Criminal profiling is the process of forming a psychological “portrait” of the offender based on the available information about the crime, such as the location, the identity of the victim, and other various features. The criminal’s identity is manifested in the peculiarities of their behavior, and the profiling process is based on this belief. Profiling is a fairly effective tool in investigating murders, having several limitations and obstacles at the same time.
At present, the profiling method is an art rather than scientific knowledge. However, due to this strategy, many crimes have been solved in the USA and Western Europe. For example, world-famous murderers such as George Metesky, Ted Bundy, Joseph Paul Franklin were caught precisely with the help of criminal profiling (Five serial killers caught using criminal profiling, 2021). Moreover, in America, the FBI has a special behavioral science department that makes up psychoprophiles. Nevertheless, profiling “does not work” when a victim is only a means to achieve a criminal goal. Additionally, criminals are not caught only by the power of reason, as popular TV series like to portray it masterfully (Matthews, 2018). The investigation of murders may be misled due to the limited, unscientific method. It would be incorrect to say that this method is completely useless in the process of identifying criminals. This method should be used with caution if a law enforcement officer has the proper knowledge to draw a general conclusion.
At the moment, criminal profiling has several of the following undeniable advantages and significant disadvantages. Experts note such positive aspects of profiling as informativeness and consistency, as well as wide possibilities of using this strategy. This method is an additional source of information about both a crime scene and criminals, their behavior, emotions, and actions (Criminal profiling pros and cons list, 2017). Profiling is indispensable in the investigation of a series of murders, rapes, terrorist attacks. Profiling technologies help to uncover offenses related to family violence and crimes committed by mentally ill people. Despite this, profiling is a limited tool that has inaccuracies and errors in the results. When catching criminals, bias in constructing facts and evidence may be involved (Criminal profiling pros and cons list, 2017). A profiler needs a maximum of information to work, and this is very rare. In addition, smart offenders will interfere with the investigation in every possible way, deftly covering up the traces of crimes.
A successful criminal profiler is a “specialist in lies” with many essential characteristics. A professional in this area has a good memory, analytical thinking, attention to detail, observation, honesty, and the ability to maintain impartiality, interest in human psychology, self-belief. Thus, an easily suggestible person absolutely cannot be a profiler. Besides, profiling is directly related to psychology since a specialist is required to establish the type of personality by certain signs of behavior, such as emotions, reactions, speech, thinking style, facial expressions, appearance. Therefore, mental health professionals can make good profilers since they have in-depth knowledge of determining the general type of person, with the help of which a fairly accurate and detailed criminal’s psychological profile is based.
From the point of view of religious aspects, criminal profiling is interconnected with biblical motives. The Bible says, “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (English Standard Version Bible, 2001, John 3:15). By nature, a murderer, as a subject of criminal profiling, is a cold-blooded killer, a ruthless personality who is alien to human suffering. This is not a conscientious and unclean person, the personification of evil and devilish concepts. According to the holy scripture, “you shall not take redemption for the life of a murderer” (English Standard Version Bible, 2001, Exodus 35:31–33). Consequently, a murderer must be found before conviction or execution. At the same time, the task of criminal profiling is to “find” a criminal, to know their motives and actions to prevent a coming disaster. Who is right and who is to blame, only God can decide.
References
Criminal profiling pros and cons list. (2017). NYLN.org | Youth Leadership Blog.
English standard version Bible. (2001). ESV Online. Web.
Five serial killers caught using criminal profiling. (2021). Online Psychology Degrees.
Matthews, D. (2018). Criminal profiling doesn’t work. TV shows should maybe stop celebrating it. Vox.