Criminal Profiling: The Psychology of Violent Crime

What drives a person to kill? How do investigators reconstruct the psychology of a violent offender from the evidence left at a crime scene? What are the real capabilities - and limits - of criminal profiling? In Criminal Profiling: The Psychology of Violent Crime, André Kologeski presents a rigorous and accessible exploration of behavioral evidence analysis, from the founding of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in the 1970s to the most current developments in investigative psychology, geographic profiling, and AI-assisted offender analysis. Drawing on landmark cases, peer-reviewed research, and the work of pioneering figures such as John Douglas, Robert Ressler, David Canter, and Robert Hare, this book examines the organized/disorganized offender typology, crime scene staging, sexual homicide, arson psychology, victimology, and the controversial limits of profiling as a forensic tool. Written for students, law enforcement professionals, legal practitioners, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of psychology and criminal investigation, this work offers both the theoretical foundations and practical applications of one of the most misunderstood disciplines in forensic science.