Journal List > Korean J Leg Med > v.40(1) > 1087978

Kim and Park: Linking Wound Interpretation to Behavioral Evidence Analysis

Abstract

In recent years, criminal profiling has received tremendous attention in the investigation of violent crimes in Korea. The basic premise of criminal profiling is that different patterns of offences will reflect differences in personality traits or motives among criminals. This article reviews the concept of behavioral evidence analysis as a method of criminal profiling and proposes the possibility of linking it to forensic wound interpretation. Behavior has different meanings across cultures and localities, and all crime scenes have their own characters and stories, which can be inferred using insight into the dynamics of human behavior. From the criminal profiling perspective, an offending action can be divided into two types: instrumental action and expressive action. In reality, however, violent criminal behavior is extremely variable, and it is difficult to make precise predictions regarding an offender's behavior or personality. For successful profiling, we need to collect unbiased, objective information, including autopsy reports, and forensic pathologists should have basic knowledge about behavioral evidence analysis. The authors insist that the assessment of injury as an offending behavior can be helpful for deducing the motive for the offence and personality traits of the perpetrator.

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