Introduction
Criminal profiling is the process of analyzing the crime scene and finding out the perpetrator using the collected information. Though the profiling doesn’t give the name of the perpetrator, it helps to narrow down the suspects. The most important part of a criminal profile is Personality. Forensic Science (1997) states that personality is reflected by behavior and that is what profiling is all about. The details of the criminal profiler such as the crime scene state, the type of weapons used, and the words of the victim and other factors like geographic crime patterns and the offender lives. Criminal profiling is more helpful in crimes such as serial sexual homicides. This is because of the type of the crime and the greater deal of fear along with the higher publicity.
The Process of Criminal Profile Generation
Criminal Profile Stage
This stage deals with the person type who have committed the crime and his behavior relating the crime. When the description of the person is generated, the strategy can be formulated for the investigation and the strategy can be used in finding out the person. This strategy requires basic understanding of an individual who responds to a variety of investigative efforts. The criminal profile includes the background information, physical and mental behavior of the accused, the habits, beliefs and values and the pre offense and post offense behavior. This stage has an important means of calculating the criminal profile. The profile should be constructed in such a way that it should fit in all the earlier construction of the crime along with the evidence and key decision processes. The investigation procedure should also develop recommendations in terms of the expected response patterns of the offender (John et al. 1986).
Methods used in Criminal Profiling
FBI has a behavioral Science Unit due to which the criminal profiling has expanded to a larger part. There are two procedures to create a criminal profile. First is the description used by the FBI and the second is the analysis on the behavioral evidence created by Brent Truvey in 1990s (John et al. 1986).
Analysis of FBI’s Crime Scene
This analysis has six steps which are as follows:
Profiling Inputs
Profiling inputs i.e. the information required to form a profile includes short description of the crime, crime scene and information about the crime area which includes weather, political and social conditions. Victim’s background information is also collected in the cases of homicide profiles. Any other information relating to the crime is also important for profiling process. The inputs also include an autopsy report and photographs. A report from medical examiner includes the time of death, weapon type used and description about wounds. Photographs (including autopsy & aerial) are also important in the process of profiling.
The profiler has to gain knowledge about the background of the crime and evidences available. The data and photographs obtained can give the profiler a clear understanding about the risk attached to the victim.
Decision Process Models
Decision process involves organizing the inputs and arranging them such that we get meaningful outputs. Seven different structures are used which the decisions are made in profiling.
Style and Type of Homicide
Homicide is classified based on its type. One homicide represents single victim with single event and two homicides represent two victims and one event and go on. Anything beyond three homicides is a mass murder in one location and one event.
Mass murder can be again classified into classic and family. Classic mass murder can be done by a mentally disordered individual who went against entire group of people. The second type is family mass murder where in the perpetrator kills himself after killing the family members.
Classification of homicide is very important; proper classification of homicides helps in profiling and easy investigation.
Primary Intent of the Murderer
In major cases, murder can be an outcome of a primary reason where in the primary reason is not the murder itself. The primary reason can be (a) Emotional (b) Sexual or (3) criminal enterprise. The murderer may act in group or by himself.
Victim Risk
Profiling analysis victim’s risk in several stages. Risk is evaluated based on factors like lifestyle, age, ability, location, occupation, etc. The risk is rated between high, moderate or low. Information on risk of a victim helps to understand the killer in a better way.
Offender Risk
It is an integrated component after analyzing risk of the victim. It estimates the risk the offender is taking to do the crime. Analyzing the risk of an offender also helps us in better profiling where we can understand more about the killer’s emotional status.
Escalation
Escalation analysis is done based on the facts and patterns of the crimes. It helps the profilers to relate the series of crimes committed by a single killer.
Time Factors
Generating a criminal profile also includes different time factors. These include (a) time to kill a victim (b) time to do anything with the body (c) hiding/dispose the body. Analyzing the time in which the crime was committed may help the profiler to understand lifestyle or occupation of the suspect.
Location Factors
Location factors include the location of the crime occurred and death scenes. This information might provide information about the suspect whether he used a vehicle or not.
Crime Assessment Stage
In this stage the crime is assessed based on a reconstruction strategy. Reconstruction of the crime includes, the sequence in which the crime happened i.e. selection of victim, selection of place, selection of weapon, time factors and method of crime, etc. Proper reconstruction of a crime scene will help the profilers to frame the suspect in much efficient way.
Investigation stage
Once when the criminal profile is created and determined, a report is given to the agency who investigates the case to help the ongoing investigation efforts. The recommendations for the investigation from the criminal profile are applied and the profile is evaluated to match the suspects. If the identification and the confession results in finding out the suspect, the goal is achieved and the profiling effort is met. If new evidences are created and if the identification of the suspect is unavailable, re evaluation of the criminal profile is performed.
Apprehension stage
Apprehending the suspect, verification on the outcome and the different stages in the profile generation process are performed. If the apprehended suspect admits guilt, a detailed interview to check the entire profiling process is conducted for validity.
Analysis on Behavioral Evidence
Brent Turvey postulated the Behavioral Evidence analysis which analyzes the crime in four different steps.
Equivocal Forensic Analysis
Analyses the physical evidences along with the help of interviews, autopsy reports and photographs and videos.
Victimology
A profile of the victim is created which provides clues to identify the criminal. The gender, ethnicity and other demographic profile are used to identify the victim (Petherick, 1999).
Crime Scene Characteristics
The determination of the crime scene is made to relate the scene with the approach of the offender to the victim.
Offender Characteristics
This is the final step which analyzes the first three steps and draws a character sketch by analyzing the different parts of the crime. This final step is used as the criminal profile.
Admissibility in Court through profiling
The created profile may have to testify as witness as there will be compulsion from prosecution and defense. The evidence produced by profiles may be admitted or denied to be admitted into the court. The testimony produced by profiling more often get admission in the court while it was not called profiling (Cooley & Turvey, 2002). Meeks (1992) states that profiles from FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) were admitted as testimony as these profile seems to be general investigation techniques. Profiling includes signature, investigative, linkage and behavioral evidence analysis techniques. FBI was the one who coined the term profiling which alternatively uses criminal investigative analysis to replace the term profiling.
Though it was generally accepted, motivational analysis testimony was found to be inadmissible in court (Grezlak, 1999). For example, Grezlak (1999) states in his report that in one of the cases in US, psychologist’s profiling testimony was rejected and the evidence is ignored. The difference of decisions for admissions of profiling testimony is due to the basic question that whether this is an acceptable investigative technique. The acceptance of profiling is yet be examined by professionals.
General acceptance is a major criterion among judges when they make decisions about any testimony. In Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals case, the Supreme Court specified that scientific merit can be evaluated based on the general acceptance of the testimony which is again subject to the reviews of peers. Thus any testimony can be said to be falsified based on the peer review.
Conclusion
Criminal personality profiling has become a very useful tool for law enforcements in solving the violent and motiveless crimes. The process of the criminal profiling has helped in solving many cases in the past decades. Growing beliefs on the accuracy of the profilers have consistently increased the crime prediction based on the crime scene evidences. This increase has helped criminal profiling to be a best investigative technique. Such positive opinions help the police officers and the mental health professionals to support the usage of criminal profiling.
References
Cooley, C. M., & Turvey, B. E. (2002, June). Reliability and validity: Admissibility standards relative to forensic experts illustrated by criminal profiling evidence, testimony, and judicial rulings. Journal of Behavioral
Forensic Science Web Page. (1997). Web.
Grezlak, H. (1999). Profiling testimony inadmissible in murder trial. The Pennsylvania Law Weekly, p. 3.
John E. Douglas, Robert K. Ressler, Ann W. Burgess, Carol R. Hartman, (1986) Criminal Profiling for Crime Scene Analysis
Meeks v. United States, 35 M. J. 64 (CMA 1992).
Petherick, W. (1999). Criminal Profiling. Web.
Profiling, 3(1). 2002. Web.