Book Review: Campbell, J., & DeNevi, D. (2004). Profilers: Leading Investigators Take You Inside the Criminal Mind. Canada: Prometheus Books. 377 pp

• Author: Michael H. Corcoran
• Published date: 01 September 2007
• Date: 01 September 2007
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0734016807305975
• Subject Matter: Articles

description of effective report writing includes a valuable illustrative sample. The third

section also covers the subject of court testimony, including pretrial preparation and a lot

of very practical information on giving effective testimony. It concludes with a presentation

on case law that illuminates practical matters faced by law enforcement officers involved

in DUI detection and arrest.

Despite its limitations, the manual provides all of the information needed for an officer

to identify and investigate possible cases of DUI, to prepare comprehensive reports, and

then to testify in court as needed. The writing style and level are appropriate, though the

occasional result of careless proofreading can be corrected in the next edition.

David J. Hanson, Emeritus

State University of New York, Potsdam

Campbell, J., & DeNevi, D. (2004). Profilers: Leading Investigators

Take You Inside the Criminal Mind. Canada: Prometheus Books. 377 pp.

DOI: 10.1177/0734016807305975

When I first laid eyes on the book, recognizing the authors from previous books, I have

to admit a certain amount of anticipatory excitement on my part. I thought, perhaps this is

a book for the investigator who wants to know more about the workings of the criminal

mind. Or perhaps the curious layperson who has often thought about what it would be like

to look inside the mind of a violent criminal but has no more idea of what it involves other

than what they have seen on television or in the movies.

Once the reader scans the table of contents however all that changes, at least for anyone

who has any real understanding of this topic. For the names cited and the articles/chapters

reproduced for this book are from truly the most skilled and knowledgeable experts of this

craft in the world. Regardless of the reader’s level of proficiency in dissecting or analyzing

a crime, crime scene, or criminal, it can be safely assumed from the onset that the method-

ologies, reasoning, structure, and organization these authors bring to their perspective fields

are the most notable and noteworthy for any student of the art of “profiling.”

It starts appropriately with chapter 1, giving the reader a strong understanding of the history

of how the process begins. It explains the convoluted yet incredibly necessary incremental

steps to achieve the goal of resolving the criminal puzzle. And then just to reinforce the

comprehension, an example is given and explained for the reader’s thorough comprehension

of the process. This is followed by a quick chapter to explain in more depth exactly the

nature of psychological profiling added to this overall art, and the reader is then taken into

the first real hardcore world of the criminal . . . the homicidal perpetrator.

These authors now begin to expand on the model of profiling. By using psychological

motivators along with the historical underpinnings of specific suspects to formulate positive

suppositions of predictability, this information will aid any investigator in his quest for a

suspect of a crime. It enables any student of this system to narrow their focus onto the real

evidence and to better interpret inert characteristics of crime scene evidence. As the reader

continues into the book, he will find much more data and references to substantiate findings

and to assist in constricting his or her opinions to what is significant . . . and what is not.

284 Criminal Justice Review