Criminal psychologists contribute invaluable assistance in identifying and handling offenders. Profiling and assessing criminals along with serving as expert witnesses in court are their primary duties.
To identify the culprit within a specific case, experts use criminal profiling. This involves creating theories about his or her background, categorizing what …show more content…
For instance, if the criminal is concluded to have been legally insane at the time of the offense, he or she may be sent to a secure hospital. Such was the case with murderer Robert Napper. An analysis of Napper’s background revealed that he had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and paranoid schizophrenia. Because of this, Napper was committed to Broadmoor, a high-security psychiatric hospital, in 19954. Undoubtedly, the role of the criminal psychologist in dealing with offenders post-arrest is essential to a fair trial and sentence.
Criminal psychologists are considered expert witnesses in court. Provision of data from relevant field studies is a key aspect of their role in the legal system. Often they use general psychological experimental data. However, specialized cases may require criminal psychologists to conduct specific field studies. As expert witnesses, criminal psychologists may compile a report of a defendant’s mental state and provide his or her expert opinion to attorneys and judges. Their judgment is valued and taken into serious consideration in …show more content…
Inside the bomb, which never exploded, was a note that expressed a grudge against Con Edison and plans to plant more bombs under theater seats in the near future. The existence of the note indicated that the bomber never intended for the bomb to detonate. Undetonated bombs continued popping up all over New York. As the mechanics of the bombs began showing increased expertise, police worried that extensive damage would be done should a bomb explode. Soon the bombs did start to detonate, injuring a total of 15 people. Anxious police contacted respected criminal psychologist Dr. James Brussel in hopes that he could help identify the Mad Bomber. Brussel’s prediction of the culprit’s appearance and location is renowned for its accuracy. He believed that the offender would be male, middle-aged, a foreigner, sturdily built, very neat, Roman Catholic, unmarried, and living with a sibling. Additionally, Brussel concluded that, as a man who keeps with the times, the culprit would be wearing a buttoned up double-breasted suit when arrested. As the bomber clearly possessed grievances against Con Edison, records were thoroughly searched to find someone who had previously worked there and fit the profile. Finally, they came across one George Metesky, who had been involved in an accident which led him to have tuberculosis and had been