Role of Profiling in the Investigation of Sexual Homicide (From Sexual Murderers: A Comparative Analysis and New Perspectives, P 193-211, 2005, Jean Proulx, Eric Beauregard, et al., eds. -- See NCJ-220255)

• NCJ Number: 220265
• Author(s): Eric Beauregard
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 19 pages
• Sale Source: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

This chapter examines the nature and effectiveness of criminal profiling in general and its value in the investigation of sexual homicides.

Abstract

"Criminal profiling" can be defined as "the identification of a suspect's primary personality and behavioral characteristics on the basis of the characteristics of his crimes" (Cook & Hinman, 1999; Davies, 1992, 1994; Douglas et al., 1986; and Egger, 1999). The goal of criminal profiling is to assist investigations by suggesting what happened at the crime scene, why the crime-related events occurred, and the type of person(s) who committed the criminal acts. Profiling is most effective in the investigation of crimes committed by a person with a psychopathology and who did not know the victim previously. This suggests profiling's value for sexual assaults, satanic or ritualized crimes, pedophilia, and sexual murders that involve mutilation of the victim before or after death. This chapter discusses whether criminal profiling involves an inductive or deductive method of reasoning. This is followed by an overview of the evolution of criminal profiling. The overview addresses psychological profiling, crime-scene profiling, and statistical profiling. A review of evaluations of criminal profiling concludes that it is an investigative tool appreciated by police officers for its ability to predict offender characteristics and provide direction for an investigation. When compared with untrained individuals, profilers have achieved a significantly higher number of correct predictions about offenders. The chapter's concluding section focuses on "geocriminology" and the geographical profiling of sexual murderers. The discussion addresses the relationship between the mobility of sex offenders and their criminal methods, the application of geocriminological principles to police investigations of sexual murders, and the value of geographical profiling in the investigation of violent crimes. A geographical profiling program called Rigel is described. 1 figure