So You Want To Be A Criminal Profiler?

When you teach forensic psychology, the question students ask the most is how do I become a profiler? This question also appears on the frequently asked questions section of the FBI website.

Given the popularity of the CBS drama criminal minds, the how do I become a profiler question is going to be asked more than ever. The aim of this article, therefore, is to address whether becoming a criminal profiler is a realistic career aspiration.

Criminal Profiling in the USA

So You Want To Be A Criminal Profiler?

The FBI doesn't actually have employees with the job title profiler. However, special agents at the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC) at Quantico, Virginia do construct profiles of unknown offenders as well as offering case management advice, threat assessments and interviewing strategies to law enforcement agencies both home and abroad.

You cannot simply apply to the FBI and immediately become a NCAVC agent. A basic requirement is three years service as a FBI special agent. However, such is the competition for places, successful candidates tend to have up to 10 years of service behind them along with experience investigating violent and sexual crimes and abductions.

In terms of educational requirements an advanced degree in a Behavioral or Forensic Science is often listed as preferred qualification.

It is possible to work at the NCAVC without being a special agent. these professional support positions include Intelligence Research Specialists, Violent Crime Resource Specialists, and Crime Analysts. These are essentially research positions so an in-depth knowledge of research methodology, data collection and analysis is required.

Whether you are applying to become a NCAVC agent or a research specialist you can expect to have complete a range of written and psychometric tests.

Criminal Profiling in the UK

If you think getting into profiling work in the USA seems a difficult proposition, the chances of doing it in the UK are even more remote.

In 1995 Gary Copson conducted a comprehensive survey of police use of profiling, which among other things addressed the questions, who are the profilers? What are their qualifications? What do they actually do?

Who are the profilers

The Copson study found that profilers define themselves as having relevant expertise for a particular criminal
investigation, although this expertise is not confined to one profession or academic discipline.

In total 29 profilers were identified in the course of the study, the make-up of which was as follows:

4 forensic psychiatrists

5 academic psychologists

4 clinical psychologists

6 forensic psychologists

3 therapists (unspecified)

4 British police officers

1 British police scientist

1 British police data system analyst

1 American law enforcement agency

Qualifications

Psychiatrists are qualified doctors of medicine who undertake postgraduate training in psychiatry. Psychologists have both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in their specialist area and may have secured chartered status through the governing body that oversees their professional development. Police officers who undertake profiling work have usually studied psychology as a postgraduate.

What do they do?

As with any form of profiling, the principal aim is to generate a behavioural composite of an unknown offender so that it tells you something about the personality of the individual.

In the Copson study 184 accounts of profiling are documented. In 111 of these cases the profiler put his/her advice into writing. An analysis of the content of these written reports revealed 10 main areas of advice.

Features of the offence

Character of the offence

Origins of the offender

Present circumstances of the offender

Criminality of the offender

Geography of the offender

Predicted future behaviour of the offender

Interview strategies to be adopted

Threat assessment

Specific police recommendations.

So you still want to be a criminal profiler?

Good for you, but bear in mind that very few people get to do it as a form of career.

My advice would be to concentrate on doing well within a broader field e.g. psychology, while at the same time pursuing your interest in profiling as often as you can. For instance doing a profiling related final year project or dissertation.

You can find out more about pursuing a career in profiling by visiting http://www.all-about-forensic-psychology.com/fbi-profiler.html

So You Want To Be A Criminal Profiler?
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Having worked as a lecturer in psychology in the UK, I recently moved to sunny Spain with my family, where I now work as a distance learning tutor and research dissertation supervisor.

Since 2000, I've been involved in collaborative research with teams of forensic scientists in the UK, US and Canada.

Keep up-to-date with the world of forensic psychology by reading the forensic psychology blog. This regularly updated blog addresses the most common issues and questions raised by those thinking of or currently studying and working in the field. Among the topics covered are career and study options, forensic job opportunites, conference listings, internships, forensic research and psychological research methods.

http://student-guide-to-forensic-psychology.blogspot.com/

Deficiency Judgments After Foreclosure - Do Banks Really Sue For Them?

Homeowners facing foreclosure are often concerned that the auction of their property will not be the end of their financial and legal worries. The threat of a deficiency judgment being initiated by the lender after the sheriff sale is always being raised by foreclosure consultants, attorneys, and representatives of the bank trying to wring more money out of borrowers. But finding actual cases of deficiency judgments against the average homeowner can be extremely difficult.

Is this an indication that banks are not pursuing deficiency judgments, or is it simply that these types of lawsuits are so rarely mentioned? Finding actual statistics relating to this type of lawsuit is difficult, and proving that they are rare can be even more trying, as it is nearly impossible to prove a negative. The absence of judgments against homeowners does not mean that they are never brought; after all, maybe every foreclosure victim defends the case and wins. Or these lawsuits are just rarely talked about. Or maybe former homeowners have deficiency judgments against them but, since they moved out of the house where paperwork was served, they are not even aware of it.

So finding evidence of deficiency judgments after foreclosure is not easy. Not for me, and seemingly not for other researchers online. Frank Llosa from FranklyRealty.com also wonders where these lawsuits are and comes to some of the same conclusions as we have, although he approaches it from the angle of banks bidding on properties at auction for the total amount due on the loan, thereby eliminating the possibility of a deficiency: "Why would they take over the property at 0,000 OVER what is it worth and let the previous owner be releaved [sic] from further obligations?"1

Deficiency Judgments After Foreclosure - Do Banks Really Sue For Them?

He suspects that the missing lawsuits may be an indication of the fact that foreclosing lenders, "figure it is a waste of time and effort for the banks to go after the homeowner since they are broke." This is much the same seemingly reasonable solution that I have raised before; after all, why would a lender, who has been thus far unable to collect on a foreclosure judgment, spend more time and money pursuing deficiency judgments against former clients?

The Florida Asset Protection Blog also mentions the possibility of deficiency judgments in cases where a second mortgage is present, but admits no personal experience with such lawsuits: "I have not seen any case to date where a first or a second mortgage lender has sued the homeowner personally." Same here, and these deficiency judgment laws, in the states and under the conditions in which they are allowed, have thus far proven to be unused weapons, similar in volume of enforcement to jaywalking violations.

Taking a look through actions in the local courthouse is also a bit of a wild goose chase, as there are far more foreclosures than deficiency judgments. In fact, there are no deficiency judgment cases that I could locate listed in my local court system. And this is in a state with a quick process and such lawsuits are allowed after the sheriff sale. Dozens of foreclosure cases, both open and closed, are listed, but no deficiency judgment cases involving the same defendants as the foreclosure cases in any of the listings I could find.

And online, instances of this type of lawsuit can most often be found in estate cases and auto loan repossessions, but not real estate foreclosures. Of course, this makes more sense, since someone who loses a car can still be served with lawsuit paperwork at a current address, car loan outlets have more access to local courts, and the small amount of an auto loan deficiency may be reasonably expected to be paid back.

Since it seems that deficiency judgments during foreclosure are quite rare, why are lenders not pursuing them right now? As has been discussed here before, it is usually just not worth the bank's time to sue people who admittedly have little money. About.com states that, "In many cases, your lender will not go to the trouble. Legal action is expensive and time consuming, and people who just suffered a foreclosure often don't have the assets or income needed to satisfy a deficiency judgment." People with no job, assets, or not enough income may also be "judgment proof," meaning that, even if the bank got the deficiency judgment, it could not be enforced or collected.

And when families are made homeless because of the actions of the bank, it may be difficult to get a legitimate judgment against people who can not be reasonably located to be served with court documents. Few former homeowners leave a forwarding address when the move out of a property before eviction, being completely aware of the fact that their lives would be much simpler without further correspondence from the mortgage company. Since the bank suing for the deficiency is obviously also responsible for the fact that the defendants may not have a current address, former homeowners later claiming the lawsuit was never properly served is not a difficult argument to make.

Also, an important point for homeowners to remember is that, if they put down less than 20% of the purchase price, they are probably paying Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI). Even though the homeowners themselves pay the PMI premium on a monthly basis, this kind of policy insures the bank against the default of the loan, and if an owner goes into foreclosure, the insurance will pay the bank the amount of the mortgage left unpaid. Therefore, if a mortgage is covered with PMI, the bank can collect the insurance on the policy they forced on the borrowers instead of seek a deficiency judgment. Citifinancial itself states that, "If you have Private mortgage insurance, a lender can use this money to offset any losses instead of getting a deficiency judgment."

Now, investors and second home owners who have substantial assets may be at higher risk of being sued than first homeowners. But this is a very recent 2008 development. Robert Levin from Fannie Mae, announcing changes in the first quarter of 2008, stated that, "We are pursuing deficiency judgment against investors and second home borrowers." Will this be the case in all second home or investment home foreclosures by Fannie Mae? Only time will tell, but there is still little evidence that any deficiency judgments have been pursued thus far, and the nationalization of the mortgage giants will probably change this plan.

In fact, with the nationalization of the banking system and the Government Sponsored Enterprises, it is highly unlikely that any borrower whose loan that is taken over by the government will be subject to a deficiency judgment lawsuit. Instead, the politicians, in order to soften the backlash against the 0 billion bank bailout and to reassure constituents, will push much harder for loan balance writedowns, interest rate adjustments, and other loan modifications to make mortgage more affordable for borrowers.

So, it seems that deficiency judgments have been and will remain quite rare in the mortgage industry. Having extenuating circumstances (lots of land, numerous liquid assets, clear evidence of mortgage fraud) may put certain owners in danger, but the vast majority who took out loans and then faced an economic hardship will continue to have little to worry about from their bank after losing a home. There are just too many problems, from serving the lawsuit, to collecting on it, to bad PR, for the banks to think it is worth the extra bother.

Deficiency Judgments After Foreclosure - Do Banks Really Sue For Them?
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The ForeclosureFish website has been created to provide homeowners in danger of losing their houses with the most relevant foreclosure help and advice available. The site describes various methods that may be used to save a home, such as foreclosure refinance loans, mortgage modification, short sales, bankruptcy, and more. Visit the site to read more articles about how foreclosure works and how the process may be avoided before it is too late: http://www.foreclosurefish.net/

Different Types of Protein

Whey protein is a quickly digested protein, and as such it is ideal to use during workout and post-workout. During the post workout time, there is a great need for amino acids to begin muscle repair and Whey protein is excellent for this. Whey is highly bioavailable, and boasts the highest biological value of any protein source. Therefore, a whey product may be an excellent choice for those looking for a protein product that can be readily used by the body to build mass.

Casein protein is slower absorbing from the stomach and small intestine so the blood amino acid levels don't rise quite as rapidly. The slow absorption will help sustain elevated amino acid levels over a longer period of time. Casein is extracted from the milk through ultra filtration, without the use of chemicals. This process increases the amount of bioactive milk peptides that support immune function as well as enhance muscle growth. Because this type or protein is an extremely slow digesting protein, which some people mistake for being inferior. However casein is a rich protein source that will feed the body at a steady rate, which makes it ideal as a dietary supplement during the day or as a night-time protein to feed the body while you sleep.

Casein is the only protein you should be taking before going to sleep. The reason is because your body needs to be sustained for six to eight hours during your sleep without food. Casein protein is also found in milk but works more slowly and also sticks around in the blood for longer. It also has properties that help prevent muscle depletion. Casein is best taken before bedtime when the body needs a steady supply of proteins while the muscles repair and rebuild during the night.

Different Types of Protein

Egg protein is considered to be one of the best forms of natural protein. The white of eggs contains the proteins. Egg Protein Powder Egg protein is still one of the highest-quality proteins available. It is virtually devoid of carbs and fat, and it is readily digested and absorbed. Egg yolks provide healthy fats, as well as highly bioavailable iron, riboflavin, folate, vitamins B12, D and E, and choline (which enhances strength and brain function).

Different Types of Protein
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