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Jessica Dennis
There is a great deal of hype and myth surrounding both the phenomenon of serial murder and the process of criminal profiling. ...
Just as serial murder “pulls a large crowd”, one of the investigative tools often employed to aid in their capture, most broadly known as criminal profiling, has also received a large amount of attention in recent times. ...
It is the purpose of this paper to explore a dozen or so of the most popular myths relating to serial murder and criminal profiling, and to examine where possible what the literature says about them. This paper will set the stage for subsequent works on criminal profiling, including the developmental origins of criminal profiling, the different methods used in the profiling of criminals, and the evaluations of criminal profiling.
Owing to widespread fascination with serial murder and the criminal profiling process, there has been a relatively astronomical rise in the mythology surrounding these subjects. ...
It is the purpose of this section to examine some of the facts, fiction, fantasy and fallacy as they relate to both serial murder and criminal profiling. ...
This author broadly refers to these as "mother issues" and this characteristic is quite often found in criminal profiles. ...
Criminal Profiling Solves Crimes
Criminal profiling is merely another investigative tool available for police and other criminal justice elements to utilise when investigating or trying a crime. ... If profiling were as successful as many of the true crime authors would have us believe [References 2; 16], then we would be seeing more widespread layoffs of plain clothes and beat police and a more prolific use of criminal profiling, and this simply has not been the case.
While a quick browse through the literature would surely tell us how wonderful profiling has been and how many offenders it has helped capture since its adoption in the early 1970’s, the reality is much less spectacular. ...
It is doubtful that profiling will ever replace traditional and good old fashion police work, though this coupled with a good profile, and a multidisciplinary approach to criminal investigation will provide one of the most solid crime fighting tools available.
Criminal Profilers Are Psychic
According to professional profilers, there is nothing mystical about the work they do. Profiling is a logical and rational process that is founded in sociological and psychological roots [Reference 4]. ... This representation has been gradually worsened over the past several years with television portrayals of this kind of profiling including the television shows Millenium and Profiler. ... 666], a concept which would fly directly in the face of profiling as an investigative tool that is subject to scientific scrutiny and able to be taught to others.
Criminal Profilers All Come From Law Enforcement Backgrounds
Owing to a growing diversity in criminal profiling paradigms (a way of looking at things), there has been an equal diversity amongst the practitioners of criminal profiling. The myth that all profilers are from law enforcement backgrounds is largely perpetuated by the fact that profiling principally started in a law enforcement setting, and the basic view that to acquire investigative skills one must essentially be from law enforcement stock.
Two specific examples that come to mind will be outlined briefly here for the sake of explanation, and to illustrate that not all criminal profilers come from law enforcement bureaus. ...
The FBI is often consulted to provide profiling assistance to an ongoing investigation, though they will only do so when all other possible leads and investigative avenues have been exhausted. ...
The continuation of many of the fallacies surrounding the issues of serial murder and profiling may be the result of a desire to keep the power base solely within one organisation or an attempt to promote one method as having greater application than any other.
Serial murder and criminal profiling attract a fairly large audience. ... Criminal profiling tends to attract a large amount of attention because of the semi-psychic light in which the process is portrayed, though anything more than a superficial examination of the literature will show us that there is nothing sixth sense about it.
The myths that surrounds both serial murder and criminal profiling are reinforced by an number of sources, including (but not limited to) the news media and popular fiction (and occasionally non-fiction). ... It is more likely, however, that as people become more enlightened to the phenomenon of serial murder and the process of criminal profiling, that new rumours will take over, and we will be proverbially back at square one. ... Biosocial bases of criminal behaviour. ... Criminal profiling: An introduction to behavioural evidence analysis. ... Criminal shadows: Inside the mind of the serial killer. ... Criminal profiling: The FBI uses criminal investigative analysis to solve crimes.
Approximate Word count = 4852
Approximate Pages = 19.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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