Free Essay Sample on Criminal Profiling

Criminal profiling is an investigative tool that assists in investigating crime scene analysis implications. It tries answering the five questions, who, how, where, when, and why. Criminal profiling uses methods to interpret criminal behavior and a crime scene to identify the personality characteristics and motive of the offender. The accuracy of criminal profiling has been contested based on its practicality and prediction in investigations, and most of its predictive precision and accuracy has been dispelled because they have false typologies and lack the imperial support for offenders. Profiling aims to identify a criminal based on the way the crime is carried out, the victim nature and the evidence left behind.

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In the TV show NCIS, Gibbs Leroy is a psychiatrist having incredible observation skills and can observe the smallest facial tics related to facial expressions and emotions. She is consulted by the NCIS to help in investigations by drawing conclusions that can assist in arresting a serial killer. Besides, as a real life criminal psychiatrist, she reviewed all the information available including the photos from the crime scene, autopsy reports, and other forensic information. Gibbs Lorey looks at different aspects that are essential in caring out a psychological profile of the offender who is unidentified by drawing conclusions on a crime that facilitates inquiries.

Gibbs Leroy as a psychiatrist for the NCIS in Washington D.C. after analyzing the information in the crime scene, she concluded that the serial killer they are after is a Black American in origin, in his 30s, living with a mother or aunt, polite, neat in appearance, attend church regularly and has a serious illness like paranoia. Gibbs Leroy further provides that it was an organized crime which was planned well leaving little evidence.

The NCIS could use the information provided by the profiler by first publishing the description of the offender in the newspaper and an ad on TV. A Black American in origin, in his 30s, living with a mother or aunt, polite, neat in appearance. The NCIS narrowed down the information and found a suspect who ultimately matched Loreys profile. The suspect had the characteristics described by Lorey deductions in an uncanny and accuracy manner.

Criminal profiling is, therefore, essential as it evaluates individuals by offering predictions based on the manner in which a person might behave. For instance, Lorey concluded that the offender suffered from paranoia. Such types of predictions are common in mental health practice, but Lorey reversed the process by offering deductions instead of predictions about the person who carried out the shooting. Since the profiler described the offender as a polite and neat in appearance, it shows that the personality of a person is consistent and reflected in every situation. The offender carried out the crime in a planned and orderly manner, reflecting his character. The pattern of behavior and thought cannot be changed as the offender could not have committed the crime in an unplanned, spontaneous and impulsive manner, contrary to his personality (Schlesinger, 2009). The crime was extensively planned denotation the offender was a compulsive personality, who behave and dress well. Meaning the crime scene was not rich and full of hair, DNA, fingerprints and more.

The offender had targeted the victim based on the risk involved. High-risk victims carry out crimes in a vulnerable situation. Thus, by determining the risk level that the victim was involved in assist in gaining an understanding of the type of unidentified criminal. There are usually warning signs that may happen for years that an individual may become violent, but their behavior may also go unnoticed (Kocsis, 2004). The shooting had been planned by the shooter for months by slowly finding a firearm for the shooting. A citizen who is law abiding does not just snap into a cold-blooded serial killer. The offender did not spend much time with the victim as this could have assisted in providing additional insight pf the criminal and crime. The longer the time being spend with the victim, the higher the risk of apprehension (Schlesinger, 2009). The place where the victim is apprehended, how the victim is carried to the crime scene and killed and how the body is deposited, all show the capabilities and thinking processes of the offender (Schlesinger, 2009). The body can be carried and deposited in a different site or left at the murder site. Thus, the Modus Operandi of the offender was efficient to mean he was more efficient in caring out the crime and being able to reduce the apprehension chances.

The inferences of the crime scene were thus evaluated as highly organized. The profiler is expected to tell the individual who is thought to have carried such type of the offense and not who committed the crime or get involved in arresting the offender. A profile is essential in caring out investigation by narrowing down the potential suspects. They draw conclusions and amazingly correct inductive reasoning that assists police in investigations.

References

Kocsis, R. N. (2004). Profiling the criminal mind: does it actually work?. The Lancet, 364, 14- 15.

SCHLESINGER, LOUIS B. Source: Journal of Psychiatry & Law. Spring2009, Vol. 37 Issue 1, p73- 84. 12p