The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds

Ramsland, Katherine M. The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds. New York: Berkley Boulevard, 2010. Print.

This book talks about the reality of forensic psychology as not seen on TV.  The book covers many different aspects of forensic psychology starting with the history of criminal profiling and building up from there to how to even go about developing a profile and how to use that profile on different types of crimes.  Some other topics that are covered include negotiation techniques, profiling on trial and profiling abroad and what to expect in the future from criminal profiling.

This is probably my best source for my project.  It is very informational and really helped clarify criminal profiling.  The book went into depth about some reasons or motives behind some of these killers, which is why I'm doing my project on criminal profiling in the first place.  The book also contains many different case studies done on individuals that I found rather intriguing.

Silence of the Lambs

The Silence of the Lambs. Dir. Jonathan Demme. Perf. Jodie Foster, Lawrence A. Bonney, Anthony Hopkins. Strong Heart/Demme Production, Orion Pictures Corporation, 1990. DVD.

The movie Silence of the Lambs is about  FBI agent, Clarice Starling, who is sent to talk to notorious serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lector, to try and get information out of him about a recent serial killer who skins his victims.  Lector doesn't make it easy for Clarice, he gives her the answers she is looking for in cryptic messages.  Once Clarice figures out Lector's game, she is able to solve the case.

This movie is very suspenseful and thrilling.  It can make you squirm in your chair, because of the graphic nature, but since it was made in 1991, they don't show much blood and guts.  This movie was made around the time that criminal profiling started to take off and many people started to take and interest in criminal profiling after this movie came out.  The movie is a little inaccurate about how criminal profiling in the FBI really works, but most movies now-a-days stretch the truth for better entertainment value.  The camera angles used really helped make this movie.

The Serial Killers

Vlatko. "Serial Killers." Top Documentary Films RSS. TDF, 2013. Web. 05 May 2013.

The Serial Killers documentary is a documentary about some the most infamous serial killers.  Some of the serial killers mentioned include Kenneth Bianchi, Ted Bundy and Henry Lee Lucas; they give first-hand accounts of their brutal crimes.  The documentary also examines the sadistic crimes of other lesser-known serial killers/murderers.

I found this documentary very chilling.  It makes me ask myself how people can harm other people in such a brutal manner.  Yet in a way, it is very interesting because of the fact that we don't believe we are capable of such horrors.  That is why I chose this topic, because it is a topic everyone is interested in but doesn't want to admit they are interested in it because of it's gruesome nature.  People are curious about things that aren't like themselves or the society they live in, so they take an interest in those things.  Which is why there are so many movies and TV shows about crazy, deranged psychopathic killers.