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What is the importance of Criminal Profiling?

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What is the importance of Criminal Profiling?
What is the importance of Criminal Profiling?

By Tiffany Collier

Criminal Profiling is a great way to try to understand the suspect as a person. It is necessary to learn who the individual is in order to track and locate them. The person’s information is vital to an investigation. Things such as habits, history of violence, family, education, schedules/routines, and personality traits just to name a few. This new development of investigating is helpful in obtaining fugitives quicker. Law enforcement is trying to be more successful by encouraging change. Keeping up with criminal minds is good way to stay ahead of their criminal intentions.

Criminal Profiling is also known as Criminal Investigative Analysis is a tool used by law enforcement which consists of analyzing the crime scene and using the information to determine the identity of the perpetrator. Criminal Profiling identifies the perpetrator or an unknown subject of the crime based on an analysis of the nature of the crime and manner in which it was committed. By analyzing information at the crime scene, law enforcement agencies are able to create a profile of relevant information that is useful. A criminal profile may include physical attributes such as: sex, age, ethnic backyard, height and weight. They also are able to find personality attributes such as: psychological diseases, self-esteem, tendencies, remorse or guilt and aggressiveness. Using these techniques allows law enforcement to be more efficient and productive. Law enforcement can solve a variety of crimes including homicide, sexual assault, extortion and kidnapping. While fire settings, lust/mutilation murders, rape and occult crimes are considered to be most suitable for profiling. [Thompson]

The origins of criminal profiling can be traced back to the early 1800s, Jacob Fries,
Cesare Lombroso, Alphonse Bertiollon, Hans Gross, Ernest Kretschmer and others.


Cited: Page 2: pshamendments.wikispaces.com/amendment+11+(Ulises+Covarrubias) Page 3: cte.roaneschools.com Page 4: intropsych.mcmaster.ca/psych3cc3/lectures/profile-1.html Page 5: thebioengineers.blogspot.com/2012/12/dermaglyphs.html Page 8: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/115493673/Typological-offender-profiling-(slides)
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