The Importance of Criminal Justice
The Use of Criminal Profiling
Criminal Profiling is a method of identifying the perpetrator of a crime based on an analysis of the nature of the offense and the manner in which it was committed. It most notably can be traced back to work done in the later part of the last century, and possibly even earlier in a variety of forms. There has been a definite growth since this early work, with many individuals doing a great deal of both research and practical work in criminal profiling. The investigative technique has recently risen in popularity both in practical use and media portrayals. The first example of profiling available for reference which is referred to as a profile in the contemporary sense were the suggestion made by Dr. Thomas Bond, a police surgeon, who performed the autopsy on Mary Kelly, the last of Jack the Ripper's victims.(4) Bond was initially called into the investigation to make an assessment of the surgical knowledge of the perpetrator. He also engaged in a somewhat crude reconstruction of many aspects of the crime, possibly in an attempt to understand what occurred. He observed that " the corner sheet to the right of the woman's head was much cut and saturated with blood, indicating that the face may have been covered with a sheet at the time of the attack".(4) The observations made by Bond in the late 1880's were largely the interpretation of the Ripper's behaviors at the crime scene, including the wound patterns inflicted upon the victim. He suggested that investigators look for a quiet inoffensive looking man, probably middle aged and neatly dressed(4) Crimes that are suitable for criminal profiling are those in which there is much evidence at the crime scene or considerable interaction with the victim wherein the offender displays severe mental disturbance. Ritualistic crimes, torture, and murders involving post-mortem disfigurement are especially conducive to this kind of analysis because they are committed by criminals with
Criminal Profiling is a method of identifying the perpetrator of a crime based on an analysis of the nature of the offense and the manner in which it was committed. It most notably can be traced back to work done in the later part of the last century, and possibly even earlier in a variety of forms. There has been a definite growth since this early work, with many individuals doing a great deal of both research and practical work in criminal profiling. The investigative technique has recently risen in popularity both in practical use and media portrayals. The first example of profiling available for reference which is referred to as a profile in the contemporary sense were the suggestion made by Dr. Thomas Bond, a police surgeon, who performed the autopsy on Mary Kelly, the last of Jack the Ripper's victims.(4) Bond was initially called into the investigation to make an assessment of the surgical knowledge of the perpetrator. He also engaged in a somewhat crude reconstruction of many aspects of the crime, possibly in an attempt to understand what occurred. He observed that " the corner sheet to the right of the woman's head was much cut and saturated with blood, indicating that the face may have been covered with a sheet at the time of the attack".(4) The observations made by Bond in the late 1880's were largely the interpretation of the Ripper's behaviors at the crime scene, including the wound patterns inflicted upon the victim. He suggested that investigators look for a quiet inoffensive looking man, probably middle aged and neatly dressed(4) Crimes that are suitable for criminal profiling are those in which there is much evidence at the crime scene or considerable interaction with the victim wherein the offender displays severe mental disturbance. Ritualistic crimes, torture, and murders involving post-mortem disfigurement are especially conducive to this kind of analysis because they are committed by criminals with