

As explained by Pete Klismet, a retired FBI criminal profiler: What is a Criminal Profile?Ī criminal profile can be described as a behavioural profile of an offender generally created after the crime has been committed using evidence from the crime scene. Investigative psychology is an area developed to approach profiling based on science and as such is the preferred term for many people. Psychological profile, offender profiling, and criminal investigative analysis have all been used to describe the process and the criminal profile itself. Furthermore, the terminology used to refer to a criminal profile can be varied. When combined, such material can give the general public a skewed view of what profiling actually is and the role of a criminal profiler. Related: Top 10 FBI Criminal Profiling Books
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The best selling books “ Whoever Fights Monsters” (1992) by Robert Ressler and Tom Shachtman and “ Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit“ (1995) by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker, give us a glimpse of the real work of the FBI in their pursuit of understanding the minds of criminals and in the capture of some of America’s worst serial killers. Once they have assessed the crime scene and the evidence available, they deliver their criminal profile to the local law enforcement teams, ready to go out and find the killer.
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The hugely successful TV show ‘Criminal Minds’ depicts a crack team of FBI Agents within the elite Behavioural Analysis Unit as they work together profiling serial killers and flying across America to help police forces track them down. The idea of criminal profiling, or simply ‘ profiling’ as it is often known, has been portrayed in the media through television, film and countless books. While this can involve aspects of profiling and developing a criminal profile within an investigation, forensic psychologists spend most of their time in the judicial system and are not often directly involved in assisting law enforcement in solving a crime or hunting down a criminal. The label of ‘ criminal psychology‘ is often used interchangeably with forensic psychology and while there is some overlap there are also some clear differences between the two disciplines.įorensic psychologists primarily provide their expertise within the criminal justice system where they apply their knowledge to criminal investigation and law.
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The role of a criminal psychologist extends to assessing offenders ascertaining the risk of reoffending, providing expert testimony in court and offender profiling in developing a criminal profile. The Criminal Profile: Criminal Psychology vs Forensic PsychologyĬriminal psychology is the field of psychology which focuses on criminals and criminal behavior with the aim of understanding why criminals commit crimes. It was he who proposed that the human mind has influence over the physical body and equally the physical body can influence the mind. Back in the 17th century, he tried to answer the question of whether the body and mind were separate entities or intertwined with each other in some way. The origins of psychology and the study of human behavior can be traced back to philosopher Rene Descartes. The result has been the development of the criminal profile. When it comes to criminal behavior, this curiosity deepens and as time has gone on we have strived to find better methods to understand such behavior.

Since the beginning of civilization, we have been curious about why a person behaves as they do.
