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Criminal Investigative Psychology
Criminal Profiling
Christina Gooden
English 122
Mrs. Bowman
May 10, 2010

Criminal Profiling has been made a desired profession by the popular TV shows such as Law and Order and Criminal Minds, but in reality, criminal profiling has been a source for Law Enforcement since the early 1100s. The first documented use of criminal profiling was the demonization of Jews, better known as “Blood Libel”. These accusations are still used against Jews today, unfortunately. Criminal Profiling was also used in the Salem Witch Trials to decide who could be classified as Witches and the Spanish Inquisition in order to identify Muslims. The tactics and knowledge base that was used almost one thousand years ago, is …show more content…

As the crime rate grows in this country and the criminals become more sophisticated, the investigative tools of the police officer must also become more sophisticated. One such sophisticated tool does exist and may help answer the question commonly voiced by police and others at the scene of a violent crime, "Who would do a thing like this?" This tool is the psychological assessment of crime profiling. (Ault & Reese, 1980) Police Departments and Government agencies and offices across the world are now using criminal profiling on a daily basis to help aid in catching dangerous criminals.
There does not, however, seem to be a normal way of practicing the act of criminal profiling, the norm tends to differ from agency, department and individual. Criminal profiling is in fact a Science, and in some courts, still not accepted as a logical resource for detaining the most dangerous criminals, in fact many still walk because of the controversy of Criminal Profiling. There will always be that shadow of doubt when it comes to assessing a criminal based on experimentation and history. Just like any science there is no hard evidence that will back it up and allow it as a way of life. The solution of crimes is the most difficult task for the police. The officer must arrive at

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