Crime Linkage: Theory, Research, and Practice [Paperback]

The increasing portrayal of forensic investigative techniques in the popular mediaCSI, for example, has resulted in criminals becoming forensically aware and more careful about leaving behind physical evidence at a crime scene. This presents law enforcement with a significant problem: how can they detect serial offenders if they cannot rely on physical forensic evidence? One solution comes from psychology. A growing body of research has amassed in the area of behavioral consistency and the detection of serial offenders. A number of innovations are taking place in the field that have important implications for the practice of crime linkage and its use by police and the courts. Crime Linkage: Theory, Research, and Practice assembles this research and discusses its practical use.

Topics include:

• Theoretical explanations for how, when, and why we may (or may not) see similarities in a persons crime scene behavior











• Consistency and distinctiveness in sexual offending











• An overview of crime linkage research conducted to date











• The use of crime linkage in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the United States











• New directions for research and practice, including linking across crime types to expand the suspect pool