The Future of Psychological Profiling
The Future of Psychological Profiling
CJ430-01: Psychological Profiling
Professor William Formby
Kaplan University
May 18, 2012
The purpose of this paper is to provide an assessment of psychological profiling as an investigative tool for the future. The paper will try to focus on what happens if profiles are developed that have not accurately portrayed the apprehended. Additionally this paper will be reviewing the Baton Rouge Serial Killer and The Unabomer cases in order to answer additional questions such as; what were the main criticisms documented in these specific cases, how can a profiler achieve the desired end results using the resources available, and what future challenges do you see this approach facing as more investigators utilize this as an investigative tool?
Psychological profiling is becoming more and more popular with police departments all over the United States as an additional tool to help solve some of the most serious and most heinous crimes. Even though profiling is considered an art and not a science, when profilers are given the correct information and are given access to crime scenes they can collaborate with each other and come up with a very good profile of the person who committed the crime at hand. In the Baton Rouge Serial Killer case the, the local officers did not put in their reports that witness reports identified a black man by the victims home, and what they showed the FBI profilers were reports describing a white male (Ramsland, n.d.). Profiling represents a tool to aid the police. Profilers are only as good as the information that they receive from the agencies they are helping. Profiling is not a magical guessing game being played and if they get it right then they get a prize which will be a killer. It is a serious business and anyone who is able to be a profiler has a gift because it is not easy to look at some if the crime scenes that are out there and remain objective enough to put together a picture of
CJ430-01: Psychological Profiling
Professor William Formby
Kaplan University
May 18, 2012
The purpose of this paper is to provide an assessment of psychological profiling as an investigative tool for the future. The paper will try to focus on what happens if profiles are developed that have not accurately portrayed the apprehended. Additionally this paper will be reviewing the Baton Rouge Serial Killer and The Unabomer cases in order to answer additional questions such as; what were the main criticisms documented in these specific cases, how can a profiler achieve the desired end results using the resources available, and what future challenges do you see this approach facing as more investigators utilize this as an investigative tool?
Psychological profiling is becoming more and more popular with police departments all over the United States as an additional tool to help solve some of the most serious and most heinous crimes. Even though profiling is considered an art and not a science, when profilers are given the correct information and are given access to crime scenes they can collaborate with each other and come up with a very good profile of the person who committed the crime at hand. In the Baton Rouge Serial Killer case the, the local officers did not put in their reports that witness reports identified a black man by the victims home, and what they showed the FBI profilers were reports describing a white male (Ramsland, n.d.). Profiling represents a tool to aid the police. Profilers are only as good as the information that they receive from the agencies they are helping. Profiling is not a magical guessing game being played and if they get it right then they get a prize which will be a killer. It is a serious business and anyone who is able to be a profiler has a gift because it is not easy to look at some if the crime scenes that are out there and remain objective enough to put together a picture of