Crimnal Profiling, Science or Not?
in
“Criminal Profiling: Science or Not”
Jennifer Dean
Forensic Psychology
Tcherni
November 2012
The FBI officially began criminal profiling in 1970; the profiling program was introduced by Howard Teton. However, this is not where criminal profiling began. The first verified introductions to profiling were demonization of the Jews, witches and puritans; some dating back to 1144. (Turvey 2011) Criminal profiling is the tool of investigation used by skilled law enforcement professionals to provide a possible psychological mentality and behavioral profile of an unknown offender. (Strano 2004) Criminal profiling doesn’t give the identity of a person, but provides the description of what type of person may have committed the crime by focusing on the analysis of the crime scene. The problem with criminal profiling is that it is completely based on interpretation. Characteristics of the suspect tend to be based and expressed through vague expressions, which are uncertain and can often lead to misinterpretation and unintentional problems. (Muller 2011) While a crime scene can tell a lot about the person who committed the crime, it can also leave things to be interpreted incorrectly. There are many popular portrayals of criminal profiling. One such famous film is Silence of the Lambs, based on the popular novel by Thomas Harris. Recently many television shows as well; Millennium, Profiler, and The X-Files. These films, novels and television series have created false security; however, causing many to believe that criminal profiling is a “magical skill somewhat analogous to a precognitive psychic ability.”(Muller 2000) Even though criminal profiling does not have much scientific studied support and there is not much authoritative material on it, it has worked well in some widely known criminal cases. In the case of “The BTK Strangler”, the following profile was given in August, 2000, by Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, President of the Violent Crime
“Criminal Profiling: Science or Not”
Jennifer Dean
Forensic Psychology
Tcherni
November 2012
The FBI officially began criminal profiling in 1970; the profiling program was introduced by Howard Teton. However, this is not where criminal profiling began. The first verified introductions to profiling were demonization of the Jews, witches and puritans; some dating back to 1144. (Turvey 2011) Criminal profiling is the tool of investigation used by skilled law enforcement professionals to provide a possible psychological mentality and behavioral profile of an unknown offender. (Strano 2004) Criminal profiling doesn’t give the identity of a person, but provides the description of what type of person may have committed the crime by focusing on the analysis of the crime scene. The problem with criminal profiling is that it is completely based on interpretation. Characteristics of the suspect tend to be based and expressed through vague expressions, which are uncertain and can often lead to misinterpretation and unintentional problems. (Muller 2011) While a crime scene can tell a lot about the person who committed the crime, it can also leave things to be interpreted incorrectly. There are many popular portrayals of criminal profiling. One such famous film is Silence of the Lambs, based on the popular novel by Thomas Harris. Recently many television shows as well; Millennium, Profiler, and The X-Files. These films, novels and television series have created false security; however, causing many to believe that criminal profiling is a “magical skill somewhat analogous to a precognitive psychic ability.”(Muller 2000) Even though criminal profiling does not have much scientific studied support and there is not much authoritative material on it, it has worked well in some widely known criminal cases. In the case of “The BTK Strangler”, the following profile was given in August, 2000, by Dr. Deborah Schurman-Kauflin, President of the Violent Crime
Citations: Bardsley, M. (2004) The BTK Story. Crime Library: Criminal Minds and Methods.(9). Muller, D. A. (2000). Criminal Profiling Real Science or Just Wishful Thinking?. Homicide Studies, 4(3), 234-264. Muller, D. A. (2011). Qualitative Approaches to Criminal Profiling as Ways of Reducing Uncertainty in Criminal Investigations. Policing, 5(1), 33-40. 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. Strano, M. (2004). A neural network applied to criminal psychological profiling: An Italian initiative. International journal of offender therapy and comparative criminology, 48(4), 495-503. Turvey, B. E. (Ed.). (2011). Criminal profiling: An introduction to behavioral evidence analysis. Academic press.