| If you are a big fan of the TV show Criminal Minds, | | | | deductive reasoning, the reasoning involved in using |
| you would know that the characters are adept at | | | | specific physical facts to arrive at generalizations, the |
| "profiling" the unsub, or unknown subject, who is a | | | | criminal profiler starts to develop the tendencies and |
| suspect in a crime. | | | | typologies that are characteristic of different kinds of |
| Criminal profiling is a high-profile investigative method. | | | | perpetrators. |
| People are amazed by it and watch TV news stories | | | | It is only after careful study of many crime scenes |
| about it such as Bodies of Evidence. There are TV | | | | that the veteran criminal profiler can confidently try |
| detective dramas such as CSI or Criminal Minds built | | | | to rebuild the offender's behavior at a particular |
| around it. Criminal profiling uses evidence from a crime | | | | scene. From this reconstruction can the profilers |
| scene along with other psychological information to | | | | arrive at conclusions regarding the motive for the |
| indicate the type of person most likely to have | | | | crime. |
| committed the criminal act being investigated. | | | | No respectable criminal profiler continues to believe in |
| What is the difference between television drama and | | | | the age-old definition of method of operation (M.O.) |
| real-life criminal profiling? | | | | that a particular type of criminal act is always and |
| Television drama profiling | | | | unavoidably the result of the same motive. On the |
| As portrayed in media, film, and television, detectives | | | | flipside, it can be assumed that a number of motives |
| are policemen who work on hunches, while "profilers" | | | | can result in a particular kind of behavior. Suppose a |
| are cops whose hunches are elevated to a higher | | | | crime scene investigator comes across a body with |
| echelon by a conglomerate of geeky science and | | | | its eyes blindfolded. This could indicate that the |
| psychic know how. They show up at a crime scene, | | | | offender may have known the victim and did not |
| put on the rubber gloves, look over pieces of | | | | want to be identified. |
| evidence, survey the entire scene, make faces and | | | | Many times, criminal profiling can result in the |
| then blurt out, "the perpetrator is a black guy, in his | | | | narrowing of a broad list of suspects. Although this is |
| early 30's, with black hair, brown eyes, and eats pizza | | | | not an exact science, it is an invaluable tool because |
| regularly. Let's catch this guy." | | | | it permits police agencies to focus more effectively |
| Many times on television, the "who-done-it" mystery | | | | their limited resources. For instance, if the offender is |
| is solved about ten minutes prior to the end of the | | | | most likely to possess qualities A, B, and C, profilers |
| show just like you see on CSI | | | | do not have to look for perpetrators who possess |
| Real-life profiling | | | | characteristics outside of these qualities. |
| In contrast to television drama profiling, real-life | | | | The next time you watch CSI or Criminal Minds, you |
| criminal profiling involves painstaking detective work. | | | | will have a better understanding of what real-life |
| It always begins with an analysis of the physical | | | | criminal profiling is all about versus television drama |
| evidence found at individual crime scenes. By using | | | | profiling. |