CRIM 375 Exam 3 Study Guide Study Flashcards

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts from chapters 7-9 for CRIM 375.

Confession

Admitting guilt of a crime.

Polygraph

A machine that records physiological responses (perspiration, blood pressure) to psychological phenomena like the stress of deception (60-75% accuracy).

Interrogation

Questions and actions conducted by an investigator to elicit information from a suspect.

False confession

When an innocent individual confesses to a crime or overstates their involvement in the crime.

Verbal behaviors

Easier to control than nonverbal behaviors; indicators of deception include vague answers and conflicting statements.

Nonverbal Behaviors

Facial expressions, body position, and gestures that may indicate deception.

Signature

Unique, consistent behavior for psychological/emotional needs.

Trophy

Reward with intrinsic value for the offender.

MO (Modus Operandi)

Refers to the actions taken by the perpetrator on how they commit the crime.

Geographic Profiling

Identify the area in which the offender lives and/or to predict where the next crime will occur.

Anchor point

Areas where an individual spends most of their time.

Distance decay

The concept that as distance from a perpetrator’s home increases, the likelihood of committing a crime decreases.

Donut Theory

A theoretical model explaining the relationship between crime location and offender's residence.

Linguistic analysis

Analyzes spoken or written words to reveal information about a person and associate crimes.

Staging

Creating a distraction for the police that can also provide revealing evidence.

Digital Evidence

Confirms a link between a device and an internet server and may require a search warrant.

Georeferencing data

Assigns coordinates to images aligning them with a specific location.

Tip Line

A method for citizens to share information with the police via telephone or the internet.

AMBER Alert

America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response. An alert designed to alert citizens of a child abduction.

NCIC

The largest crime information network in the U.S. (National Crime Information Center). Good investigative tool.

Pulling in

Using social media in criminal investigations to gather information (creating an anonymous account, creating a profile under an alias, subpoenas/warrants).

Pushing out

Police notifications of crime that request input from the public.

Reid Technique

A 9-step investigation method relying on confrontation and stress to obtain a confession. Controversial

Nine Steps of Interrogation (Reid Technique)

Confront the suspect directly with a statement that he or she committed the crime

Then wait for a reaction

Classify the suspect as emotional (guilt/respond to emotional themes) or non-emotional (respond to rational themes)

Denials beyond the initial one should be cut off

Objections take place

Make clear the intent of just getting the truth

Continue the theme by showing that a confession is the best course of action

Force the suspect to answer a yes or no question regarding the incident that indicates some involvement

Have the suspect orally relate their involvement

Turn the oral confession into a written one

PEACE technique

A less coercive method of interrogation consisting of five stages.

Kinesic Technique

Assesses whether a subject is truthful by analyzing nonverbal behavior/cues and responses to stress.

Types of polygraph

Different types include relevant-irrelevant questions to determine deception, concealed information-multiple choice questions concerning guilty knowledge of the suspect, and control questions which ask both control (affects the innocent) and crime-relevant (affects the guilty) questions.

Homology Assumption

Offenders with similar criminal behaviors exhibit similar characteristics.

Assumptions in Profiling Process

A crime reflects the characteristics of the offender, their personality will not change dramatically, MO will remain similar across crimes, and offenders signature will remain the same through crimes

Blitz attack

Immediate force to incapacitate the victim, indicating impulsiveness in the offender, lack of social skills, younger, disorganized, impulsive, and angry

Con approach

Using deception or charm to gain trust, suggesting social competence, confidence, and organization.

Surprise attack

An attack that occurs when a victim is vulnerable, attacks without warning, indicating opportunism, less socially skilled, and fearful of confrontation/lack of confidence.

Digital info access requirements

A search warrant is needed, along with proper seizure protocol for devices- device turned off and placed in antistatic packaging, when seizing computers, the information should be obtained from the owners of the devices, as well as those who had access.

Concerns about using Facebook

Privacy settings can limit the information accessible during investigations.

Organized offender

Characterized by an orderly crime scene, high control, and specific demographic traits (same race/age as victim, younger than 35, married, above average intelligence, outgoing, employed, military background, and lives away from the scene.

Disorganized offender

Characterized by a sloppy and disorderly scene, lacking control, same race as the victim, 16 to late 30s, below average intelligence, single, mentally ill, unemployed or low skill level job, live/work near the crime scene, and socially/sexually incompetent.

Effective interrogation prerequisites

A plan, adequate time, control of the conversation, a good understanding of the case facts, familiarity with the suspect’s background, ability to build rapport, and familiarity with persuasive themes, approaches, and tactics.

Crime Scene Assumptions

A crime reflects the characteristics of the offender

The offender’s personality will not change dramatically

The MO and signature will stay the same among crimes

How this might affect the case

They might exclude the real offender

The wrong suspects might be targeted

Case linkage can become unreliable

Profiling loses credibility

Five Stages of the PEACE technique

Planning/preparation

Engage/explain

Account, clarify, challenge

Closure

Evaluation

What happens in even one of the crime scene profiling assumptions is wrong

The whole thing becomes unreliable, the profile can be misleading/inaccurate, they might exclude the real offender, wrong suspects might be targeted, case linkage becomes unreliable, and the profiling loses credibility.

Benefits and Limitations of confidential informants

Benefits- have access to people, places, and information that police do not have, some citizens are scared to talk to police

Limitations- availability of investigators to speak to their informants, developing too close a relationship, informants not doing what is expected of them, informants giving bad information, and investigators being used by informants to eliminate competitors or to commit more crimes.

What are CIs and the types

CIs assist law enforcement in an active and ongoing capacity, usually in drug investigations, and often for some personal benefit

Four types-

Hammered: most common, they cut a deal with the police to avoid arrest or lenient treatment

Mercenary informant: a person motivated by money who sells information to the police

Vengeful informant- a person motivated by revenge against others

Police buff informant- a person who is a fan of the police

Use of deception in interrogation

Interrogators may use persuasion and deceit to get a person to confess: deceive the suspect into believing there is evidence against them, technology used to detect deception (voice stress, polygraph), and misrepresentation of the seriousness of the crime.

Computer v cell phone use

people aren’t using computers as much since we all have cell phones