How does a criminal think?

A dive into her world criminology: now with the help of technology one can step into the role of a burglar or virtually get involved in a bar fight… It sounds like a video game setting, but for the Department of Criminology, Security and Law at the Max Planck Institute in Freiburg it’s just… one more day at the office. A new lab was inaugurated on Friday, and according to the institute, it is the first independent research lab to use virtual reality technology in studies and experiments. That is, it involves the creation of a virtual environment through computers. “We create realistic scenes,” says the head of the Department of Criminology at the Max Planck Institute in Freiburg, Jean-Louis van Gelder.

With the help of headphones and modern technology, the participants in the experiments will be placed virtually in the “crime scene”. Among other things, scientists want to observe the human eye and analyze the pattern of its movements. So researchers seek to study how criminals make their decisions and what goes on inside their heads while committing a crime. “We know a lot about crime, but little about criminal behavior, since most crimes happen without observers,” says van Gelder. He believes that it is important to understand the crime and the perpetrators themselves.

What do perpetrators fear most?

The results of the research are then to be incorporated into the training of police schools and the school of Judges to contribute to new strategies and laws. According to Association of German Criminologists, this lab isn’t just a game – however, it’s not yet certain what exactly will happen there. In any case, virtual reality technology has already been found useful in cases such as the representation of crime scenes. The Ministry of the Interior of the state of Baden-Württemberg wishes to cooperate in the field of security research. “Forensic research can make a significant contribution to building a more accurate picture of crime,” explains a representative of the ministry. Thus, for example, a better classification of the victims’ behavior becomes possible.

A virtual break-in of an apartment may thus show how this works in an experiment of the Max Planck Institute. The participants of the experiment suddenly find themselves in a residential area and explore it as if they wanted to break into apartments there late at night. However, this virtual area is densely populated – the alleys are lit, residents are in apartments and making noise… Does this deter burglars? Are the perpetrators more afraid? How do they plan their crime under these circumstances? What can prevent a burglary? Scientists hope to be able to provide answers to all these questions.

DW / Christian Yohner (dpa) / Editor: Chrysa Vachcevanou

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