My career goal is to work for a federal agency, e.g. the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, analysing serial violent crime to link related cases and identify patterns and trends, or for an organisation that uses multidisciplinary technological and practical approaches to locate and recover missing persons and human remains. My research interests are linkage analysis/linkage blindness, patterns of escalating deviant behaviour, geographic profiling using crime-mapping technology, the link between homicide and sexual violence, and databases like ViCAP and CODIS. For my graduate thesis, I would like to do a research project on ViCAP, the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. ViCAP can be a powerful tool for law enforcement, however, it is chronically underused. I would conduct a critical analysis of ViCAP, its strengths and shortcomings as a tool for law enforcement, and its low usage rates. ViCAP usage has increased significantly since the 1990s—when only 3–7% cases were reported—but submitting cases isn’t mandatory and is time consuming (the crime report form is 15 pages). Since Texas and Georgia mandated ViCAP, the drastic increase in case submissions has caused staffing and resourcing issues. As with untested rape kits, there is a backlog in entering crime information into ViCAP, missing and unidentified persons into NamUs, and DNA into CODIS. When tested, states report 20–25% of rape kits return a hit in CODIS and many are serial offenders. Unprocessed data leads to failure to connect related information, evident in multijurisdictional crime investigations. I’d look at nongovernmental databases like the Doe Network and Charley Project, as well as the Murder Accountability Project, which analyses homicide data and crime reporting. I hope to conclude with ways to encourage ViCAP usage and speed up the time consuming data-entry process, e.g. a pilot program using graduate students to input crime information, and give recommendations to policymakers on how to maximise ViCAP’s value to law enforcement. As ViCAP grows, so must its funding and staff. An improved ViCAP would result in better victim outcomes, DNA hits in CODIS to support convictions, and identification and prosecution of serial offenders that pose the greatest risk to society.

I am currently applying for criminal justice/law enforcement programs for Fall 2025 entry. I have applied to the University of Pennsylvania and UC Irvine. I want to go into graduate-level studies open-minded, so I can explore all the available paths and careers in criminology, but I am particularly interested in criminal justice databases like ViCAP and CODIS and organisations that specialise in the location and recovery of missing persons and unidentified remains. My career goal is to work for a federal agency, e.g. the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, analysing serial violent crime to link related cases and identify patterns and trends. I am eager to learn more about crime prevention, recidivism in serial offenders, and criminal apprehension. I’m passionate about racial inequality and discrimination towards marginalised groups and admire the work of nonprofits like the Innocence Project. My other research interests are linkage analysis and linkage blindness, predictive behaviour and patterns of escalating deviant behaviour, law enforcement databases like VICAP and CODIS, and the decriminalisation of sex work. For my master's research project, I will conduct a critical analysis of ViCAP, its strengths and shortcomings as a tool for law enforcement, and its low usage rates. ViCAP usage has increased significantly since the 1990s—when only 3–7% cases were reported—but submitting cases isn’t mandatory and is time consuming (the crime report form is 15 pages). Since Texas and Georgia mandated ViCAP, the drastic increase in case submissions has caused staffing and resourcing issues. As with untested rape kits, there is a backlog in entering crime information into ViCAP, missing and unidentified persons into NamUs, and DNA into CODIS. When tested, states report 20–25% of rape kits return a hit in CODIS and many are serial offenders. Unprocessed data leads to failure to connect related information, evident in multijurisdictional crime investigations. The Joseph James DeAngelo, Ted Bundy, and Pedro López investigations are all tragic examples of police reluctance to acknowledge a serial offender and failure to link cases or communicate with other agencies. I would conduct a thorough literature review of existing literature and look at lessons learned from past cases and state-commissioned inquiries, e.g. The Shipman Inquiry in the United Kingdom. I’d look at nongovernmental databases like the Doe Network and Charley Project, as well as the Murder Accountability Project, which analyses homicide statistics and crime data reporting. I hope to conclude with ways to encourage ViCAP usage by law enforcement and suggestions to speed up the time consuming data-entry process, e.g. a pilot program using graduate students or officers at the FBI Academy to input crime information, and give recommendations to policymakers on how to maximise ViCAP’s value as a law enforcement tool. As ViCAP grows, so must its funding and staff and I hope to be part of that. I aspire to become a US citizen in the future (I am currently a permanent resident in the US) so more career options are open to me, such as working for a government or federal agency.

I am currently applying to criminology master’s programs for Fall 2025 to help me achieve my academic and career dreams and goals. I have applied for criminology programs at the University of California-Irvine and University of Pennsylvania. I have been invited to an interview at UPenn. I also plan on applying for criminology master's programs at Florida State University and either Michigan State or Sam Houston in Texas. I aspire to do a master's research project on the FBI's ViCAP database; a critical analysis of its strengths and weaknesses as a tool for law enforcement. Submitting cases to ViCAP is not mandatory, unlike uniform crime reporting. This unprocessed crime and offender data leads to failure to connect related information. My career goal is to work for a federal agency like the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, analysing serial violent crime to link related cases and identify patterns and trends, or for an organisation that specialises in the location and recovery of missing and unidentified persons. My other research interests are linkage analysis/linkage blindness, patterns of escalating deviant behaviour, the link between homicide and sexual violence, and databases like ViCAP and CODIS. Women and girls are disproportionately the victims of violent and sexual crime but are chronically underrepresented in law enforcement. The Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women crisis is testament to this. As a survivor of childhood domestic abuse and sexual violence, I previously thought my being a victim made me ineligible for a career in law enforcement or criminal justice. It felt like my future was over before it even began, but it was just on hold. I am inspired by the strength of survivors who become advocates for other victims, like Elizabeth Smart and Chanel Miller. Their stories helped me see the value in my own lived experiences and how even the worst moments of my life can enrich and empower me to help others. I am resuming my education after a long career break. I am proud of my resilience and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to gain further education, an opportunity which so many women and girls and survivors of violence do not have. I hope I can inspire other survivors and victims to pursue their dreams and help them see there is a life after abuse. I am worth the dreams I aspire to achieve because every victim deserves a life after abuse.