Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Sexism in Victimology

A man deals drugs in his neighborhood and gets shot and killed in a gang war. The newspaper does not simply say he was the father of three, helped out at the shelter, and had a secret life as a medicine distributor. He is called a drug dealer who got murdered because he was breaking the law and got wasted by his criminal associates. A man breaking into a home gets shot by the home owner. The newspaper does not write that he was a father of three who went to church on Sundays and had a secret life as an unauthorized enterer of homes. He is called a burglar who got shot because he threatened the life of an innocent citizen.

Yet, when a woman is breaking the law, the papers often soften her criminal side and if one dares state what her lawbreaking was about, it is seen as cruel by many. But the law is the same for both males and females and if females break the law and act badly, there is nothing wrong in pointing this out, both for the purposes of honesty and for the purposes of being properly informed so that all of us can react appropriately.

For a profiler, the police and the public, we cannot search for suspects properly or turn in information unless we know the truth and don't water it down. There is possibly a killer out there that we need to get off the streets. It may be a serial killer who targets prostitutes or a ticked off ex-husband who is disgusted with Paige Birgfeld's behaviors. She could have ripped off a john or gotten involved in yet another illegal activity that cost her her life.

As far as blaming the victim, one has to be realistic. Becoming a victim of a murderer can be just bad luck or the victim may have worked overtime to get herself into the murderer's hands and brain. Paige created one very long list of possible killers for the police and public to sort out. She is responsible for who she is and what she did that might have gotten her in trouble or, worse, gotten her killed. Paige likely has already paid the ultimate price for poor decisions and there is a killer out there who needs to pay the price for his.

Let's keep it real and not be sexist when women commit crimes and those crimes do them in. People who live by the sword often die by the sword; the truth may be painful, but it is illuminating.

Criminal Profiler Pat Brown

Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Blaming the Victim Does Not Solve Cases

Anonymous posted a comment to Pat Brown’s Criminal Profiling Topic of the Day: Yes, Paige Birgfeld, Missing Mom, is a Hooker,

“You disgust me. I hope you NEVER have to suffer through what Paige's family and friends are going through right now."

We usually don't answer comments like this, but I am going to answer this one.

My family and I know exactly what Paige Birgfeld’s family and friends are going through right now. Our loved one has been missing for more than 23 years. I hope Paige's family and friends won’t have to suffer like that. No one should suffer like that. But unfortunately, the loved ones of more than 100,000 missing adults and children in this country alone do live with that kind of pain.

Pat's article emphasized the importance of a complete victim profile because it significantly increases investigative avenues and the list of possible suspects. The less that is known about any missing person, the less chance there is of finding him or her. No one is doing Paige any good by denying the truth about her behavior and possible associates. While it is important to understand the relationship between high-risk behavior and victims of crime, it doesn’t mean someone deserves to be a victim, or that the perpetrator of the crime is any less guilty. Blaming the victim is wrong, and is one of the reasons why many cases go unsolved. We believe in solving cases here.

Apparently, my loved one was no angel either, but I didn't get close to the truth of what may have happened to him until I learned the truth about his activities and the persons associated with those activities. I didn't know about these things or people when he was alive, and as painful as it was when I finally did find out, I wish it had been much sooner. Although I was hurt and angry, it did not affect my resolve to find him and bring his killer to justice. Bringing attention to what Paige was involved in may generate important leads for investigators, and just could mean the difference between finding her or not.

To learn what you can do to help missing persons, please visit The Doe Network- International Center for Unidentified and Missing Persons , The North American Missing Persons Network, and Missing Pieces Radio.

Donna Weaver