Evidence about Jack’s Personality:

The “Dear Boss” Letter

The FBI Profile
Please Note: Criminal profiles like this are usually only about 50%
accurate.
A 1988 FBI report, prepared by Supervisory Special Agent John E. Douglas, claims that serial
killers such as Jack the Ripper generally begin committing their crimes in their mid to late 20s.

However, most of the known Ripper suspects were older than this, and most of the
witnesses describe men who looked older.

The report also said that about half of all serial killers grow up with an "absent father" and a
"domineering mother" as the killer's family background, failing to create a "stable" home life. The
murderer would have been quite withdrawn and shy in company. As far as the victims he chose,
the Ripper likely killed prostitutes "because they were readily available".

However, these generalisations only hold true for about half of all serial killers that have
been brought to justice.

Solitary/Social

1. Below is a table that you will all need to complete: You can work on this in pairs or
individually, depending on your preference.
 Jack the Ripper FBI Profile Is there evidence of this in the letter? What other evidence is there to
On the lines/between the lines/behind support this? Make suggestions
the lines
was a white male, 28-36 years of age;

was of average intelligence, lucky not

clever;

did not have medical knowledge or

surgical expertise;

was a quiet loner;

was of lower social class;

hated, feared, and was intimidated by

women;

did not write any of the “Jack the Ripper”

letters, and would not have publicly
challenged the police;
did not commit suicide after the murders
stopped;

was single, never married, and had

difficulty in interacting with people in
general and women in particular;
lived or worked in Whitechapel, and
committed the crimes close to home;

had a poorly paid job with little or no

interaction with the public;
was employed Monday to Friday,
possibly as a butcher or hospital
attendant (London Hospital was nearby);
was nocturnal (active at night) and not
accountable to anyone;

blended in with his surroundings;

had poor personal hygiene, and

appeared dishevelled;

was the product of a broken home

(parents divorced), and lacked consistent
care and stable adult role models as a
child;
was raised by a dominant female figure
who drank heavily;

internalized his anger (would appear

calm but hid his rage and anger);

drank in local pubs prior to the murders;

Choose the concluding activities based on your choice of interest, learning style or reading and writing ability. Try to
choose an activity that will interest you but will also be challenging.
Logic and explanation – word list
Here is a list of words that could be used to describe Jack the Ripper. Choose the 10 ones you think best fits his personality
based on the deductions you have made from the “Dear Boss” Letter by crossing out the ones you don’t want.

 Psychopath Using your key words produce a short profile of Jack the Ripper to be sent to the Metropolitan Police
 Caring Force in London to help them catch Jack. Use headings and bullet points to structure your profile.
 Sarcastic
 Weak
 Tortured
 Poor
 Doctor
 Lonely
 Well known
 Drunk
 Foreign
 Evil
 Savage
 Unloved
 Highly Educated
 Butcher
 Confident
 Pathetic
 Sad
 Angry
 Boastful
 Brave
 Liar
 Mocking
 Victim
 Calm
 Lucky
 Married
 Intelligent
 Disgusting
 Shy
 Murderer
Linguistic/Language Focus questions:
Answer the following questions in short paragraphs:

1. What does the letter suggest about the motives of the killer?

2. Why do you think the letter was sent to the Central News Agency and not the police?

3. What sort of personality does the murderer appear to have? Explain your answer referring to
details in the letter.

4. Does the evidence in the “Dear Boss” Letter support the FBI profile? Justify and support your
conclusion.
Spatial/Visual/Kinasthetic Mind Map
2. Build up a portrait of Jack the Ripper by adding deductions you have made about his
personality from reading the “Dear Boss” letter.
 Use key words, ideas and images.
 Use categories to group different aspects of his personality you have deduced from the
evidence in the letter in blue ink
 Add details from the FBI profile in red ink that you cannot find evidence for in the letter.