Criminal profiling, sometimes called ‘offender profiling’, is the process of dissecting the criminal mindset of an unsub, or unknown subject. Although all investigators who deal with violent crime are experienced, at least to some degree, with criminal profiling, there are behavioral psychologists whose sole job is to profile the criminal mind.
For example, one of the purposes of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit is criminal profiling, and they employ agents who are considered experts at understanding and predicting criminal behavior. Of course, the BSU is also charged with training new agents and researching criminal behavior, though this is not the aspect of this department that is romanticized on television.
The important thing to remember, however, is that criminal profiling cannot be used on its own to identify and apprehend criminals. In one case, you might have fifteen suspects who ‘profile’ like the unsub, which means that other investigative techniques must be used to identify the real perpetrator. Too often, profiling is portrayed as an almost mystical look into the future, a crystal ball to which only investigators have access.
In reality, investigating violent crimes is difficult, tedious work. Criminal profiling helps the investigators to understand the modus operandi, the motivations and the habits of killers and sex offenders. There are four separate areas of investigation that criminal profiling uses:
1- Antecedent. This aspect of criminal profiling is the determination of what caused an offender to act in the first place. Was he triggered by some event that made a murder irresistible, or is he attracted to certain physical characteristics in victims?
2- Method. When a violent offender attacks, he frequently uses the same method of violence each time, which allows criminal profiles to establish a pattern. For example, a killer who strangles his victims with piano wire each time will typically continue with that manner until he is caught.
3- Disposal. What does the offender do with the victim when he is done committing his crime? In the case of a murder, he might leave the victim in his or her home, or he might transport the victim to a different location (call ‘dumping’). With sex crimes or assault, he might force the victim into a closet or just leave the victim at the scene.
4- Post-Offense. Many violent offenders have predictable post-offense behavior that must be observed. For example, he might taunt the media or the investigative team with notes, or he might have a ritual he observes. Whatever the case, criminal profiling is required of both pre- and post-offense behavior.
In many cases, criminal profiling is useful only after the offender is caught, at which time a profiler will interview him or her extensively. Compiling data on the stress responses and mindsets of criminals can assist in future similar cases, and can help investigators to better understand what makes criminals do what they do.
However, criminal profiling cannot be considered an exact science, as humans are unpredictable by nature. Some investigators assert that murderers have two classifying characteristics that help profilers identify them. The first is modus operandi, which is the method and manner of the offense. This can change from victim to victim, often differing depending on the environment. The second is signature, which is the ‘calling card’ that some criminals leave behind to mark their work.
If a criminal as a signature, according to criminal profiling, they won’t change it from victim to victim as they will with modus operandi.
If you want to learn more about criminal profiling, you can research the subject in books found at your library or on the Internet. However, it is doubtful that you will learn much about the true nature of profiling from television and the movies because, as mentioned above, it is highly romanticized.
