53 pages • 1 hour read
Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit
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Essay Topics
What is profiling, or criminal investigative analysis? What does it encompass? Does it have scientific validity? Why or why not?
What was J. Edgar Hoover’s legacy? How did it impact Douglas’s career and the field of behavioral science?
Compare and contrast signature and modus operandi. Provide examples of each to support your response.
Describe the relationship between the FBI and Native American reservations. Has this relationship improved since Douglas’s time?
What is the relationship between the FBI and local law enforcement?
What is the “homicidal triad”? How was this theory developed and does it have scientific validity? Why or why not?
What is the difference between a serial killer who is psychotic versus one who is a psychopath? Provide examples from the text to support your response.
What are Douglas’s views on the role of psychiatrists and mental health professionals within the criminal justice system? Do you agree or disagree with his views?
Describe the development of the insanity plea throughout history. Is it a popular defense?
At the end of the book, Douglas discusses unsolved cases like the Green River Killer and the BTK Strangler. In these situations, he provided a profile, and the cases have since been solved. In what ways do the offenders match Douglas’s profiles? In what ways do they not match the profile?
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