Criminal Profiling in the Detection and Apprehension of Offenders

Criminal Profiling in the Detection and Apprehension of Offenders
Name
Walden University
Date
Introduction
Criminal profiling is increasingly beneficial in criminal investigations, as this helps in identifying criminal behavior patterns. Criminal profiling also helps in narrowing down the investigation, as there is an emphasis on the identity, behavior and likely personalities of offenders. For instance, the profiling of Bobby Joe Long and the BTK killer captured peculiar details of the offenders even as they were apprehended much later than was anticipated. Even as criminal profiling is effective, it is harder to apprehend suspects who seem fully functioning members of the society. This essay discusses the effectiveness of criminal profiling in the detection and apprehension of offenders.
Criminal profiling of offenders
Criminal profiling is effective when the tool assists investigators, who have to rely on police reports, forensic laboratory reports, crime scene details, photographs and witness statements. Based on available information the investigators can identify a behavioral blueprint of the crime to create the criminal offenses. Profiling provides information on the criminal’s lifestyle, gender, race, gender, occupation, work schedule, marital status and even the education status. Closely reviewing the case materials is important to identify profile characteristics and other factors like criminal behavior history, emotional status and dysfunction. Understanding human behavior and conducting in depth objective analysis facilitates successful profiling.
Description of the two offenders
Bobby Joe Long a serial killer and rapist was convicted for his crimes in the 1980’s profile of the likely culprit showed that the suspect was angry at women, and had insecure attachment to them. For the murders and rapes attributed to Bobby Long, there was a common pattern where women were picked alone, and required a means of transportation placing them in a vulnerable position. Dennis Lynn Rader (BTK killer) was a convicted killer who gave notes to news outlets, and the police while taunting them for their inability to catch him. The BTK offended bound, tortured and killed victims, beginning in the late 1970’s to the 1990’s he committed crimes by stalking his victims. He was finally caught in 2005, after sending a message through a traceable floppy disk. Criminal Profiling is valuable in tr detection and the apprehension of offenders.
Effectiveness of criminal profiling in the detection and apprehension of the offenders
Criminal profiling is both an art and science, where experts rely on their expert knowledge to make conclusions, but use scientific evidence to back the claims. The criminal profiling approach allows law enforcement officers to build profiles of the offenders as they focus on behavior, which then reflects the personality (Douglas et al., 1986). The use of scientific evidence is valuable to acceptance of criminal profiling as a science, but the approach is mostly supported by those who understand how criminal profiling techniques work (Cook & Hinman, 1999).
The case for profiling is that law enforcement officers and the FBI identify patterns form the ...