investigations related to Digital storage
media.
 Cyber
Forensics
 Real-world & Virtual- world

• Current approaches evolved to deal with real-

world crime
• Cybercrime occurs in a virtual-world and
therefore presents different issues
 What is Computer Crime
“Unlawful acts wherein the computer is either a tool or a target or both".
Two aspects:
•Computer as a tool to commit crime Child porn, Threatening email,
identity theft, sexual harassment, defamation, phishing.
•Computer itself becomes target of crime
Viruses, worms, software piracy, hacking.
 Computer Forensics-Steps

Forensics Lab
Preservation

Presentation

Analysis
Scene of Crime

Acquisition

Authentication

Seizure

Identification
 Cyber Forensics:

It is Identification, Extraction, Analysis, Preservation, Documentation, and Presentation of Digital

Evidence in a manner that is legally acceptable using well-defined methodologies and procedures.
 Mobile Forensic

• Now-a-days mobile phones are frequently seized as prime crime exhibits.

• Mobile phones are used in the crimes like –
❑ Threatening or extortion calls
❑ Obscene Messages
❑ To send/receive/store messages containing obscene picture images or video
files
❑ Sports betting
❑ Terrorist & Naxalite activities
Mobile Forensics:

Cell / Mobile phone forensics is the science of retrieving data from

a mobile phone under forensically sound conditions. This includes
retrieval and examination of data found on the following :

❑ The Subscriber Identity Module

❑ The Mobile Station
❑ The Core Network
The Differences
• Computer Forensics: – Only a Few Major Operating System Standards:
Windows, Mac, Linux. Standard practice is to image the Hard drive and
Examine Data.

• Cell Phone Forensics: – Multiple Operating Systems. Various

Communication Standards. Each manufacturer has their own OS:
Communication Standards Evolving. Connection/Cable challenge.

• Mobility Aspect: - Phones are live things roaming around. It’s not just about
what’s on the device, but where has it been?
Mobile Evidence
Dependent on the model, includes;

❑ IMEI/ESN
❑ Short Dial Numbers
❑ Text/Multimedia Messages
❑ Settings (language, date/time, etc)
❑ Stored Audio Recordings
❑ Stored images/multimedia
❑ Stored Computer Files
❑ Logged incoming calls and dialled numbers
❑ Stored Executable Programs (eg J2ME, apks)
❑ Stored Calendar Events
❑ GPRS, WAP and Internet settings
Audio –Video
Forensics
 Definition

Authentic Recording- “…a recording made simultaneously with the

acoustic events it purports to have recorded, and in a manner fully and
completely consistent with the method of recording claimed by the party
who produced the recording; a recording free from unexplained
artifacts, alterations, deletions, or edits.”
 Audio Authentication
Motive behind Tampering of recording:

❑Political attacks
❑Blackmail
❑Disputes
❑Fraud Insurance claims
❑Infidelity
❑Harassment etc.
 TAPE AUTHENTICATION & VIDEO EXAMINATION

⮚Audio/Video authentication
Audio / Video Authentication is a process that is used to ascertain
the trustworthiness of a digital or analog recording. In other
words, it ensures the integrity of recording and verifies that the
audio/video recorded using it has not been
tampered/altered/doctored.
 Audio Forensics
⮚Speaker Identification:
Identifying a person solely by their speech.
The Voice Identification Technique
is widely being used in most of the
cases in crime investigation.
 SPEAKER / VOICE IDENTIFICATION

Goal: To extract the information recorded in the form of speech signal uttered by the
speaker.

?
Whose voice is this?

?
 Speaker Identification

⮚It means identifying a person solely by their speech.

⮚The aim of speaker identification is to compare the sample from
the unknown speaker with the known set of samples, and determine
whether it was produced by any of the known speakers.
 Audio Forensics

Voice print

Spectrograph

Formant
Frequency
Video Examination & Image Enhancement

❑ CCTV Footages, Stabilizing, Image Enhancement, Theft in dark, Morphing etc

❑ Cases of theft in dark

❑ Enhancement of license (number) plate of suspicious vehicles.

 Benefits of Ethical Hacking
• Ethical Hacking sometimes called as Penetration Testing is an act
of intruding/penetrating into system or networks to find out
threats, vulnerabilities in those systems which a malicious
attacker may find and exploit causing loss of data, financial loss
or other major damages.
• The purpose of ethical hacking is to improve the security of the
network or systems by fixing the vulnerabilities found during
testing.
• Ethical hackers may use the same methods and tools used by
the malicious hackers but with the permission of the authorized
person for the purpose of improving the security and defending
the systems from attacks by malicious users.
 Benefits of Ethical Hacking
• Discovering vulnerabilities from an attacker’s POV so that weak
points can be fixed.
• Implementing a secure network that prevents security
breaches.
• Defending national security by protecting data from terrorists.
• Gaining the trust of customers and investors by ensuring the
security of their products and data.
• Helping protect networks with real-world assessments.
TOI Dated 21.11.2016
 CASE STUDY
• A tiny village named Jamtara in Jharkand, has emerged as
the centre, in a series of banking frauds. By posing as bank
representatives, a gang of seven members ask people for
their account details and in turn siphon off large sums of
money. Police have busted a countrywide network of
crooks who had duped more than a thousand people by
posing as customer care representatives of banks.
The gang came on the police radar after numerous people
complained of losing money after talkin ..
PSYCHOLOGY IN THE COURTS
DR DEEPTI PURANIK
 The Judicial Process

• The Judicial Process consists of a series of steps or stages

through which litigants proceed.
• The Judicial or court process in both criminal and civil cases
is divided into four broad categories
 Pretrial
 Trial
 Disposition
 Appeals
 Pre-trial Stage

• The courts can become involved in a criminal case very early, when
police contact a judge or a magistrate to obtain a warrant to search
or to arrest a suspect.
• However, most searches may not require warrants.
• A court’s first contact with a criminal case is typically either at the
initial appearance or at the arraignment (An arraignment is a court
proceeding at which a criminal defendant is formally advised of the
charges against him and is asked to enter a plea to the charges. In
many states, the court may also decide at arraignment whether the
defendant will be released pending trial.)
 Pre-trial Stage

• The initial appearance occurs if an arrested individual is being held in jail

rather than released or cited to appear in court at a later date.
• Detained individuals must appear before a judge or magistrate, usually
within 24 hours, to ensure that there is legal ground to hold them.
• In many countries, since Jail detention can be an extremely stressful
occurrence, detainees are screened for evidence of mental disorder or
psychological crisis.
• Though Jail officers or social case workers often perform this initial
screening that does not invariably occur, a consulting psychologist or
psychiatrist may be called in if a detainee appears to be in major
psychological crisis.
 Pre-trial Stage
• Another Step during the pre-trial stage relevant to psychological practice is
the arraignment, an open proceeding at which formal charges are read. At
the arraignment, the presiding judge asks defendants if the understand the
charges, informs them of their right to counsel, and asks them to enter
pleas.
• Since the 1990s forensic psychologists and psychiatrists have given
considerable attention to the issue of a person’s competency to plead guilty.
• Another possible plea-one highly relevant to forensic psychology-is not
guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI), which is a non-guilty plea accompanied
by notice that insanity would be used as a defense.
• This evaluation- called as Criminal responsibility or mental state at the time
of the offense (MSO) evaluation is usually requested or arranged by the
defense lawyer.
• A separate inquiry, to determine whether the defendant is competent to
stand trial, may be conducted at the request of the defense lawyer.
 Pre-trial Stage
• Forensic Psychologists are involved extensively during the pre-trial in
both juvenile and adult criminal cases. In cases, where a judge must
decide whether a juvenile’s case should be heard in criminal court or in
juvenile court, psychologists frequently assess the juvenile and file a
report (or testify) as to the juvenile’s level of development and ability to
be rehabilitated.
• The pretrial process in civil cases has parallels to the above but with
many differences. Here those filing suits are called plaintiffs and those
being sued are defendants.
• In civil cases, Forensic Psychologists are more likely to be involved behind
the scenes, consulting with one or the other attorney in the preparation
of the case. A neuropsychologist, for example, may be asked to conduct
a variety of tests on a plaintiff who is suing the employer for hazardous
work conditions.
 The Trial Stage

• In both criminal and civil cases, trials follows a similar

pattern of stages. If it is a trial by Jury, the first step is to
select jurors from a jury pool that is representative of the
community.
• The process of selecting jurors from a pool for a
particular trial is relevant to those forensic Psychologists
who serve as trial consultants to lawyers.
JURY SELECTION
 JURY SELECTION

• Trial by Jury is prevalent in number of western countries like the US,

UK, Australia, Canada,Scotland

• Aims to keep the power in the hands of the general population,

rather than allowing it to be in the hands of the elite
 THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION SAYS:

•“Trial of all crimes… shall be by jury.”

•Article III, Section 2

•“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a
speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district
wherein the crime shall have been committed.”
•Amendment VI

•“In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall

exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved.”
•Amendment VII
 What or who is…
A jury? A jury member?

• An impartial • A citizen of the United

States,
• Twelve person body • Who is also a resident of the
• Made up of defendant’s jurisdiction,
peers • Is at least 18 years old,
• Who is the trier of fact • And able to communicate in
English
 What is the jury’s job?

• Hear/See testimony and evidence in a

trial, deliberate and render a verdict.
 How and when do jurors serve?

– Potential jurors receive a summons from the court and

are entered into the jury pool.

– Selected jurors are then empanelled to hear a case.

 Can you be excused?

• YES.
– Jurors may be excused if:
• Serving on jury duty poses an unusual hardship.
• An illness prevents you from doing a good job.
• A disability which the court cannot accommodate prevents you from
serving

• BUT…
– You must request to be excused. A failure to appear when summoned is a
misdemeanor.
In all jury trials, potential jurors are questioned by
lawyers and sometimes by the presiding judge.
This process is called VOIR DIRE
“The truth” + “To speak”= “To speak
the truth”
This process is done to uncover bias and to attempt
to produce an objective jury.
 How jurors are selected
• The judge and attorneys ask questions to discover biases of the jurors
interfering their ability to be impartial.
• US attorney’s have more information about the backgrounds,
Beliefs, attitudes and experiences.
• Jurors may be removed:
– For Cause- If juror says or otherwise expresses a bias.( Unlimited)
– Through Peremptory Challenge - No reason is required.
• However: Neither side is allowed to exercise a peremptory challenge
based on the race or gender.
 Traditional Jury Selection

• Exclusion of jurors by each side will result in

elimination of the most heavily biased jurors, those
that remain will be the most impartial.
• Voir Dire research has produced mixed results.
• Presenting attorneys with trial simulation material,
juror profile and predicting the verdict.
 Traditional Jury Selection
• Without the statements indicating direct bias, attorney’s base their judgment
on other factors.

• Demographic factors like Occupation, Socio – economic status, Age, Ethinicity/

race, Gender have been studied and they are found to be unreliable predictors
of juror behavior.

• Personality traits and attitudes seemed to have more predictive power than
demographic factors , still weak predictors of verdict decision
 Scientific Jury Selection

• The use of trial consultants to improve the ability of the attorney’s to eliminate
undesirable jurors

• Not dependent on gross generalization of group of individuals, but restrict to

identifying background and attitudes of people from which the jury will be
drawn for a particular case.
 Techniques Used in Scientific Jury

• Community Surveys
Explore relationship between community member’s demographic
characteristics as well as experiences and their responses of litigants, case
characteristics and other issues.

Prepare a profile of desirable and undesirable jurors for members to be

questioned extensively or challenged

Change venue if there is a community bias prevalent

 Techniques Used

• Pre- trial questionnaires

Detailed information about prospective jurors characteristics and that of family
members

Behaviors and experiences ( newspaper and television viewing preferences.)

Attitudes towards law enforcement and about sensitive information(

homosexuality/ AIDS)
 Techniques Used

• Non Verbal Behavior observations

NVB during Voir Dire questioning
For Peremptory challenges where enough data has not been gathered.
Paralinguistic cues: Factors related to delivery of verbal statements, speed of
communication, speech disturbances, the speaker’s tone of voice and speech
Kinesic Cues: Body movement, facial expressions, eye contact eye movements.
 The Trial Stage: Expert Witness

• A scientist may be asked to serve as a consultant to an attorney or

to review the presentation of psychological theories, practices and
legal defenses.
• An expert should have special knowledge and this is usually
evidenced by
Academic credentials
Training
Employment History
Publications
 An Expert Witness

• An expert opinion will carry more weightage

• An expert is more like a teacher in that he/she does have
specialized knowledge that a jury needs to accept and understand.
Testimony & Expertise needs to be in simple terms
Consider using visual aids to instruct
Expected to carry data related to tests, if any
Carry literature to support, theory, procedure, etc
 Expert Testimony

• Direct Examination: Usually limited to who, what, where, when,

describe or explain. State facts-specific procedure/ test etc.
Attorney and Psychologists have practiced enough before hand.
Mostly a fixed set of questions.
• Cross Examination: questions on expert’s credentials, prior
testimony in the case, testimony in other cases, different theories,
alternative ideas. Cross examination can include leading questions
and can make assumptions.
 Section 45-51 of
The Indian Evidence Act 1872

• S 45: Allows an expert to tender evidence on a particular fact in question,

and to show to the court that his findings are unbiased and scientific.
• S46: Facts, not otherwise relevant, are relevant if they support or are
inconsistent with the opinion of experts when such opinions are relevant.
Pre-requisites of expert evidence:
For the sake of consideration of expert testimony, there are two important
conditions that are necessary to be shown:
That the subject is such that expert testimony is essential
That the witness in question is really an expert.
 Admissibility of Evidence
1923 Frye v. United States
• Scientific Evidence is generally
accepted by the relevant scientific
community.
• The jury decides if the evidence
presented in the trial can be used.
• Known as general acceptance
standard
1993 Daubert v. Dow
• Whether the theory or technique
can be tested
• Whether the science has been
offered for peer review
• Whether the rate of error is
acceptable
• Whether the method at issue
enjoys widespread acceptance
Eye-witness Testimony

Dr Deepti Puranik
Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The
phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy.

It deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a
taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the
wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was
ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on!!
 The central goal of Police work is to solve and clear
crimes. In their efforts to solve crimes, police are more
likely to be successful if at-least one eyewitness was
present.
 Eyewitness Evidence

• A major factor that would determine whether a case is solved or not

was based on the completeness and accuracy of the eyewitness’s
account.
• In-fact those crimes which were solved were the ones in which the
offenders were caught immediately or in which an eyewitness
provided some specific relevant piece of information.
• Eyewitness evidence thus is crucial in the outcome of any criminal or
even civil case.
 Eyewitness Evidence

• The importance of eyewitness in reconstructing events from the past

does not end with the arrest of a suspect.
• At a trial, the testimony of an eyewitness who incriminates the
defendant is—along with the presence of a confession—usually the
most influential evidence (Lavrakas & Bickman, 1975).
 Fallibility of Eyewitness Evidence

• The essential problem is that eyewitnesses are not infallible.

• Wells (1993) concluded that eyewitness errors provide the single most frequent cause of
wrongful convictions, and two recent examinations of such cases provide strong
evidence for that assertion.
• In 1996, the United States Department of Justice published an analysis of the first 28
cases of individuals in the United States who were convicted of crimes but later
exonerated on the basis of DNA testing (Connors, Lundregan, Miller, & McEwan, 1996).
Of those, 24 involved mistaken eyewitness identification, some with multiple witnesses
(as many as five in one case). A later analysis found that in the first 40 of these cases, 36
(or 90%) were cases in which one or more eyewitnesses falsely identified the innocent
person (Wells et al., 1998).
 Fallibility of Eyewitness Evidence

• Another even more recent review, extending the number of post-conviction DNA
cases to over 100, found that eyewitness error was involved in 84% of the cases
of wrongful conviction (Scheck, Neufeld, & Dwyer, 2000). As of September 2007,
the total number of these cases was 207 and these cases cover only post-
conviction DNA exonerations.
• For every one of those, there are many others that are caught at the pretrial
stage and never get to trial because the charges are dismissed by prosecutors.
 Fallibility of Eyewitness Evidence

• It should be noted that even when the eyewitness is the victim of the crime, errors can occur, as
indicated by a case reported in the state of Washington.
• Early one evening a young woman was hitchhiking on a highway near Seattle when a bearded
man picked her up. Soon afterward, he drove off onto a deserted dirt lane, raped her and than
drove away, leaving her besides the road.
• A day later, detectives showed the woman several photographs and she identified a man named
Steve Titus as the person who assaulted her.
• Mr. Titus was quickly picked up, charged with the crime, tried and on the basis of the victim’s
sworn testimony, convicted.
 Fallibility of Eyewitness Evidence

• A few months later, a different man was arrested as a suspect in a series of other rapes. When
this lady saw the photograph of this new suspect, the lady realized her mistake and was shocked.
But her discovery of the error came too late to avoid the damage to the innocent suspect.
• Even though Mr. Titus was released from prison, he had lost his job, his savings were reduced to
nothing due to attorney fees, his fiancée had broken off their relationship.
• Mr. Titus spent next four years, trying to sue the authorities to make restitution for the damages
he suffered, but he died of a heart attack before his case came to the trial.
 HOW ACCURATE ARE EYEWITNESSES?

• Accuracy will be higher if the witness conditions were conducive , the witness
was interviewed immediately after the event and the interviewing procedures
were unbiased and evidence based.

• Measure of accuracy is many times the confidence of the witness , confidence

and accuracy are negatively correlated ( Sporer et al, 2005).
 Elizabeth Loftus-False Memory

• Elizabeth Loftus, a cognitive psychologist argued that the

testimony would have a disproportionate effect on the
behavior. She stated that “Eyewitness testimony is likely to
be believed by jurors especially when it is offered with a
high level of confidence,” even when the confident witness
is inaccurate.
• Indeed she believed that “All the evidence points rather
strikingly to the conclusion that there is almost nothing
more convincing than a live human being who takes the
 Eyewitness Accuracy- Elizabeth Loftus

• Loftus pointed out, that a major obstacle to accuracy in a great many

instances is that an extended time period passes between the event
that was witnessed and the task of presenting testimony in court.
• During this interval, numerous potential sources of misleading post-
event information are responsible for additions to memory that tend
to be incorporated as subjective ‘truth’, thus reducing accuracy.
 Increasing accuracy in Eyewitness

• The act of a witness describing or identifying a suspect involves more than

memory alone; it invokes reasoning processes, suggestibility and social
influence, self-confidence, authoritarian submission, conformity, and a
host of other social processes.
• Wells (1995) has pointed out that “memory testimony and memory are
not identical twins. Memory testimony is the witness’s statement of what
he or she recalls of a prior event. These statements can be influenced by
more than just memory processes”
 Eyewitness Accuracy- Munsterberg Work

• Hugo Munsterberg found that the arousal of emotions such as fear and anger lead to even
greater inaccuracy. Munsterberg conducted a series of field experiments which confirmed his
beliefs about the inaccuracy of witness.
• Once during a meeting of scientific association attended by forty legal experts, psychologists and
physicians, a surprise interruption was planed. Suddenly a clown entered the room who was
followed by a black man carrying a gun. The two individuals shouted at each other, one fell down,
the other jumped on him and a shot was fired.
• The assembled witnesses were told that since police will be asking for the testimony, it was
important for them to write down exactly what has happened in the meeting room.
 Eyewitness Accuracy- Munsterberg Work

• Despite the professional expertise of those attending the meeting and even
when the writing of their experience was taken immediately after it happened,
only one of the forty was found to be very accurate in recording the facts.
• Munsterberg concluded that most observers to an unexpected and disturbing
event leave out or falsely remember about half of what occurred.
 EYEWITNESS MEMORY…

Since memory is not like an automated tape

recorder, we might not get a complete / accurate
account of the event in question , subjectivity in
question?
 EYEWITNESS MEMORY…

• EPISODIC MEMORY OF A PARTICULAR EVENT IN QUESTION ( CRIME).

• THE QUALITY OF MEMORY PIECE DEPENDS UPON CONDITIONS IN THE THREE STAGES.

• ENCODING - STORAGE- RETRIEVAL

 ENCODING PHASE

When a witness observes a crime, the

encoding conditions determines the amount of accurate
details elicited ( Estimator variables, Wells, 1978)

• Distance between witness and offender

• Amount of time the witness views the

offender
• Distinctive appearance of the offender race
age, gender
• Environmental conditions ( Good lighting)
• Unique features ( presence of a weapon)
• Witness variables ( age, attentiveness/ alert
anxiety, stress, arousal – Flashbulb memory, motivation
)
 ENCODING PHASE

• Quality of encoding is also constrained by limits in

attentional resources. Attention is typically directed toward
the central or core aspect of an event rather than the
peripheral details of it, witnesses of crimes are typically
more likely to encode and remember the core event, such as
the actions involved in a crime, rather than the culprit’s
precise physical features.
• Encoding can also be affected by the way an observer
interprets the event. In fact, it is fair to say that what we
remember is not so much the original event itself, but
 STORAGE PHASE

The time gap between witnessing of event

and retrieval shapes the memory further

• Longer retention period lower recall in

terms of quantity and not quality.

• Delay reduces the willingness of witnesses

to make an identification

• Collaborating with other witnesses

• Effects of decay and interference ( reconstructive nature of memory, gaps filled in by our
schemas and stereotypes)
 Retroactive Interference:

Retroactive interference occurs when a new piece of information

disrupts the ability to remember a previously learned piece of
information. For example, one may encounter some difficulty
remembering a former phone number after having learned a new
information that may interfere with the originally stored information.
 RETRIEVAL PHASE
This is when the witness comes in contact with the Investigating authorities

• Descriptive Evidence

• Identification Evidence

• Accurate Retrieval depends on contribution of the system variables ( questioning techniques, identification protocols)

• The encoding specificity principle dictates that the extent to which the retrieval environment matches the encoding environment is an
important determinant of a person’s ability to provide accurate and complete eyewitness testimony (see Tulving, 1983, for a theoretical
account).
 Understanding System and Estimator Variables

• We should recognize that the degree of accuracy is often

influenced by the procedures used by the police and other
members of the criminal justice system (Wells & Seelau,
1995).
• Wells (1978) referred to these as system variables. These
variables include the type of questioning done by the police,
the nature of the lineup or photo array, and the presence or
absence of videotaping of procedures.
• The other determinants of an eyewitness’s accuracy— what
Wells called estimator variables—are not controllable by the
 Ways to improve the accuracy of witnesses

• Slow down the rate of Questioning

• Recreate the original context by using the Cognitive Interview
• Customize questionnaire for each witnesses
• Make the interview witness centered than interviewer centered.
• Be sensitive to the distinction between the correct and incorrect responses
• Be sensitive to the temptations to form premature conclusions.
 Hypnotic Interview

• Hypnotic interviews have been used by investigators in the hope of increasing

the amount of information that can be solicited from witnesses. Despite a
relatively long history of use in clinical settings as well as in many forensic
applications (Reiser & Neilson, 1980), the usefulness of hypnosis in forensic
interviews is questionable mainly because of increased confabulation (the
inclusion of false information in otherwise accurate recollection) under hypnosis.
People tend to remember more information under hypnosis than when they are
not hypnotized (Stager & Lundy, 1985). This increase in recalled information,
however, may be achieved at the expense of accuracy.
Criminal Profiling

Deepti Puranik
 Who is this?
How do I recognize him?
Can criminal Profiling help?
• Tool for Investigation
Criminal Profiling
• Behavioural Evidence Analysis
• Offender Profiling
• Criminal personality profiling
• Crime scene Analysis
 What
• Construction is criminalbehavioral
of a psychological, profiling? and
demographic profile of the type of person likely to have
committed the crime

• Usually applied to serial crimes (serial murders, serial

rapes…)
 What is Criminal Profiling?

• Criminal profiling is 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.
• The primary goal of profiling is to narrow the field of possible
suspects.

• Profiling is also a form of prediction -- the profiler tries to

“predict” who the offender or offenders might be and where
and how the next crime may occur.

Goals of Profiling
• Traditional investigative techniques often fall short in extreme
cases.

• A subset of offenses/offenders are considered most suitable

for profiling -- What subset of offenders and why more
suitable for profiling??

Why Use Criminal Profiles?

 Brief History of Criminal Profiling
• 1940s - First recorded use by psychiatrist Walter Langer during WWII commissioned to construct a
psychodynamic profile of Hitler.

• 1957 - psychiatrist James Brussels worked with NYPD to construct a profile of the Mad Bomber.

• 1970s-1980s - FBI (Howard Teten, John Douglas, Robert Ressler, Roy Hazelwood, and others)
became involved in psychological profiling and popularized the technique.

• 1990s – 2003 - attempt (by David Canter, Maurice Godwin, Ron Holmes, Robert Keppel, Brent
Turvey, Kim Rossmo and others) to scientize profiling and move the practice beyond the purview of
the FBI.
• New York City First
1950’sdocumented case
• “Mad Bomber”
• Psychiatrist James Brussell constructs a profile:
– White male, 40’s - 50’s
– Lives with aunt or sister
– Hates father, loves mother
– Will wear double-breasted suit when apprehended
John Douglas
– 25 years with the FBI, Investigative Support Unit
– Developed profiling techniques now taught in the FBI’s Behavioral
Science Unit
– Consulted on Atlanta child murders, Green River killer, Unabomber

“Father of profiling”
• Signature What to look for
– Signature - something done to fulfill or satisfy the offenders
emotional state
– Not the same as Modus Operandi

– Modus Operandi - what is needed to complete the crime

 Two important
• Behavioural evidence ideas
– Things that tells us how an offender went about committing a
crime
• Criminal consistency
– The idea that a person’s behaviour at a crime scene is
consistent with their behaviour in other contexts
You are learning about...
• Typological offender profiling
You are learning to...
• Draw inferences from behavioural
data
• Apply profiling principles to make
judgements about offenders
• Compare and contrast psychological
ideas
 Typological
• Developed offender
by the US Federal Bureau profiling
of Investigation (FBI)
in the 1970s and 1980s.
• Key ideas:
– There are different types of offender
– Behavioural evidence can tell us which type of offender
committed a crime
– Knowing an offender’s type allows us to predict other things
about him
• Generally used in cases of serial violence against
strangers esp. sexual or ‘bizarre’
• Inductive Profiling
• Deductive Profiling
• Geographical Profiling

Approaches of Criminal Profiling

• One assumes thatInductive Profiling
similar crimes committed by different
persons will have certain similarities and common traits.
• When a criminal commits a crime, he or she will have a
background and motive, which may be similar to that of
others who have committed a crime of similar nature.
• In this approach,Inductive Profiling
every evidence collected from the crime
scene, reports and documents maintained by the police,
the postmortem reports, the toxicology and DNA reports,
the motives of the criminal as mentioned by the people
in the area, and the persons who resemble the criminal,
the victim and the condition of the victim as well as the
background of the victim, how and why she was made
the victim by the criminal etc., are all considered and
finally the expert draws up a profile of the criminal.
• This inductive process is all-inclusive and goes from
general to specific.
 Deductive
• Deductive method Profiling
avoids all averages and similarities.
• It would deal with every case and try to study its unique
aspects.
• The experts studies the various aspects related to the
crime in the utmost details and they study the criminal
too before, during and after he has committed the
offence.
 Deductive
• The deductive profiling Profiling
starts with assumptions about the
behavior. The experts try to find out if the offender in any
was an organized or unorganized criminal.
• The experts try to find out if the offender had planned his
activities meticulously from stalking ad targeting his
victims to the time of disposal of the victim’s body and
removal of any trace evidences?
Crime Scene
Crime Scene- 4 kinds
What it means?

Organized Killer has shown signs of planning & avoids being caught by leaving little or
no evidence

Disorganized Spontaneous Killing by the killer with whatever they got in hand

Mixed Crime scene shows characteristics of both organized as well as disorganized

Atypical A crime scene that does not match any other crime scene types
 Types of crime scene
Organised
General approach Planned and controlled
Weapons Brought to the scene
Evidence Destroyed or removed
Victim Attempts to control
Offender Unknown to victim
Socially & sexually competent
Normal/high intelligence
Angry/depressed
Disorganised
Unplanned and chaotic
Improvised
Left at scene
Little attempt at control
Possibly known to victim
Socially & sexually inept
Low intelligence
Anxious/psychotic
• Organized crime scene:
– Body is hidden
– Weapon is removed from scene
– Appears to be well-planned
– The victim is specifically targeted
– Restraints often used
– Aggression takes place before death

Organized vs. Disorganized

• Disorganized:
– Body not hidden
– Weapon is present
– Appears to be spontaneous
– Victim may be an acquaintance
– Aggression or sex post-mortem

Organized vs. Disorganized

• Criminal ProfilingProfiling Method
has no specific or uniform method.
• Different persons practices it differently
• Attempts have been made to make criminal profiling as
objective and as scientific as possible.
 FewbyProfiling
• Profiling Process FBI Methods
• Investigative Psychology Profiling Process
• Behavioral Evidence Analysis
 Investigative
Investigative PsychologyPsychology Offender
Offender Profiling Profiling
is the bottom-up
approach to profiling developed by David Canter, who proposed that
profiling can and should be based in psychological theory and
research.
Would more use Deductive Profiling process
Data assimilation Crime classification
Data compiled from police reports, Profilers decide whether the crime
post mortems, crime scene photos scene is organised or disorganised
etc.

Profile generation Crime reconstruction

Offender’s physical, demographic and Hypotheses about crime sequence,
behavioural characteristics offender & victim behaviour etc.
Criminal Profiling
 Step 1:Profiling Inputs

Crime Scene
Victimology
Forensic Information
Preliminary Police reports
Photos
 Profiling Inputs

• The profiling inputs stage begins the criminal-profile-generating process.

Comprehensive case materials are essential for accurate profiling. In homicide
cases, the required information includes a complete synopsis of the crime and a
description of the crime scene, encompassing factors indigenous to that area to the
time of the incident such as weather conditions and the political and social
environment.
• Complete background information on the victim is also vital in homicide profiles.
The data should cover domestic setting, employment, reputation, habits, fears,
physical condition, personality, criminal history, family relationships, hobbies, and
social conduct.
 Profiling Inputs

• Forensic information pertaining to the crime is also critical to the profiling process,
including an autopsy report with toxicology/serology results, autopsy
photographs, and photographs of the cleansed wounds. The report should also
contain the medical examiner's findings and impressions regarding estimated time
and cause of death, type of weapon, and suspected sequence of delivery of
wounds.
• In addition to autopsy photographs, aerial photographs (if available and
appropriate) and color pictures of the crime scene are ideally used. Also useful are
crime scene sketches showing distances, directions, and scale, as well as maps of
the area
 Step 2 Decision Process Making

• Homicide type and Style

• Primary Intent
• Victim Risk
• Offender Risk
• Excalation
• Time of Crime
• Location of Crime
 Decision Process Making
Homicide Type and Style

• Homicides are classified by type and style. A single

homicide is one victim, one homicidal event; double
homicide is two victims, one event, and in one location;
and a triple homicide has three victims in one location
during one event. Anything beyond three victims is
classified a mass murder; that is, four or more victims in
one location, and within one event.
• There are two types of mass murder: classic and family. A
classic mass murder involves one person operating in one
location at one period of time. That period of time could
 Decision Process Making
Homicide Type and Style

• The second type of mass murder is family member

murder. If more than three family members are killed
and the perpetrator takes his own life, it is classified as
a mass murder/suicide. Without the suicide and with
four or more victims, the murder is called a family
killing.
• Two additional types of multiple murder are spree and
serial. A spree murder involves killings at two or more
locations with no emotional cooling-off time period
 Decision Process Making
Homicide Type and Style

• Serial murderers are involved in three or more

separate events with an emotional cooling-off period
between homicides. This type killer usually
premeditates his crimes, often fantasizing and
planning the murder in ever, aspect with the possible
exception of the specific victim. Then, when the time is
right for him and he is cooled off from his last
homicide, he selects his next victim and proceeds with
his plan. The cool-off period can be days, weeks, or
 Decision Process Making
Homicide Type and Style

• The classic mass murderer and the spree murderer are

not concerned with who their victims are; they will kill
anyone who comes in contact with them. In contrast, a
serial murderer usually selects a type of victim. He
thinks he will never be caught, and sometimes he is
right. A serial murderer controls the events, whereas a
spree murderer, who oftentimes has been identified
and is being closely pursued by law enforcement, may
barely control what will happen next. The serial killer is
 Decision Process Making
Primary Intent of the Murderer

• In some cases, murder may be an ancillary action and

not itself the primary intent of the offender.
• The killer's primary intent could be:
1. Criminal enterprise: Contract Killing, Business (Mainly
for money)
2. Emotional, selfish, or cause-specific, (Compassion,
Self Defence)
3. Sexual.
 Decision Process Making
Victim Risk

• Risk is determined using such factors as age, occupation, lifestyle,

physical stature, resistance ability, and location of the victim, and
is classified as high, moderate, or low. Killers seek high-risk
victims at locations where people may be vulnerable, such as bus
depots or isolated areas. Low-risk types include those whose
occupations and daily lifestyles do not lead them to being
targeted as victims.
 Decision Process Making
Offender Risk

• Data on victim risk integrates with information on offender

risk, or the risk the offender was taking to commit the crime.
For example, abducting a victim at noon from a busy street is
high risk. Thus, a low-risk victim snatched under high-risk
circumstances generates ideas about the offender, such as
personal stresses he is operating under, his beliefs that he will
not be apprehended, or the excitement he needs in the
commission of the crime, or his emotional maturity.
 Decision Process Making
Escalation

• Information about escalation is derived from an

analysis of facts and patterns from the prior decision
process models. Investigative profilers are able to
deduce the sequence of acts committed during the
crime. From this deduction, they may be able to make
determinations about the potential of the criminal not
only to escalate his crimes (e.g., from peeping to
fondling to assault to rape to murder), but to repeat
his crimes in serial fashion.
 Decision Process Making
Time Factors

• There are several time factors that need to be considered in

generating a criminal profile. These factors include the length of
time required: (1) to kill the victim, (2) to commit additional acts
with the body, and (3) to dispose of the body. The time of day or
night that the crime was committed is also important, as it may
provide information on the lifestyle and occupation of the suspect
(and also relates to the offender risk factor).
 Decision Process Making
Location Factors

• Information about location-where the victim was first

approached, where the crime occurred, and if the
crime and death scenes differ-provide yet additional
data about the offender.
 Step 3: Crime Assessment

• Reconstruction of Crime
• Crime Classification
– Victim Selection
– Control of Victim
– Sequence of Crime
• Staging
• Motivation
• Crime Scene Dynamics
 Crime Assessment

• The Crime Assessment Stage in generating a criminal

profile involves the reconstruction of the sequence of
events and the behavior of both the offender and
victim. Based on the various decisions of the previous
stage, this reconstruction of how things happened,
how people behaved, and how they planned and
organized the encounter provides information about
specific characteristics to be generated for the criminal
profile. Assessments are made about the classification
of the crime, its organized/disorganized aspects, the
 Step 4: Criminal Profile

• Demographics
• Physical Characteristics
• Habits
• Pre-offense Behavior
• Post-offense Behavior
• Recommendations for Investigation
 Criminal Profile

• The fourth stage in generating a criminal profile deals with

the type of person who committed the crime and that
individual's behavioral organization with relation to the
crime. Once this description is generated, the strategy of
investigation can be formulated, as this strategy requires a
basic understanding of how an individual will respond to a
variety of investigative efforts.
• Included in the criminal profile are background
information (demographics), physical characteristics,
habits, beliefs and values, pre-offense behavior leading to
 Step 5 Investigation:
Once the congruence of the criminal profile is determined, a written report is provided to the requesting
agency and added to its ongoing investigative efforts. The investigative recommendations generated in
Stage 4 are applied, and suspects matching the profile are evaluated. If identification, apprehension, and a
confession result, the goal of the profile effort has been met. If new evidence is generated (e.g., by
another murder) and/or there is no identification of a suspect, reevaluation occurs

Step 6: Apprehension
Once a suspect is apprehended, the agreement between the outcome and the various stages in the
profile-generating-process are examined. When an apprehended suspect admits guilt, it is important to
conduct a detailed interview to check the total profiling process for validity.
Criminal Profiling
AFTER MY HEAD HAS BEEN CHOPPED OFF, WILL I
STILL BE ABLE TO HEAR, ATLEAST FOR A MOMENT,
THE SOUND OF MY OWN BLOOD GUSHING FROM
MY NECK? THAT WOULD BE THE BEST TO END ALL
PRESSURES.
PETER KURTAN
 TYPES OF SERIAL KILLERS

• MISSIONARY SERIAL KILLERS: The missionary serial

killers, believe that their acts are justified on the basis
that they are getting rid of a certain type of person who
is harmful or a shame to the society and that they
should be eliminated. He has to get rid of particular
group of people.

• VISIONARY SERIAL KILLERS: The visionary serial killers

commit murders in responses to voices or visions urging
 SERIAL KILLERS

• HEDONISTIC KILLERS: It is a thrill seeker and generally

kills for getting a kick out of it. In other words it is
exciting for this person to kill others and see the
suffering and the helplessness amongst their victims.
There is also a strong sexual aspect to this type of killing.
• GAIN MOTIVATED KILLERS: The one who kills because
they are motivated by their need to have materials, or
cash or possession or property.
When you think of Serial Killers?
Which names comes to your
mind first?

• Ted Bundy
• Jack The ripper
• Andrei Chikaltilo
• Jeffery Dahmer
• Albert Fish
• John Wayne Gacy
India was home to one of the world’s most ruthless
serial killer.
During 1790-1841, which was the period of the East India Company,
Thug Behram managed to kill over 900 people. His weapon of choice
was a yellow piece of cloth. But Behram modified his rumal or
handkerchief to have a medallion sewn in the middle, which he used
to place exactly over the Adam’s apple, adding extra pressure on the
throats of his victim. Behram and his gang’s main aim was to loot
traders. A popular label with what he was called was the ‘King of
Thugs’. He was the leader of the Thuggee cult active in Oudh in
northern central India during the late 18th and early 19th century.
Behram and his thugs were devoted followers of the Goddess Kali
and they believed that all the murders they committed were merely a
part of their religious duty. The members of the gang would converse
in a specific sign language known as ‘Ramosi’ around their victims.
They would imitate the cries of a jackal to warn the other members
 Famous Indian Serial KIllers

• Auto Shankar • Joshi-Abyankar Case

• Cyanide Mohan • Stone Man Murderer
• Devendra Shankar • Raman Raghav
• Nithari Killings • Beer Man Case
• Charles Sobhraj • Jaishankar
• Cyanide Mallika • Amardeep Sada- World’s
• Renuka Shinde & Seema Youngest Serial Killer
Gavit
 Autoshankar

• Shankar and his gang, consisting of his younger brother

Auto Mohan and associates Eldin and Shivaji, as well as
Jayavelu, Rajaraman, Ravi, Palani and Paramasivam,
were found guilty of six murders, committed over a
period of two years in 1988–1989. The bodies of the
victims were either burnt or buried inside residential
houses. Late in December, a schoolgirl named
Subalakshmi claimed that an auto rickshaw driver had
attempted to abduct her in front of a wine shop.
 Cyanide Mohan
• Mohan Kumar (born 1963) in Kerala, also known as Cyanide Mohan, is
a serial killer who preyed on women looking for marriage. A Mangalore fast
track court tried and convicted him for the murder of 19 women.
• He was accused of luring women who were unable to pay dowry or were
unable to find suitable husbands. He would kill them by giving them
cyanide pills, claiming they were contraceptives, and rob them of their
jewelry. He was charged with 20 murders and defended himself in
court. He was sentenced to death in December 2013.
 Devendra Shankar

• Devendra Sharma was a fairly successful doctor of

Ayurvedic medicine but he also had a dark side. He
wanted to make a quick buck boosting cars and he didn't
mind the bloodshed that came with it. From 2002-2004,
he stole cars and killed car drivers from many areas in and
around UP, Gurgaon and Rajasthan. According to his own
confession, he killed about 30-40 men, all drivers. He was
sentenced to death in 2008.
 Nithari Killings

• Surinder Koli was the domestic help of Moninder Singh Pandher, a wealthy
businessman from Noida. Initially in 2006, they were both arrested in
connection to the discovery of skulls of missing children in Nithari village in
the outskirts of Noida. The case took many twisted turns and there was a
huge media furore over what was really going on. There were accusations
of rape, cannibalism, pedophilia and even organ trafficking - some of these
had substance, while others were mainly rumours. As of now, Surinder Koli
has been found guilty of 5 homicides and is on death row while Pandher
awaits his fate as there are 11 other unsolved murders under the same
investigation.
 Charles Sobhraj

• Despite the infamy, Charles Sobhraj is one of the most "famous" murderers
around. From 1975 to 1976, he murdered around 12 people in various places in
South East Asia. Unlike most other serial killers, Sobhraj had a motive - rob his
victims to fund his flamboyant lifestyle. His usual method was to first gain the
trust of tourists and potential victims by rescuing them from problems that he had
created in the first place, and then defrauding them. The bodies of two of the
women he killed were found in floral bikinis, earning Sobhraj the nickname, 'Bikini
Killer'. He was arrested in India where he served a sentence from 1976 to 1997,
after which he retired to Paris. He was even approached for book and movie rights
to which he quoted exceptionally high amounts. He returned to Nepal in 2004,
where he was arrested again. He is now serving a second life sentence.
 Cyanide Mallika
• Kempamma is alleged to have murdered multiple women,
but has only been convicted for six murders. Kempamma
was alleged to have frequented temples near Bangalore,
and to have preyed on women who appeared to be in
distress. After spotting a woman, she would try to get them
to trust her by listening to their problems and advising them
to perform mandal pooja, which she told them would help
them overcome their problems. She pretended to be a
religious woman that was well-versed in rituals. She then
offered to arrange for the pooja at a temple on city
outskirts. She told them to come to the ritual wearing
finery. Once the victim arrived, Kempamma would start the
 Renuka Shinde and Seema Gavit

• Renuka Shinde and her sister Seema Gavit were trained as petty
thieves by their own mother Anjanabai. They discovered that it
was easy to steal if they could use children as decoys or as
defence against accusations in case they got caught. So they
started kidnapping young kids. Those that started creating
problems, were killed. From 1990 to 1996, they killed over six
toddlers. In a chilling confession they also said they didn't
remember how many kids they had killed in total before the
90s.
 Joshi Abhyankar Case

• From 1976 to 1977, Rajendra Jakkal, Dilip Sutar,

Shantaram Kanhoji Jagtap and Munawar Harun Shah,
these four friends and batchmates from Abhinav Kala
Mahavidyalaya killed over 10 people which is now
known as the Joshi-Abhyankar serial murders. They
were eventually arrested and all four of them were
hanged in 1983.
 Stone Man Murders

• This is one of the most infamous unsolved murders in Indian

history. Almost like our own version of Jack the Ripper. In
1989, nine people living in Bombay were killed in a similar
fashion - their heads were smashed with a heavy blunt
object, prompting a Calcutta newspaper to name the
unknown killer, The Stoneman. It is possible that the later
murders were copycat murders but there's no way to know
that.
 Raman Raghav

• A series of murders occurred in the outskirts of Mumbai in August

1968. Pavement and hutment dwellers were bludgeoned to death
while they slept. All the murders took place at night and were
committed using a hard, blunt object.[2] A similar series of murders
had taken place a few years earlier (1965–66) in the Eastern
suburbs of Mumbai. In that year, as many as 19 people had been
attacked, out of which 9 victims had died. At the time a suspicious
looking man found loitering in the area, had been picked up by the
police. His name was Raman Raghav, a homeless man, and had
past mentions in the police files, having spent five years in prison
for robbery.
• During the trial a psychiatrist of Nair Hospital, Mumbai was cited as
a defence witness. He had interviewed the accused in Arthur Road
 Beer Man case

• This could be the weirdest one on this list. Between October 2006
and January 2007, 6 people in Mumbai were killed and in each case,
the cops found a beer can beside the victim's body. This gave them
the idea that it was a serial killer. In January 2007, Ravindra Kantrole
was convicted of the seventh murder and then two other Beer Man
murders were pinned on him as well. But he was acquitted of all
crimes in 2009 due to lack of evidence. He now owns a restaurant in
Mumbai while the Beer Man mystery still remains unsolved.
 Jaishankar

• M Jaishankar is accused of 30 rapes, 15 murders and once

arrested, he even managed to add prison break to that list.
All his victims were women and according to reports he is
said to have stabbed them with a machete. He was re-
arrested and is now serving a 10 year sentence while
awaiting trial on 20 other cases related to crimes in Tamil
Nadu and Karnataka from 2006 to 2009.
 Amardeep Sada

• Amardeep Sada is India's youngest serial killer. He was 8 when he was

arrested in Begusarai, Bihar for the murder of three young children -
his six-month old cousin, his own eight month old sister and six-
month old Khushboo, a neighbour's daughter. It is said that his family
knew of the first two murders but they did not approach the cops to
keep the matter 'within the family'. But when Amardeep killed the
neightbour's daughter, the cops were informed. When asked in the
police station about why he killed the children, Amardeep just smiled.
Introduction to Investigative Techniques
 PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION PROCESS

Interview with The Investigating Officer

Pre Test Counseling Psychological Profiling

AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION &

NATURE OF THE CASE

BEOS PROFILING POLYGRAPH NARCOANALYSIS

POST TEST INTERVIEW

 Psychological Profiling

Holistic study of the Person & his Psychosocial background, which includes …

PERSONAL HISTORY
INTERVIEW
MENTAL STATUS
EXAMINATION

PSYCHOLOGICAL
ASSESSMENT
CASE RELATED
INTERVIEW
 1. PERSONAL HISTORY
INTERVIEW
Family History
Birth & Childhood Development
Childhood Behaviour
Educational History
Occupational History
Marital History
Sexual History
Medical History
Criminal History
Substance Use
Personality Factors
 2. MENTAL STATUS
EXAMINATION
Appearance
Orientation
Speech
Perception
Affect & Mood
Thought Process
Memory
Judgment
Abstraction & Comprehension
Psychiatric &/or Neurological Symptoms
 3. Psychological
Assessment
Validity Tests Projective Tests
A B C
1 2 3
a b c
/ // ///
Incomplete Sentences
All I want from my life is…………………………
I have always been a………………………………
Questionnaires
I have never tried to take advantage of a close friend.
I have never lied to anybody to get something done in life.

However, Interviews also play a major role in Profiling.

 4. CASE RELATED
INTERVIEW
Own version

Questioned on IO’s version

Questioned on discrepancies

Confrontation

Confession
Other Forensic Psychological Tools
for Investigation
 Forensic Statement Analysis

• Forensic Statement Analysis is a kind of linguistic lie

detector. When carefully assessed by a trained
professional, the choice of words in verbal and
written statements can reveal lot of truth.
 Forensic Statement Analysis
• Statement Analysis depends entirely upon
analyzing written or verbal statements. The basic
premise is that the structure and content of a
subject's statement will reveal when there is an
attempt at deception. We all write in different
ways, with different characteristic choices of
words, and what we use words for is to define our
reality. When we lie, we're trying to juggle two
things in our minds at the same time: the real
 Forensic Statement Analysis
• Statement Analysis is a versatile method because
it is free from the constraints that limit other
techniques. The subject is therefore unaware that
his statement will be the object of
specialized treatment and analysis. This technique
has also been used to weed out false statements
about crimes, including robbery, abduction, rape,
and theft. The best part is these statements are
practically handed to you by the alleged "victim"
without any questions.
 Layered Voice Analysis

• Nemesysco’s technology was originally invented in

1997 by Amir Liberman, and is being developed
ever since in consultation with experts from
different relevant fields (psychology, criminology,
phonetics, psychiatry, mathematics and others).
• The technology is based on a proprietary set of
vocal parameters found through research to
correlate with key human emotions, and in
various combinations to be able to identify
 Layered Voice Analysis
• Layered Voice Analysis (LVA™) is Nemesysco's core
technology adapted to meet the needs of various
professional users, ranging from formal police
investigations to security clearances, from vetting and
recruitment needs to personality tests, and from call
center’s quality monitoring to intelligence gathering and
lawful interception multi-channel analysis.
• LVA technology enables better understanding of your
subject’s mental state and emotional reaction at a given
moment by detecting the hidden emotional cues in his
or her speech. The technology identifies various types
 Layered Voice Analysis

• LVA uses a unique mathematical process to detect

different types of patterns and anomalies in the speech
flow and classify them in terms of stress, excitement,
confusion and other relevant emotional states, found
through our 19 years of research to be highly correlated
with these emotions.
The Emotional Diamond
 The Emotional Diamond
• Nemesysco’s Emotional Diamond concept was
developed in 2012 to simplify the visualization and
understanding of the human emotional reaction
complexity as detected by the LVA. It is built of 8
wings: “Energy” at the top, “Stress” at the bottom,
“Logic and confidence” to the left, “Emotion” to the
right, and 4 additional indications displaying levels of
“Passion”, “Uneasy”, “Mental Effort” and
“Concentration” (these are only the main 8 of the 14
emotional states LVA can detect).
• The core principle behind the Emotional Diamond is
that there are no good or bad emotions, as they are
 Layered Voice Analysis

• LVA7 has 3 basic formulas comprised of unique signal-

processing algorithms that extract more than 150
parameters from each voice segment. These are
further classified into 14 major categories of basic
emotions. Depending on the goal of the analysis,
several “Final Analysis” formulas can also be applied
to the emotional parameter data: “Emotional
Diamond Profile”, “Lie Stress” (“Risk Level” analysis),
"Arousal Level", "Attention Level", “Anger or
 fMRI BASED LIE DETECTION

• fMRI based Lie Detection are currently in lot of

demand and has been marketed in many
western countries. The research on fMRI based
Lie Detection began with the aim of identifying
neural systems that indicates deception. fMRI
based Lie-Detection measures physiological
changes associated with cognitive processes
during Deception and does not consider the
emotional aspects of guilt or fear.
 fMRI BASED LIE DETECTION

• The rational for the fMRI based Lie Detection is

based on the observations that making a deceptive
response involves larger activations in the brain
requires greater cognitive resource utilization in
comparison with making truthful response within
the brain. Greater resource utilization produces
more extended activation in the fMRI records
captured time locked to the question demanding
such resource utilization for response.
 POLYGRAPH

www.helik.in
 FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
POLYGRAPH
It is a technique that measures
physiological changes that takes
place in a body of the person
when he/she is asked questions
related to crime in question
which indicates whether an
individual is deceiving or being
truthful.
 THEORETICAL BASIS OF POLYGRAPH

RESPONSE CONFLICT
Physiological changes take place when a subject is
caught between an inclination to tell the truth and a
strong desire to conceal it. Then, he attempts to
suppress the automatic true ‘yes’ response of the
brain and generate a lie and verbalize it by saying
“no”.
 BRAIN MECHANISM

Anterior Cingulate exerts a supervisory control of

our actions by weighing advantages & disadvantages
and the consequences. It also helps us to resolve
conflicts by choosing the best option available in a
given situation.
 POLYGRAPH
Question asked on Polygraph
Perception of threat of possible consequences

Automatic Response of “Yes” V/S Need to Conceal the truth

“Response Conflict”
(STRESS)

“Fight or Flight”
Change in Physiological Response Pattern

Interruption in Physiological Activity

 RESPONSE CONFLICT
Mr. X Visited the GREATER BANK, on 1st February 2018.
Qn: “Did you visit the GREATER Bank on 1st February
2018?
Understanding the meaning of the question.
Remembrance of his visit to the Bank.
Awareness of his visit.
Threat of being implicated
Conflict of Interest & the need to safe guard .
Suppression of awareness & affirmed answer “yes”.
Need to respond negatively
Generating the answer “No”
POLYGRAPH
QUESTION TECHNIQUES
Comparison Question Test

Concealed Information Test

Searching Peak of Tension test (SPOT)

Directed Lie test.

Guilt Knowledge Test.

Revised Affirmative Test.

 Comparison Question Test
Neutral/ Irrelevant Question
Q.Kya aapka naam Suresh hai?

-Comparison Question
Q.Kya aapne kabhibhi kisise zooth bola hai?

-Target/ Relevant Question

Q.Kya aapne Deepak par chaku se hamla kiya tha?
 SCORING PATTERN OF
COMPARISON QUESTION TEST

If Response on If Response on
Relevant > Comparison
Comparison >
Then
DECEPTION Relevant Then
TRUTHFUL

If Otherwise,
Then
INCONCLUSIVE
Deceptive Graph
Truthful Chart
 Diagnostic Features
• Respiration

• Skin Conductance & Resistance

• Blood Pressure
Respiration
• Rate Change: Increase / Decrease / Ratio change
• Amplitude: Increase/Decrease/ Increase followed by
decrease
• Baseline Change: Temporary/ Permanent
• Apnea: Blocking/ Holding
 Skin Resistance & Conductance
• Amplitude

• Complexity

• Duration
 Blood Pressure
• Baseline: Phasic/Tonic

• Amplitude

• Rate

• Premature ventricular contractions

REPORTING POLYGRAPH RESULT

DECEPTIVE OUTCOME

TRUTHFUL OUTCOME

INCONCLUSIVE OUTCOME
 Strength of Polygraph
It is non-invasive technique.

Good screening tool when there are many

subjects.

Complainant ,Witnesses can be tested.

 LIMITATIONS OF POLYGRAPH
Manipulation by subject is possible.

Few studies report poor reliability.

Element of subjectivity in scoring.

Criticism against various question techniques.

Results does not always indicate Involvement

NARCOANALYSIS

Dr. Deepti Puranik

 NARCOANALYSIS

• The history of the use of drugs to alter consciousness

for the purpose of ‘truth-elicitation’ dates back to the
early 20th century.
• The fascination of experimenting with a ‘truth drug’ in
modern medicine started in 1916, while an
obstetrician from Texas, names Robert House, was
attending a routine home delivery. While searching for
a scale to weigh the newborn baby, noticed that the
mother, who was still under anesthesia, could
remember where exactly she had kept the scale.
 NARCOANALYSIS

A solution of Sodium Pentothal is administered

intravenously with < 1% concentration of the drug.

Drug is administered so that the person is relaxed,

disinhibited and is open to talk.

Amount of drug needed to produce the desired state

various from person to person
 HOW DOES SODIUM PENTOTHAL ACT?

Sodium Pentothal act in the FRONTAL LOBE OF THE BRAIN and removes
person’s inhibition.

Causes person loose ability to define, generate & perform purposive

behavior & anticipate consequences or regulate performance.

It produces a sense of well being and removes conscious control over

person’s behavior.

Person gets into a state of “disinhibition”.

 Theoretical basis

• Psychoanalytic Viewpoint- Free Association

• Role of Suggestibility
• Possible Action of Drug
• Neuropsychology Model
 Psycho-analytical Viewpoint

• A person uses defense mechanisms to cope with the

feelings such as anxiety, guilt and shame or when the
person perceives threat.
• Psychoanalysis helps the person to gain insight into
these unconscious unresolved conflicts.
• Free Association
• Narcoanalysis creates a similar state of mind in the
individual by relaxing him/her and thus leading to a
 Role of Suggestibility
• Suggestibility- “Responsiveness or susceptibility to a
psychological process such as a hypnotic command
whereby an idea is induced into or adopted by, an
individual without argument, command or coercion.”
• As per Gudjonsson, individual’s suggestibility depends
on his/her cognitive coping strategies during the
interview. Thus, the questioning technique that we use
is of utmost importance.
• When in the state of trance during Narco-analysis,
suggestibility could get heightened.
 Actions of the Drugs
• The Neurochemical and Neurophysiological action of
these drugs have revealed their possible influence on
our behavior.
• The drugs act on Central Nervous System to inhibit
anxiety and induce sleep and also relax skeletal
muscles through their ability to inhibit spinal
polysynaptic afferent pathways.
• During Narcoanalysis, the person’s inhibitory control
over their behavior becomes limited, thus the subject
becomes disinhibited.
 Neuropsychology Model

• Frontal lobes are control centres for our cognitions,

emotions and motor behavior.
• The inhibition of functional areas of the brain along
with their functional activities are directly controlled
and optimized by the orbito-frontal functional system
in association with baso-temporal structures.
• These Neural structures are responsible for the most
striking features of our brain functioning like self-
monitoring, self-generating and self-regulating
 Ethical Considerations

Adherence to DFS & Human Rights guidelines.

Adherence to the Working Procedure Manuals.
Conductance of Pre-Post Test Counseling.
Obtaining Written Informed Consent for Tests.
Obtaining Court Order for Narcoanalysis.
BRAIN ELECTRICAL OSCILLATION SIGNATURE
PROFILING (BEOS) IN FORENSIC CASES
 SEARCHING
EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE
 FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
BRAIN SIGNATURE PROFILING

This technique is developed by Prof. Dr. C.R.

Mukundan.
This scientific technique that analyzes the
electrical activation related to the presence
of Experiential Knowledge which is the
memory acquired by an individual
participating in an event, i.e. a crime.
When the evidence for a
Crime needs to be elicited
from the suspect…

Computer Analogy: Information about the crime is stored in the

BRAIN of the perpetrator.

Brain Electrical Oscillation Signature Profiling:

A method of retrieving information related to a crime (Experiential
Knowledge) from the brain of the perpetrator by refreshing the
memory through providing contextual information.
Experimentation –
 EXPERIENCING

Live through Come into contact

Suffer Undergo
Be subjected to Encounter Participate
Happening Occurrence in life
 Dual Processing Model
(Mandler)
Most of Perception is
RECOGNITION

FROM KNOWLEDGE BASE FROM

EXPERIENCE
“Knowing”
“This is a pen” “Remembering”
“This is MY pen”

DIFFERENT BRAIN STRUCTURES INVOLVED

• Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex
• Anterior Cingulate Cortex
EEG STUDIES

Knowing – POSITIVITY AT 200 – 800 ms

Remembrance – POSITIVITY BEYOND 800 ms

 Two Types of Memory
Knowledge v/s Experience
Recognizing by Knowing and Recognizing by Experience -
Familiarity Remembrance

I know Priya. It was Sunday evening.

She stays in Nasik. I met Priya at Nasik Station.
She works in a bank. We had coffee at Café Coffee day.

Time & Space Reference

 RECALL FROM RECALL FROM
KNOWLEDGE BASE AUTOBIOGRAPHIC MEMORY
“Knowing” “Remembering”
 DUAL MEMORY SYSTEMS
Mandler (1980)
1- KNOWING
Recognizing using retrieved Information –
Matching External Model with Internal Model –
Engram

2 - REMEMBERING
Autobiographic Episodes,
Recreation of Sensory – Motor imageries &
Emotional effects
 DUAL MEMORY SYSTEMS
Mandler (1980)
1- Knowing using retrieved
Information
Matching External Models with Internal Models
(Engrams/Memory Traces) for Recognition of
objects/persons/entities/
conditions/changes/ideas/meaning -
Memory (Knowledge Bank) of Conceptual Information may often be
used for Recognition (Knowing)
Memory of Experiences Acquired during participation in
Acts
Remembrance of Autobiographical Episodes in
life may be Cued by Words or Stimulus referring
to it.
Occurrence of Remembrance
is Mandatory & Automatic,
when cued by a stimulus
MULTI STAGES OF REMEMBRANCE
 Concept of “Experiential Knowledge”
Information about the crime is stored in the brain of the perpetrator as Experiential
Knowledge.

This is always acquired through willful actions, participation, performance & responses in an
event.

Electrophysiological changes seen during recall of Experiential Knowledge as a Signature of

the related action performed by the individual.

The Signature is absent if the individual has not performed or participated in a particular act.
 Use of Probes to evoke Remembrance
I decided to eliminate her.
I started planning how to do it.
I knew what I must do.
I decided on a day
I carried a knife on that day.
I met her at district office.
We spoke for a while.
Then she sat in my van.
I drove the van.
I drove to her house.
We reached her place.
I saw her getting out of van.
I started climbing the stairs.
She came behind me.
She came up and opened the door.
We went inside her house.
I sat in the sitting room.
I saw her going to bedroom.
I followed her into bedroom.
I walked behind her.
I was walking close to her.
I removed the knife.
I went up to her before me.
I caught her from behind.
And pressed her mouth tightly.
I slashed her neck with knife.
I saw her bleeding.
I saw her falling down.
After that, I left her place.
I locked main door from out.
I drove my van.
Back to my office.
 PROBES
Neutral items used for detection of semantic
1 CATEGORY I processing. For e.g. Wind blows, Traffic on road,
etc.
Scenarios of Events confirmed by the Suspect and
2 CATEGORY II the Investigating Officer (IO). For e.g. details of
marriage, occupation, etc.

Target scenarios – Events / Actions suspected to

3 CATEGORY III have occurred / committed by the suspect, which
the suspect denies.

The suspect’s version of the events that took place,

4 CATEGORY IV which the IO does not agree with.
 The Subject
The Subject sits with eyes closed for auditory probes.

He/she is only expected to listen to or watch probes.

The Subject is not expected to respond to Probes.

The Subject’s attentiveness and presence of mental activities are monitored.

The probes are presented in a sequential order to create the contextual reference of event.

The electrical activity in the brain is continuously monitored and recorded.

 RESPONSES
Primary processing –
The subject registers the auditory probe that is just presented to him/her.

Encoding –
Understanding of the meaning of the probe takes place helping the person recall the event.

Familiarity -
The subject identifies the information presented to be familiar if present in Knowledge Base.

Experiential Knowledge –
Activation of brain areas indicating presence of memory as a Signature.

Emotional Response –
Awareness of participation leads to overwhelming emotional reaction.

ONLY LAST TWO INDICATE ONE’S INVOLVEMENT

response
Response
Automated Computation
& Reporting
 Application of BEOS
BEOS Profiling is an effective technique and can be applied to
various criminal cases for the purpose of investigation such as

• Identifying involvement of an individual in a particular case,

• Identifying roles played by each person in a criminal case (in
cases wherein there are more than one person involved),
• Identifying if a person is involved in one particular crime & not
in another crime (in case of habitual offender)
• proving innocence.
Criminal Behaviour and Rehabilitation
• Criminal Psychology: A field of Psychology, which studies the will,
thoughts, intention, and reactions of criminals.

• Forensic Psychology: Branch of Psychology that attempts to understand

human behaviour directly related to legal system that embraces both
criminal and civil law.
 What is Criminal Behavior????

• Antisocial Acts that places an individual at risk of becoming the

focus of the attention of criminal and legal professionals.

• However, defining criminal behavior is difficult. What is considered

as criminal behavior is not stable over time
 4 Broad Definitions (Andrew & Bonta, 1998)

• Legal Criminal Behavior: Actions prohibited by State, punishable under law.

• Moral Criminal Behavior: Actions that violate norms of religion & are punishable by supreme
being.

• Social Criminal Behavior: Actions violating norms of customs or traditions & punishable by
community.

• Psychological Criminal Behavior: Actions that are rewarding to individual but inflict pain or loss
on other.
 Comparing Crime rate from 1953 to 2013.

Year Total Cog Murder Kidnapping Robbery Riots Rapes

Crimes under
IPC

1953 6,01,964 9,802 5,261 8407 20,529 2487*

2013 26,47,722 33,201 65, 461 31,927 72,126 33,707

SOURCE: National Crime Records Bureau

* The bureau has maintained Data only from 1971
 Different Crimes
• Murder • Stealing
• Sexual Offences • White collar crimes
• Theft • Breaking signals
• Economic Offences • Cheating
• Kidnapping • Bribing
• Fraud • Threatening
• Document forgery
• Terrorism
• Riots
Throughout history people have tried to explain why a
person would commit crimes. Some consider a life of
crime better than a regular job—at least until they are
caught.
 Understanding
Crime

Psychological
Biological Factors
Factors

Social Factors
 IQ & Crime
Farrington’s longitudinal study as well as other studies found an IQ gap
between offenders and non-offenders of between 9 & 14 point.

Intellectual imbalance: A significant difference between verbal &

performance IQ scores. Offender populations are almost always found to
have significantly lower verbal scores, but not lower performance scores,
than non-offenders.
 IQ & Crime
• The most usually explanation for the IQ leads to antisocial behavior via
poor school performance.

• Low IQ sets individuals on a trajectory beginning with poor school

performance that results in a number of negative interactions with other
people in the school environment, which in turn leads to dropping out of
school & association with delinquent peers.
 Biological Factors

The Criminal Gene

• Cesare Lombroso (1876) argued that criminals were genetically different from
non-criminals and this difference could literally be seen in their faces. He said
murderers had “cold, glassy, blood shot eyes, curly abundant hair, strong jaws,
long ears and thin lips” , while sex offenders have “glinting eyes, strong jaws,
thick lips, lots of hair and projecting ears”
 Biological Factors
• Body Type: Physical Differences between criminals and Non criminals.

• Eysenck’s Personality traits: Criminals show higher levels of Extraversion

(Lower level of Cortical Arousal), Psychoticism (More tough mindedness) and
Neuroticism (Higher level of Autonomic arousal).

• Neurotransmitter imbalances, hormone imbalances, central nervous

deficiencies, autonomic nervous system variation.
 Biological Factors
• Genes play an important role
Women: XX
Men: XY
Occasionally, some men born with XYY
Extra Y: Extra Masculine.

• However, theory criticized as what in case of women offenders.

• Although some case, this pattern was found, but not in case of all offenders.
 Neuropsychological Theories

• Studies on Head injuries & Criminal Behavior

A) Penetrative head injuries
B) Closed Head injuries
Cognitive Functions Affected
Personality changes may occur
Cause for unrealistic/grandiose thoughts
 Neuropsychological Theories (Studies)

• EEG studies: higher abnormal activities in the brains of aggressive/ violent

offenders than non offenders.
• PET studies: Evidence that metabolism of a chemical based on glucose is lower
in parts of brain of some criminals.
• Offender groups found to have greater rates of head injuries .
• Difficulties around the time of birth and early brain damage associated with
violent crime.
 Psychoanalysis & Crime
• Manifesting disturbances of the Ego that result in their incapacity to be
honest.

• Bowlby:- “Neopsychoanalysts : Early separation of a child from its mother.

• Separation of ties between mother and child destroys emotional bond

between two, which is essential for social development of child, which may
lead him to crime.
 Wilson and Herrnstein’s Net Advantage Theory

• Net Advantage: It refers to the fact that any choice that we make
are based on the cognitive and emotional calculations we make
before deciding on a course of action relating to the possible
positive and negative consequences that may result from choices.
 Diagrammatic Presentation of Net Advantage Theory

Temperamental and cognitive
deficiencies render socialization
difficult; also, lack
of attachment to
prosocial others
Impulsiveness, low IQ, weak Inability to calculate long-
conscience. Negative term consequences of
interactions behavior; discounting CRI ME
with prosocial others punitive consequences

363
 Social Learning Theory

• Modeling Effects

Imitation: Children imitate their parents. If parents have history of criminal

record, higher possibility that a child will imitate and take the same role.

Role Models: The role models such as ‘film stars’, ‘Gang Leaders’ etc have a
negative influence on the youth.
 Glenn Walter’s Lifestyle Theory
• Cognition refers to cognitive styles people develop as a
consequence of their biological- environmental conditions and the
pattern of choices they have made in response to them. Lifestyle
criminals display cognitive features or thinking errors that make
them what they are.
 Diagrammatic Presentation of Criminal Lifestyle Theory

Conditions Choices Cognition Behavior

Early biological Choices resulting Cognitive style Pattern of behavior; CRIME

and from conditions formed by choices; rule breaking,
environmental “thinking errors” impulsiveness,
experiences egocentrism, etc.
and personal traits

366
 Mental Disorders & Crime

• Mental illness is just one factor that may play a role in some incidents and
types of criminal behavior.

• Mental disorder and criminal behavior are distinct concepts that sometimes
overlap.

• Some mental disorders have been empirically associated with criminal

behavior (antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy).
Conflicting goal of the Mental Health & Criminal
Justice System

• Conflicting goals of the mental health and criminal justice systems make it
difficult to understand and respond to mentally ill offenders and to understand
the relationship between mental illness and crime.

• According to Blackburn, “concerns about the ‘psychiatrisation’ of crime … have

been paralleled by concerns over the ‘criminalization’ of mental disorder.”
 PSYCHO-SOCIAL VARIABLES

• Personality Traits • Cycle of Abuse

• Unemployment • Peer Influences
• Education • Drug & Alchohol
• Poverty • Media Influences
• Familial Influences • Labelling
 PSYCHO-SOCIAL FACTORS
• Personality Traits and Crime
Antisocial Personality Disorder or Conduct Disorder are certain personality
disorders leading an individual to crime.

Deceitfulness as seen in lying or conning others

Engages in illegal activities
Aggressive behavior; violence
Lack of guilt or remorse
Irresponsible in work & with finances
Impulsiveness
Reckless disregard of safety for self or others
Insensitivity
 Personality Variables
• Low Self Esteem
• Low confidence level
• Low Frustration Tolerance
• Helplessness
• Low Self Control
• Low Self concept
• Lack of Empathy
 EMPLOYMENT
• Youth Unemployment leads to boredom, lack of status, alienation,
different values and ofcourse lack of resources.

• Unemployment is one of the important reasons for increased social

disintegration, crime.

• Sudden change in Socio-demographic varibles due to IT Boom, BPO’s

etc.
 EDUCATION
LACK or POOR EDUCATION

Learned Poor Job Prospects

Helplessness

INCREASE IN CRIME RATE

Poor Problem
Solving Skills Lower Income
 POVERTY
“The poverty of our century is unlike that of any other.

It is not, as poverty was before,

the result of natural scarcity,

but of a set of priorities imposed

upon the rest of the world by the rich”.

 Family as a Variable

Family
Interactions

Family

Family Family
Disruption Size
 Familial Variables
• The family environment is critical to the upbringing of a child and if problems
exist then the child is most likely to suffer the consequences.

• Families with poor communication and weak family bonds have been shown
to have a correlation with children's development of aggressive/criminal
behavior (Garnefski & Okma, 1996).

• Family structures: Large Families, Poor Attention to Individuals.

 Familial Variables
Research shows:
• Punitive child rearing Practices and attitudes (strict Discipline,
Authoritarian attitudes).
• Lack of love or Rejection in families.
• Poor monitoring and lack of supervision.
• Family Disruption (Separations, divorce, Instability, Marital
conflicts).
• Deviant Parental Characterstics (Criminality, substance abuse).
 Child Abuse

• Children who are neglected or abused commit

substantially more crimes later in life than others.
• Abuse could predispose a child to risky, self destructive or
aggressive behaviors.

Heightened risk of
Childhood Abuse
Violence & Sexual Crimes,
(emotional, physical
Antisocial Personality
or sexual)
Traits, etc.
 Psychological Models of the cycle of Violence

Social Learning theory

Abusive Parents Model
Abusive Childhood Experiences

Attachments Theory
Insecure Resist against
Attachments Mother

Adult Violence, Crime

Deficient Social Information Processing
Abused Children attribute hostile
intention to others

Post Traumatic Stress

Post Traumatic Re enact the
Symptoms Experience
Emotional Regulation
Dissociate from Experience Difficult to
Limited Emotional Range Identify Emotions
 PEER INFLUENCES
• A person's peer group strongly influences a decision to
commit crime.

• Youth may indulge in criminal gangs, since membership in

a gang earns respect and status in a different manner.
 DRUG AND ALCOHOL
• Drugs and alcohol impair judgment and reduce inhibitions,
giving a person greater courage to commit a crime.

• The urge to commit crime to support a drug habit

definitely influences the decision process.
 MEDIA INFLUENCES
• The mass media exerts an indirect role in increasing crime rate.

• The public’s perception of victims, criminals, deviants, and law

enforcement officials is largely determined by their portrayal in the
mass media.

Video Games & Programmes that depict

Violence & Aggression on TV,
Exaggearated & Biased News Coverage.
 Am I a
LABELLING Criminal for
my entire
life?
• Once a person commits the first criminal act,
they are labeled negatively as a “Criminal”

• The label becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

• The notion that these people are criminals from

birth is so embedded in Indian society that
harassment, racial discrimination, and prejudice
seem to be standard practice without any
accountability or justice being taken.
“CRIMINAL COMMUNITIES”

• During the British Rule, there was even a custom of

labeling some of the communities in different regions of
the country as “criminal communities” and individuals
born in those communities were “born criminals”.
However, these labels continue to be commonly used even
today in spite of changes in legal as well as living status.
 CULTURE & CONFLICT
• Mass Violence, Riots
• Cultural Practices – Gender roles, Religious Practices
• Extremist Ideology – Terrorists, Naxal Activists
• Geographical Divisions
• Intolerance to Diversity

Crime touches lives but divide communities.

Fear of crime can further lead individuals to crime.
 Religion & Terrorism
• Religion: Refers to both the Personal Practices related to Communal faith and to group rituals
and communication stemming from shared conviction.

• Communal Violence: Refers to a situation where violence is perpetrated across ethnic lines,
and victims are chosen based upon ethnic group membership. (Horowitz, D.L. (2000)

• Terrorism: Acts of violence intentionally perpetrated on civilian non-combatants with the goal
of furthering some ideological, religious or political objective. (Borum,R.(2004).
 Religiously Motivated Terrorism

• A common theme was that ‘Terrorism’ is rooted in Childhood abuse. Mause (2002) observes
that “The roots of terrorism lie not in this, but in the extremely abusive families of the
terrorists.”

• Hacker (1976) concluded that “remediable injustice is the basic motivation for terrorism”.

• Martha Crenshaw (1985) suggests that there are at least four categories of motivation among
terrorists: (1) the opportunity for action, (2) the need to belong, (3) the desire for social
status, and (4) the acquisition of material reward.
 Religiously Motivated Terrorism
Jones (2008) stated that some common themes to religious terrorist across traditions are
1. Humiliation( of Family or Community),
2. Apocalyptic Vision (Cosmic struggle of all good versus all evil),
3. Demonizing the other (Enemies cannot be argued with, they can only be Destroyed),
4. Rage of Purification (Stern says that religiously motivated terrorism is often a “project of
purifying the world through extermination”),
5. Union with God (Religious Redemption),
6. Sanctification with Violence (sanctioning violence and killing and by providing a moral
justification for terrorists’ actions done in the name of God)
 Punishment & Rehabilitaion
• Not the only ways in which justice can proceed
• Restorative justice: Righting of the wrong done to victims
• Encourage Offenders to reflect upon their harmful behavior.
• Utilize method of reconciliation and mediation
 Rehabilitation Program
• Allowing prisoner to obtain an academic degree or vocation
• Proper employment facilities for individual’s who has completed their
punishment
• Treatment facilities for individual’s with mental illness
• Cognitive behavioral program most commonly used in prisons in UK
• Sexual Offender Treatment Program
• Risk Assessment should be carried out
THANK YOU