362616 - Criminological English 1

Universitat de Barcelona
Dr. G.Susanne
mgsusanne@ub.edu

Criminal investigation
Mini test

Fill in with the right word

1. In a __viper_____the suspect’s image is shown to the victim among at least 11

other images to be recognised.

2. Enquiries to the suspect take place to confirm the ___alibi____ and to revise
the evidence.

3. __Audiovisual forensic tools__ are especially important during the

litigation because they can be effective in persuading juries and judges about
how things have occurred, and also which words were spoken.

4. Using adhesive powders to find fingerprints is often called __dusting__ for

fingerprints because they use brushes to powder on the surfaces to
make fingerprints visible. (DUSTING – BRUSHING-ENHANCING)

5. _Data recovery__ computer programs are useful to recover data from

damaged file systems or physically damaged disks.
(IMAGE RECOVERY- DATA RECOVERY- VIRUS PROTECTION SOPFTWARE)

True or false? (T/F)

6. Autopsies are performed to come to a conclusion about the cause of the death
or to interpret injuries. T- F

7. An offender always leaves the same MO. T- F

362616 - Criminological English 2
Universitat de Barcelona
Dr. G.Susanne
mgsusanne@ub.edu

8. The combination of MO, ritualistic behaviour and signature determines the

case linkage elements of the crime. T- F

Open questions

9. Explain briefly how criminal investigators usually collect

fingerprints from the crime scene.

Criminal investigators must collect as much proves as

they can to solve the crime, and one of the techniques
the typically use is dusting for fingerprints, because
any fingerprint found at the crime scene or on items
of investigate interest can be important.
This technique consists in using adhesive powder on
the surface of, for example, a glass where you want to
prove if there are fingerprints or not. Then stick it
with oil. It’s called ‘dusting for fingerprints’ because
investigators use brushes to dust surfaces, and there
only stay the fingerprints, making them visible.
Knowing that fingerprints are unique and not even
twins have the same, you will search this fingerprint
in the data base to see from who it is.
You can find two types of fingerprints; patent
fingerprints, which are direct visible; and then latent
fingerprints, which needs to be treated before the
image turns visible.
362616 - Criminological English 3
Universitat de Barcelona
Dr. G.Susanne
mgsusanne@ub.edu

10. Describe briefly the main characteristics of ritualistic

behaviours.

If we talk about a ritualistic behaviour, one of the

main characteristics is that comes from the internal
psychology of a particular offender. Not only this but
it is also derived from the motivation for the crime
and the fantasies that expresses it. It is called as
ritualistic behaviour because they could try to tell a
story through the different cases and acts or even
connect murders. Another characteristic is that they
are symbolic and highly individualized, so it reflects
the aspects of the crime scene which expresses the
primary motivation or purpose of the criminal act
itself.
Ritualistic behaviour’s examples could be the
mutilation of body parts, leaving the victims’ clothes
neatly folded next to the body, torture, shaving the
public region, etc.