by Michael Padbury

Created on: March 12, 2007   Last Updated: May 17, 2007

Introduction

Criminal profiling (also known as Criminal Investigative Analysis) is an investigative tool used by law enforcement agencies which consists of analyzing the crime scene and using the information to determine the identity of the perpetrator. Criminal Profiling identifies the perpetrator (or unknown subject) of a crime based on an analysis of the nature of the offense and the manner in which it was committed (Teten, 1996) By analyzing information at the crime scene, law enforcement agencies are able to create a profile of relevant information, that is useful to find the assailant. A criminal profile may include physical attributes such as: sex, age, ethnic background, height, and weight or personality attributes such as: psychological diseases, self-esteem, remorse or guilt, and aggressiveness. Criminal profiling is used in a variety of crimes including homicide, sexual assault, extortion, kidnapping, and obscene telephone calls. Crimes such as Motiveless fire settings, Lust and mutilation murders, Rapes, and Occult crimes are considered to be most suitable for profiling (Geberth, 1996; Holmes & Holmes, 1996). Criminal profiling is an effective tool enabling law enforcement agencies to enforce the law more effectively.

History

The origins of criminal profiling can be traced back to the early 1800s with the likes of Jacob Fries, Cesare Lombroso, Alphonse Bertiollon, Hans Gross, Ernest Kretschmer and others. All made small contributions to the present day field, however they are rarely considered are being in the "criminal profiling" field.

The first modern case of criminal profiling was the analysis made by Dr. Thomas Bond on the serial killer Jack the Ripper (Petherick, 2005). In the 1890s Dr. Bond, a police surgeon, performed the autopsy on Mark Kelly (Jack the Ripper's last victim). From the autopsy, he deduced that the man had lacked the scientific and anatomical knowledge of a surgeon or butcher. In an attempt to understand what had occurred, he reconstructed the murder and tried to interpret the behavioral pattern of the assailant (Offender Profiling, 2006). After much examination, Bond came up with a profile for the police to pursuit. It included a quiet, harmless-looking man. He was physically strong, composed, daring, despite being a loner without any real occupation. Bond also concluded that all five crimes were committed by the same man (Petherick, 2005). Despite the Jack the Ripper case remaining unsolved, the field of Offender Profiling

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