|
|
The Profiling Method(s)
Online Chat with John Douglas on ABC, June 2000
ABCNEWS.com, June 22 — What makes people kill?
In his latest book, The Anatomy of Motive
(Scribner, June 1999), former FBI profiler John
Douglas and co-author Mark Olshaker explore
the development and evolution of the criminal
mind. Drawing on cases from today’s headlines,
the authors penetrate the minds and motivations
of mass killers, examining what causes violent
sociopathic behavior and how to anticipate it
before it’s too late.
John Douglas joined ABCNEWS.com earlier
today for a live chat.
Moderator at 3:58pm ET
John Douglas now joins us. Welcome to the chat! Let's
begin ...
Kathy Garner from [153.34.182.250], at 3:58pm ET
Do you think that the "sociopathic mind" is created or
genetic? Can someone "create" a criminal mind through
poor parenting? Thanks!
John Douglas at 3:59pm ET
I believe that the criminal is made and not born -- that
people are basically good. The violent offenders who I've
interviewed in the past have, by and large, come from
very dysfunctional families. However, this doesn't mean if
one comes from a dysfunctional family they'll grow up a
criminal.
James Smith from [198.45.19.20], at 4:00pm ET
It seems like a disproportionate number of serial killers
are white males. Does our society, with its inequality
between races and sexes, somehow encourage white
males to view women and people of color as somehow
"less than human" and therefore make it easier for them to
detach and kill?
John Douglas at 4:03pm ET
I've testified in and investigated cases where the subjects
have been African American males. The most historical
case for me was in Atlanta when I profiled that the killer
would be an African American and he was, in fact, an
African American. Since then, I've seen an increase in the
numbers of African American serial crimes. So, I don't
believe it's necessarily as disproportionate as it was at one
time. However, I do find that the white male appears to
be much more violent to the victims during the assault than
African Americans, as evidenced oftentimes in the
torturing of victims prior to killing them.
Joe R Nebraska from [204.26.93.194], at 4:04pm ET
Why are most serial killers typically from the U.S.? Could
our society be a key role in this crisis?
John Douglas at 4:07pm ET
With 260 million people in this country, there's certainly a
lot more potential for us to have serial killers. However, I
do know for a fact that the former Soviet Union had and
continues to have serial killers in many Eastern block
countries. England has had its share of serial killers. In
Italy, they have several serial killers -- one of which they
refer to as the "Monster of Florence" who killed a couple
ever year in a lover's lane for 17 years before he was
caught. However, in America, we do seem to have our
share of killers. At any given time, we have between
35-50 serial killers operating in our country and they seem
to gravitate to parts of the country where they can find
"high-risk" victims -- for example, prostitutes, street
people, drug addicts and runaways.
Rob@Missouri from [198.209.19.203] at 4:07pm ET
I've read all the books that you and Olshaker have
written, and even your manual on how to get a career in
the FBI! My career ambitions are to one day make it to
the FBI and to he Investigative Support Unit itself. I'm
going to be a senior in college this fall, any advice? The
FBI has been my dream since first learning about the
Pinkertons in elementary school.
John Douglas at 4:11pm ET
The FBI is the primary agency in the U.S. that's doing the
criminal profiling. A lot depends on the degree you have. I
had criminal profilers I trained in the past who had
degrees in business administration or even music.
However, that's going to change. What I would
recommend is to look to the schools offering undergrad
and graduate degrees in forensic psychology. No matter
what your degree, the key factor is to do research from a
law enforcement or investigative perspective, which means
going into the prisons armed with the information about
the person or perpetrator and his crime. Remember: "To
understand the artist, you must first look at the art work."
Ellen from [199.98.183.250] at 4:11pm ET
Anticipating sociopathic behavior is one thing. Can
anything really be done to correct that behavior before a
person becomes a serial killer?
John Douglas at 4:14pm ET
Yes. The early warning signs generally will show up
before kindergarten, in pre-school. If attempts are not
made to change some of these behavioral patterns, law
enforcement will probably be investigating a crime
perpetrated by this person in the future. Some of the early
warning signs I've written about in the past include arson,
bed wetting due to emotional (not physiological) problems
and animal cruelty. If attempts are not made to counsel
this child, the basic thinking pattern will be set and it will
become very difficult to change this child's behavior by the
time he or she may even get to middle school.
Carol in Illinois from prmx.com at 4:15pm ET
What can you tell me about the rail killer, Ramirez other
than he's extremely dangerous and unpredictable?
John Douglas at 4:18pm ET
In all probability he's been killing for many years.
Generally someone who perpetrates these types of crimes
doesn't usually surface at age 39 -- they usually surface in
their mid-20s. The major problem for law enforcement
and the major concern for all of us in the U.S. is that
Ramirez is not discriminating as to who his victims will be.
As I said previously, serial killers generally pick high-risk
victims. Ramirez is selecting victims at random for
purposes of obtaining transportation, food, money -- and,
secondarily, having sex with some of the female victims.
The nature of Ramirez and the nature of the criminal
personality in a fugitive status is to travel to an area of the
country where they feel or have in the past felt
comfortable. That's what I'll be attempting to do at the
request of America's Most Wanted -- to predict where
Ramirez will travel next.
Susan Leighty from zarembagroup.com at 4:20pm ET
Who do you feel was the most intelligent of the serial
killers you have profiled, and why?
John Douglas at 4:23pm ET
The Unabomber. He had a 155 IQ. He was a genius. He
had many people believe that his primary motivation was
against technology. However, my assessment was that he
was nothing more than a typical serial killer -- albeit a
bright one -- who's primary motivation was to put the fear
of God into this nation's people. Had he not written the
manifesto, we never would have had anyone recognize his
handwriting -- which his brother did, in fact, do and
immediately he notified the FBI.
Sheila from gale.com at 4:23pm ET
Have you seen NBC's Saturday night drama "The
Profiler"? Is the show anything close to reality?
John Douglas at 4:26pm ET
I saw it. They basically ripped me off by using all of my
books as resources. The NBC show mistakenly gives the
viewer the impression that the profiler is more of a psychic
than a criminal profiler -- i.e. when she (the profiler) has
flashbacks of the crime scene etc. Police are going to be
the ones who ultimately will solve the case. As a profiler,
your role is to serve as a guide for the investigation,
advising investigators along the way. Your role is not to
slap hand cuffs on to the suspects.
Ron from [209.107.40.1], at 4:27pm ET
How can you tell the difference between adolescent
rebellion and potential anti-social behavior that would lead
to killing, revenge actions, acting out on anger, etc.
John Douglas at 4:28pm ET
If the adolescent becomes obsessed with violence --
reading violent stories, looking at violent movies and video
tapes, obsessed with guns and knives, turns out to be a
bully in the neighborhood, and begins to make either
direct or veiled threats against others -- that's certainly a
potential problem. A problem that, if left unaddressed, will
probably end in some type of violent act.
Dan Wetherton from [198.31.42.66] at 4:29pm ET
Based on your study of the criminal mind, are you more
sympathetic toward killers or more at ease with whatever
punishment they receive?
John Douglas at 4:33pm ET
I have conducted interviews with serial killers where I've
felt that had this person been raised in the right
environment, they wouldn't have turned out the way they
did. However, I don't excuse behavior once they have
perpetrated a violent crime. I know from my research that
they basically have no remorse for what they have done,
that they do know right from wrong, and that at the time
they committed the crime they were making choices. My
empathy is for the victims of these violent offenders who
we seem to forget as years go by. My sympathy toward
the victims is that they had no choice. Only the subject
was making the choices -- the wrong choices. As a result,
I often feel the perpetrators are not punished strongly
enough. I discount the notion of rehabilitation for any of
them.
Arthur in Alabama from [204.29.92.198], at 4:34pm
ET
What "clues" from crime scenes do you use to determine
characteristics of a killer? How did you know the Atlanta
killer would be African-American?
John Douglas at 4:37pm ET
I knew that the killer in Atlanta would be an African
American after assessing the modus operandi that was
being utilized by the perpetrator. A white person would
have been unable to go into these communities and abduct
and murder these children unnoticed. Behavior reflects
personality. Dead people tell tales. So it's my job to
assess the victim and assess the nature and methods in
which the victim was assaulted based upon my research
findings, based upon the thousands of cases on which I've
worked and the hundreds of violent offenders I've
interviewed.
Steve Climer from [204.151.23.136], at 4:37pm ET
As a writer of horror fiction, I'm concerned about my
work being a negative influence. What type of
responsibility does an artist or media have?
John Douglas at 4:38pm ET
No murder mystery, no pornography and no violent movie
will make a normal person commit a violent crime.
Amy Rita, Forest Park, IL from [209.240.200.55], at
4:39pm ET
Is it true that most serial killers get caught due to the fact
that they are indeed "showing off" & game playing?
John Douglas at 4:41pm ET
There are different types of serial killers. Some want to be
in the limelight and read about themselves in the
newspapers. Others don't care -- they're not interested in
the publicity. David Berkowitz (Son of Sam killer), the
"Hillside Stangler" in California, the "Night Stalker" in
California are some examples of serial killers who sought
publicity.
BelleRio from [207.86.67.12], at 4:42pm ET
We mostly hear about men as being serial killers but have
you come across the same tendency in women and, if so,
is it a growing phenomenon?
John Douglas at 4:43pm ET
I mention women killers in my book The Anatomy of
Motive. They generally have similar childhood stressers
where they have been neglected or abused in some way.
However, they have a tendency to internalize their feelings
and become self-destructive (turning to alcohol, drugs,
prostitution and suicide) rather than aggressing or
becoming predatory. When they do kill in a series, they
tend to kill people they know, not strangers.
N-A from [128.192.76.168], at 4:45pm ET
What guidelines would you suggest for raising a well
adjusted child in these times?
John Douglas at 4:45pm ET
There's no substitute for a good father or mother who
cares and loves their children.
David from Illinois from xsite.net at 4:46pm ET
What are your views about gun control? Does a handgun
in the household really make much of a difference to the
seasoned serial killer?
John Douglas at 4:47pm ET
Generally, serial killers do not use guns. The majority use
very personal weapons such as instruments that cause
blunt forced trauma or manual or ligature strangulation or
the use of a knife.
Chris from [166.41.91.177] at 4:47pm ET
Are "Hitman" considered serial killers? Or is the serial
killer label reserved for a specific type of killer?
John Douglas at 4:48pm ET
The Hitman is a serial killer but his motivation is entirely
different. The Hitman is doing a retaliatory act related to
some criminal enterprise.
Moderator at 4:49pm ET
Thanks for joining us today John. Any final thoughts?
John Douglas at 4:50pm ET
I hope you enjoy my new book, The Anatomy of
Motive.
Top of Page
|
|
