Criminal Profiling A Viable Investigative Tool Against Violent Crime
By
JOHN E. DOUGLAS, M.S.
Special Agent/Program Manager
Profiling and Consultation Program
Behavioral Science Investigative Support Unit
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
FBI Academy Quantico, VA
and
ALAN E. BURGESS, M.Ed.
Special Agent/ Unit Chief
Behavioral Science Investigative Support Unit
and
Deputy Administrator
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
FBI Academy Quantico, VA
Quickly apprehending a perpetrator of a violent crime—rape, homicide, child abduction—is a major goal of all law enforcement agencies. Unlike other disciplines concerned with human violence, law enforcement does not, as a primary objective, seek to explain the actions of a violent offender. Instead, its task is to ascertain the identity of the of fender based on what is known of his actions. Described by one author as an emitter of signals during commission of a crime,1 the criminal must be iden tified as quickly as possible to prevent further violence. While studies explaining why certain individuals commit violent crimes may aid them in their search, law enforcement investigators must adapt the study findings to suit their own particular needs. Criminal profiling is a tool law enforcement may use to combine the results of studies in other disciplines with more traditional techniques in an effort to combat violent crime.
The Profiling Process
The profiling process is defined by the FBI as an investigative technique by which to identify the major personality and behavioral characteristics of the offender based upon an analysis of the crime(s) he or she has committed . The process generally involves seven steps.
- 1) Evaluation of the criminal act itself,
- 2) Comprehensive evaluation of the specifics of the crime scene(s),
- 3) Comprehensive analysis of the victim,
- 4) Evaluation of preliminary police reports,
- 5) Evaluation of the medical examiner's autopsy protocol,
- 6) Development of profile with critical offender characteristics, and
- 7) Investigative suggestions predicated on construction of the profile.
The process used by the person preparing a criminal personality profile is quite similar to that used by clinicians to make a diagnosis and treatment plan: Data is collected and assessed, the situation reconstructed, hypotheses are formulated, a profile developed and tested, and the results reported back. Criminal personality profiling has been used by law enforcement with success in many areas and is viewed as a way in which the investigating officer can narrow the scope of an investigation. Profiling unfortunately does not provide the identity of the offender, but it does indicate the type of person most likely to have committed a crime having certain unique characteristics .
