Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Overview of criminal profiling
Overview of criminal profiling
Theory of criminal profiling
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Criminal profiling has become a very popular and controversial topic. Profiling is used in many different ways to identify a suspect or offender in a criminal investigation. “Criminal profiling is the process of using behavioral and scientific evidence left at a crime scene to make inferences about the offender, including inferences about personality characteristics and psychopathology” (Torres, Boccaccini, & Miller, 2006, p. 51). “The science of profiling rests on two foundation blocks, basic forensic science and empirical behavioral research. Forensic science includes blood spatter analysis, crime scene reconstruction, and autopsy evidence. Empirical behavioral research identifies offender typologies, relates crime behaviors to suspect identifiers, and determines base rates” (Cook & Hinman, 1999, p. 239). Criminal profiling is the main subject of many books, television shows, and movies for entertainment purposes, which is why it is typically more fiction than fact. I think that this could be a logical reason as to why criminal profiling is so widely used and why it is largely misunderstood and misinterpreted. Movies and television shows portray criminal profiling as 100% accurate and widely accepted. Profiling is typically shown in cases that involve violent crimes such as murder and rape. Contrary to popular belief, criminal profiling is applied to every type of crime not just murder (Bartol & Bartol, 2012). Most of the studies conducted about criminal profiling focus of those of violent criminals (Cook & Hinman, 1999). With that said, criminal profiling of serial killers has intrigued people more than any other investigative technique. I believe this is because people find murderers more interesting than thieves. The entertai... ... middle of paper ... ...oi:10.1177/0306624X02239273 Kocsis, R. N. (2003). Criminal psychological profiling: Validities and abilities. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 47(2), 126-144. doi:10.1177/0306624X03251092 Pinizzotto, A. J., & Finkel, N. J. (1990). Criminal personality profiling: An outcome and process study. Law And Human Behavior, 14(3), 215-233. doi:10.1007/BF01352750 Snook, B., Eastwood, J., Gendreau, P., Goggin, C., & Cullen, R. M. (2007). Taking stock of criminal profiling: A narrative review and meta-analysis. Criminal Justice And Behavior, 34(4), 437-453. doi:10.1177/0093854806296925 Torres, A. N., Boccaccini, M. T., & Miller, H. A. (2006). Perceptions of the validity and utility of criminal profiling among forensic psychologists and psychiatrists. Professional Psychology: Research And Practice, 37(1), 51-58. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.37.1.51
Forensic Psychology: Criminal Profiling - Peter Dupas Research Research Questions: - What is criminal profiling and what is its purpose? - What are the description and summary of Peter Dupas' crimes, including any signature behaviors? - What is the offender's history (criminal/personal), characteristics, employment status, socioeconomic status, marital status, and prediction of future behaviors? - If a stalker, what type of stalker is Peter Dupas, and what are the reasons for stalking? Notes in Point Form only: - Criminal profiling is a technique used to assist in identifying and apprehending likely criminal offenders for a crime.
Some consider racial profiling a viable tool to reduce crime. The New Century Foundation, a non-profit organization based in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Oakton, VA, published a report on the American Renaissance website, stating that African-Americans commit 90% of the approximately 1,700,000 interracial crimes of violence that occurs every year in the United States. They are more than fifty times more likely to commit violent crimes against whites than vice versa. According to this same report, African-Americans are much more likely to commit violent crimes than whites and wh...
In personality disorders, psychologists argue that specific personality characteristics of an individual may influence crime. That is, depending on people’s emotional and behavioral qualities of an
Used all over the world, Offender profiling can be used to narrow the field of investigation for law enforcement. The four different approaches of criminal profiling can be
Description of offender’s psychological history and functioning at the time of the offence is based on statistical approach which involves the analysis of behavioural and other relevant information found at the scene of crime in order to infer ...
Winerman, L. (2004). Criminal profiling: The reality behind the myth. Monitor on psychology, 35(7), Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug04/criminal.aspx
Offender profiling is often promoted as being a proven method in assisting criminal investigations and catching criminals, but there remains an abundance of inconsistencies and issues surrounding this method within the criminology and criminal justice field, and on its eligibility to be used as a solid method of apprehending offenders. Evidence gained within approximately the last decade strongly supports the argument that offender profiles are not useful for police to use in investigations. This essay will outline the reasons why offender profiles are not useful in police investigations, and will address how offender profiles can negatively influence an investigation and its outcome, reflect upon the reality that offender profilers are not regulated, and discuss why offender profiling is not an accurate science. The use of offender profiles can negatively influence an investigation and its outcome.
This profiling, also known as criminal profiling and offender profiling, is the designated way that attempts to connect an offender or supposed offender’s activities at the scene of a crime to their specific attributes and behaviors so that detectives, investigators and other law enforcement personnel are able to narrow down and organize a pool of suspects. This is helpful because it creates something that they are able to educate the community about so they can prevent future victims. The police are able to have the profile needed to look even further for suspects if needed; however, because this narrows down their choices, they are able to go after the suspects that are most likely to have been involved (Campbell, 2010). The courts are able
Criminal Profiling Criminal Profiling has had a huge impact on the outcome of solving crimes in the United States. Criminal Profiling is using the behavior of the UNSUB (unknown subject) and the way he/she is committing the crimes to form a profile of the UNSUB to help catch that person. This way of catching the UNSUB is highly effective because it allows the policemen, and sometimes the public, a description of the criminal that will help identify them if seen where the crimes are taking place. During a case when the FBI agents are putting together a profile they keep in mind these things: the manner in which crimes are committed, the location of the crimes, the choice of victims, the type of crime, the timing of the crimes, any communications from the UNSUB, and the condition of the crimes scenes. Looking at the manner in which crimes are committed, you find the similar patterns in how the crimes are committed and what kind of person usually commits crimes in that certain way.
Having grown up in a third world country where crime and poverty are dominant has offered me a different view of the world. This has left me with a hankering to understand and explore the working of the mind and human behaviour. One of the many questions that has plagued many of us, “Why do we do the things we do?” is one of my main reasons for undertaking this degree. The fact childhood experiences can shape the individuals we become is quite an enthralling concept. I would like to understand what it is that makes us different, and if there are ways in which to change the outcome of our personality. I decided to do Psychology along with Criminology because I think the two go hand in hand. I would like a better insight of the criminal mind in order to figure out the reason behind them committing the act.
A large misconception of criminal investigative analysis is that there is a difference between profiling and criminal investigative analysis. Criminal Investigative Analysis is the same tool as criminal profiling and there is no true difference. A survey was done by Torres and the survey consisted of a couple of questions about profiling and about criminal investigative analysis asked to mental health professionals with profiling knowledge. The following table contains the results from the
Blickle, G, & Schlegel, A 2006, ‘Some personality correlates of business white-collar crimes’, An International Review, vol. 55 no. 2, pp. 220-233.
A popular image many have when envisioning a criminal profiler’s profession became popular from fictional novels and television shows, such as Sherlock Holmes or “Criminal Minds.” This reoccurring persona of a criminal profiler has been seen as someone who evaluates criminal evidence, can create a definite description of the offender and undeniably identify the guilty offender. However, despite the popular images, according to Holmes and Holmes (2002),
Roland, Paul. In The Minds of Murders, The Inside Story of Criminal Profiling. Edison: Chartwell Books, Inc., 2009.
I now know that criminology prefer to highlight the correlations between crimes’ social climates and criminals’ psychological states of mind. While some argues that criminal behavior is a result of individuals’ association with criminal peers, other claims that crime is a reflection of an individual’s genetic disadvantages. I have come to learn that there are no universally agreed formulas on decoding crimes and criminal behaviors. What we have, however, is a manual full of academic opinions and subjective views that have emerged alongside of the development of criminology. At the same time, the volume of conflicting perspectives that I have stumble upon in studying criminology reminded me again that the success of our current assessment models has yet to be determined. Thus, the study of criminology is an appropriate practice that will further prepare me to conduct meaningful research on legal studies and to provide accurate and in-depth findings in the near