C. Gabrielle Salfati

The Nature of Expressiveness and Instrumentality in Homicide: Implications for Offender Profiling

One of the main areas of concern regarding offender profiling has been the general lack of extensive empirical studies on the psychological processes underpinning this process. This study aimed to investigate the possibility of establishing a model of homicide behaviors that could be used as a basis for evaluating the scientific validity of offender profiling. A sample of 247 British single offender-single victim solved homicide cases was analyzed using a nonmetric multidimensional scaling procedure known as Smallest Space Analysis. The results indicated that homicide crime scenes could most readily be differentiated in terms of the expressive and instrumental role the victim had to the offender. The backgrounds of the offenders could similarly be differentiated by an expressive/instrumental thematic split. However, when these two elements were combined, there was a substantial mix between crime scene themes and themes of background characteristics. The results are discussed in terms of the validity of classifying homicide into a expressive/instrumental dichotomy and the implications this classification may have for offender profiling.

Offender Interaction With Victims in Homicide A Multidimensional Analysis of Frequencies in Crime Scene Behaviors

Homicide grows out of a transaction between individuals. This transaction is a product of the individuals and their relationship. More may therefore be understood about different “styles” of homicide by examining how an offender acts toward a victim during the crime. The analysis of the actual behaviors used by offenders at 247 single offender–single victim homicide crime scenes indicated a pattern of frequencies that follow a continuum from where the offender reacts in an impulsive way toward the emotions engendered through the conflicted interpersonal relationship with the victim, to where the offender interacts with the victim much more at a removed level, both physically and emotionally. Behaviors can thus be seen to follow a thematic pattern that can be related to underlying psychological principles, which closely relate to how an offender interacts with the victim at the crime scene.

Differentiating sexual violence: A comparison of sexual homicide and rape

Abstract The present study sought to identify consistent patterns in the actions of sexually violent offenders to determine whether sexual homicide and rape reflect different behavioral emphasis of a single thematic model of sexual assault. Crime scene behaviors of 74 (37 sexual homicides and 37 rapes) solved cases of sexual assaults were compared, and results of a multi-dimensional analysis revealed three thematic styles of interacting with the victim during a sexual assault (Exploit, Control, and Violent). Further analysis indicated that offender–victim interactions in sexual homicide and rape are predominantly distinguished by the degree of violence, such that behaviors associated with each type of offense were found to occur in two discrete areas along a single continuum. Findings are discussed in terms of producing a general framework for understanding sexual violent interactions.

Greek Homicide A Behavioral Examination of Offender Crime-Scene Actions

Recent literature suggests that different “styles” of homicide will most appropriately be reflected in the different types of behaviors committed by offenders at a crime scene. These distinctions, it has been proposed, can best be understood using an instrumental and expressive thematic framework to analyze the way the offender acts at the crime scene. Multidimensional analysis was carried out on the crime-scene actions of 210 Greek single-offender, single-victim stranger homicides, with the aim of replicating earlier studies. A multivariate structure resulted, encompassing both hypothesized themes, allowing 63% of the cases to be assigned to dominant styles. Results are discussed in terms of implications for cross-national similarities and differences in the thematic structure of homicide and in terms of future avenues for research.

Canadian Homicide: An Investigation of Crime-Scene Actions

Recent literature suggests that different styles of homicide will most appropriately be reflected in the different types of behaviors committed by offenders at a crime scene. These distinctions, it has been proposed (e.g., Salfati, 2000), can best be understood using an instrumental and expressive thematic framework for the way the offender acts at the crime scene. Multidimensional analysis was carried out on the crime-scene actions derived from 75 Canadian single-offender, single-victim homicides, with the aim to replicate these earlier studies. A multivariate structure resulted, encompassing both hypothesized styles. Results are discussed in terms of implications for cross-national similarities and differences in the thematic structure of homicide and explorations regarding future avenues for research regarding crime-scene classification.

Re-Conceptualizing “Cooling-Off Periods” in Serial Homicide

Cooling-off periods have been described as the state of returning to the offender’s usual way of life between homicides (Burgess, 2006) and are a crucial factor in defining serial homicide (Douglas, Ressler, Burgess, & Hartman, 1986). If the clinical aspect referring to the offender’s emotional and motivational state is removed, these episodes can be aptly termed time intervals between homicides. Factors such as geography, victim selection, and the offender’s level of social involvement may instead serve as more appropriate starting points for studying this concept. In the present study, these factors were examined using 16 series containing 90 time intervals with a reported median interval length between events of 34.5 days.