Overview of Criminal Profiling Essay

When criminologists build criminal profiles, they think about how the killer gained access to the victim, what the killer did to the victim, if the killer tried to cover his or her tracks and how, what about the victim attracted the killer to target them, and what motive or fantasy drove the killer to hurt the victim how and where they did.

To begin with, what type of jobs come to mind when you hear Criminal Justice? Most may say police officer, correctional officer or even judge but there are more intricate careers when dealing with the law. Psychology plays a major part in the Criminal Justice field. Psychology deals with the mind and behavior but it gets more complex when you involve law. There are four discrete roles of Psychology when discussing the law which are applied scientist, basic scientist, policy evaluator, and advocate. They all have important roles in order to complete the mission of case.

They tend to spend a lot of time in the the field taking photographs and bagging things used for their research while also making artistic sketches and and “portraits” of the crime scenes or areas of animal poaching.While all of this may seem easy or a load of work to some they also have to write an astounding amount of reports for the crimes they investigate. When they work in the field of criminal investigation if there is a homicide they have to take blood samples and do lab work to try and figure out who it belongs to and if there's any blood samples of a stranger.

In addition to education, is the importance of training in this field. It takes specialized qualifications to have the ability to do this job. In the column “Criminal Psychologist Career: Job Duties, Skills, and Education,” the author writes about some of the qualifications needed to do this job. “Criminal psychologists must be adept at communicating effectively with others, including listening actively, and empathically. As a result, they must be experts in psychology, law, and oftentimes forensics as well,” (“Criminal Psychologist Career: Job Duties, Skills, and Education” 3). The people who decide to work this job must have the ability to listen and communicate with the criminals set before them. When the need arises the

This is usually the start of their careers. Many use their Criminal Justice degree to join law enforcement agencies, such as medical examiners, FBI agents, or police officers. Others go into the educational field and conduct research or teach (Criminal Justice, 2011).   A criminologist develops profiles of criminal behavior by using studies and research that examine environmental factors, psychological behavior, educational levels, social issues, and biological factors. Criminologists also develop statistics about crimes by using certain tools obtain from law enforcement agencies (Criminal Justice, 2011). By organizing statistics and developing profiles into meaningful information, a criminologist uses these techniques in trying to develop ways to prevent criminal behavior.   State and federal agencies, US customs, private security companies, and drug enforcement agencies all employ criminologists as well (Criminal Justice, 2011).

There is not a license you can obtain to be a certified criminal profiler, it is just a matter of experience. Although, many researchers speculate that there will be a degree and/or licensure that you will be able to obtain in the near future. Profiling takes skill from the investigator to conclude characteristics of the perpetrator from personality traits, to thoughts, and to habits (Bartol & Bartol, 2012). Experience in the investigation process and forensics is key for criminal profilers (Kocsis, 2003). The problem with departments hiring profilers is that they are requested for an investigation based on their presumed expertise, which usually carries a very high likelihood that their opinions will be held into account during the investigation processes (Snook, Eastwood, Gendreau, Goggin, & Cullen, 2007). This is a problem if the investigative team brings a profiler in because they believe in the profiling process to work, which means that they will listen to whatever the profiler says in regards to a potential suspect. This could lead investigators on a search for the wrong suspect if the profiler is in fact wrong. On the other hand, if they do not believe that profiling works then they will not only disregard what a profiler says if one is brought in, but will probably not hire one to help in the investigative processes. Alison, Bennell, Mokros, and Ormerod (2002) believe that though criminal profiling is accepted as valid

Criminal profiling is also defined as an educated attempt to provide investigative agencies with specific information about a certain type of suspect. A profiler should be able to develop typologies, understand the link between the characteristics of offenders and the crime scene, suggest proactive, investigative and trial strategies and therefore develop information that is useful in violent crime investigations, such as prevention. Therefore, whether criminal profiling is scientifically useful and effective, the validities and abilities of criminal profiling to investigations will be

If someone was interested in pursuing a career in forensics they would need a strong stomach or hardy exterior. The scenes can be gruesome and this job isn’t for everybody. Also work environment involves visiting morgues with hundreds of dead bodies. A quality that is needed in this field is composure. Things do tend to happen so forensics and other technicians have to refrain themselves and get the job done. Critical thinking and problems solving skills are very important when solving cases that deal with quick decision making and the need of good judgment. Every analyst needs to be detail oriented because they need to notice the small things in order to collect good data. Requirements for this field of work consist of having a bachelor’s degree. Math, chemistry, biology and physics are important courses to take when studying for criminal justice. Other requirements can include a number of hours in seminars and workshops. Moderate terms of on job training can refine an individual’s skills giving them a better and wider range in the field.

Becoming a profiler takes time. The FBI requires a four-year college degree in many different majors in order to apply for the Agent position. You will want to choose a degree that fits you the best to complete your education. Agents in the BAU (behavioral

Firstly, the assumption is that behavior will match personality, and the crime scene will therefore contain information about the inner workings of the killer’s mind. Is the killer meticulous or chaotic? What motives does the killer hold? Applied properly, this allows investigators to narrow down the suspect pool. As stated earlier, however, this should not be applied to the exclusion of all other information.

Secondly, the physical aspects of the victim are important as well; is the victim is heavy, and was dragged for a long distance, it can be surmised that the criminal is strong and may have a muscular appearance. (Patterson) Victimology is first and foremost an investigative tool, providing context, connections, and investigative direction. (Turvey) Some people may ask, “Why profile the victim?” but profiling the victim is a very important element that helps profilers better understand the criminal. Profilers look at the general lifestyle and activities of the victim in order to know who had access to them and when. Knowing the victim and properly profiling them may establish a relational link between the victim and criminal. When profiling a victim it is important to look at them as a real person as well as a victim. Some investigators and detectives have a tendency to deify or vilify the victim in a case. Deification involves idealizing victims. For example,

Criminal profiling is one of few first things to think of when it comes to forensic psychology. Criminal profiling is featured in popular television shows such as in Law and Order and CSI. Often in those shows, the police officers were able to catch the criminals based on the criminal profile that forensic psychologists came up with. In a theory, the polices rely on criminal profiling to catch criminals, educate the public about a possible criminal, and confirm the witnesses’ accounts. Criminal profiling involves using various methods to guess a criminal’s background, behavior, and even preferences for the victims.

It is a long process when becoming a detective. In college, classes such as: English, American history, business law, government, psychology, sociology, chemistry, and physics are suggested. Before becoming a detective, one must attend a law enforcement academy, providing the officer with a foundation of education with sixteen to twenty-four college units in criminal justice or administration of criminal justice. (Morkes 677) After graduation from the law enforcement academy the officer undergoes job training with a field training officer for a period specified by the law enforcement agency and continues to work while on a probationary period, ranging from one to two years.

In order for offender profiling to be considered useful, it must gather detailed information about the offender, victim and crime scene which can then be used effectively by police detectives to eliminate any suspects who do not match with the profiler 's offender specification and aid authorities in

The psychologist contributes to investigations criminal behavior by profiling and similar techniques. The criminal psychologist can also assist with pretrial methods. This subsection is highly important because it includes the evaluation and treatment of suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime. The primary task of the forensic psychologist profiling. Psychological profiling involves “investigating an offender's behavior, motives and background in an attempt to further guide an investigation…,” (APA). There are several different areas of profiling that the professionals do in the field. In criminal profiling the psychologist analyzes the emotional, mental disposition of a suspect. While remaining as a slightly controversial technique, profiling has become an increasingly prominent part of criminal investigation. When used properly it has the capacity of being one of law enforcement’s most powerful tools.