How to Profile Criminal Behavior

Develop an image of what the criminal looks like, thinks, and feels.

Criminal profiling, also called behavioral analysis, is a science that combines knowledge of the human psyche and criminal behavior to determine what kind of criminal may have committed a specific crime. Clues from the scene, details about the victim and forensic evidence are used to highlight behavioral aspects or physical aspects of the criminal who committed the crime. Criminal profiling is also used to establish the criminals' potential to progress to more crimes or more violent crimes. Criminal profiling is useful to law enforcement in helping narrow down the focus to particular suspects.

Instructions

1. Review all the evidence from the crime scene including the time, place, severity and risks involved to the criminal. Consider facts about the victim that determine what type of target they were for the criminal, such as if the victim represents something to the criminal or if the crime was opportunistic and the victim had the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

2. Use the information to establish patterns of behavior that the criminal continually repeated. You may also notice odd behaviors that stand out, which can lead you as to how the criminal may think.

3. Develop motives as to why the criminal would have committed the crime in the manner and place committed. Consider economic factors of the neighborhood and community, degree of force used during the crime and placement of the victim. These factors will help you determine the criminals' mindset and mood before, during and after the crime was committed.

4. Ask yourself questions related to the crime and how specific aspects may have been committed and why. Use the answers to assess the crime and determine which answers do not fit. For example, if the crime was a third-floor robbery and the criminal entered through a window, you would want to ask yourself questions about the robber's physical condition, stamina and strength and what he would have needed to reach the third floor and break the window before entering, along with how the robber exited.

5. Ask yourself questions about the criminals and victims' behavior. Use forensic evidence and crime-scene reports to question if factors such as color of clothing, religion, intelligence, time of day or physical characteristics played a part in the crime.

6. Prepare the profile based on the conclusions and predictions that you have reached. The profile may include an age range, race or nationality, social status, job skills and living arrangements. Review the profile to ensure accuracy and that details have been not left out before submitting to the investigative agency.

References

• American Psychological Association: Criminal Profiling: The Reality Behind the Myth
• Criminal Profiling Research: Introduction to Criminal Profiling
• Lawyers.com: The Criminal Profiling Process
• Raven Dragon: Criminal Profiling from Crime Scene Analysis
• The American Journal of Psychiatry Online; Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis; Brent Turvey; 1999