Psychology of Death Investigations: Behavioral Analysis for Psychological Autopsy and Criminal Profiling

The Psychology of Death Investigations emphasizes the importance of behavioral evidence in incident reconstruction and outlines how it can provide unique leads, correct false assumptions, enhance investigative awareness, and solve cases in surprising ways. It is written to provide practical information for a basic psychological analysis and to assist with unravelling ambiguity about the manner of death, particularly in cases where the circumstances surrounding a death are equivocal. Behavioral profiling can help to focus the potential pool of suspects in homicide cases.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

The Psychology of Death Investigations provides a comprehensive framework for understanding how behavioral evidence can be invaluable in complementing physical evidence in incident reconstruction. To effectively guide an investigation and prioritize leads, death investigators must establish the manner of death, which can be natural, accidental, homicide, or suicide. However, the psychological dimension of death investigations often goes overlooked, offering unique insights that can lead to the correction of false assumptions, enhance investigative awareness, and ultimately solve cases in surprising ways.

In approximately 10-20% of cases, the manner of death remains undetermined or is inaccurately categorized, highlighting the need for practical guidance in conducting basic psychological analysis. Recognizing the limitations of behavioral consultants in many jurisdictions, this book aims to provide valuable information for conducting psychological assessments. When the circumstances surrounding a death are ambiguous, psychological consultants can compile retrospective information about the mental state and potential motives of a deceased person to assist in unraveling the confusion surrounding the manner of death. This serves as the primary purpose of a psychological autopsy, making this book the first of its kind to dedicate solely to this topic.

In the event that the manner of death is determined to be homicide, behavioral profiling can be a powerful tool to narrow down the pool of suspects. By applying cognitive awareness and psychological logic, professionals and students alike can benefit from the insights and techniques presented in this book. Psychologists, medical examiners, coroners, attorneys, fraud examiners, law enforcement personnel, death and homicide investigators, as well as students enrolled in criminal profiling, forensic psychology, and criminal justice programs, will find this resource invaluable in their work.

Weight: 413g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367778804