Understanding Criminal Profiling: Myths vs
. Reality in Law
School
Southern New Hampshire University**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
PSY 205
Subject
Law
Date
Dec 12, 2024
Pages
1
Uploaded by JLapplebottom5
My initial thoughts about criminal profiling were that it came to the profilers quickly and was, for the most part, always successful. In high school, I was in the criminal justice pathway and senior year we learned about criminal profiling but didn’t get through the full topic due to covid. Shows that come to mind are Dr. Spencer Reid from Criminal Mindsand the movie The Silence of the Lambs. Although I knew that tv shows and movies were exaggerated when it came to the process, I still assumed that the success rate of criminal profiling was significant. Learning more about the topic has made me realize that criminal profiling is not as plainly laid out and that there are problems with creating profiles of criminals such as suspect speculations that provide no use for detectives, consistency in criminal behavior across all situations, and “tunnel vision” of investigators as was seen in the DC sniper case (Costanzo & Krauss, 2020). While I believe it provides some benefit to law enforcement, there is not enough data to support its success. It was surprising to find out that only 2.7% of the cases were found to be successful in profiling the suspect and that a study found that only 27% of articles written on profiling included statistical evidence regarding the effectiveness (Costanzo & Krauss, 2020). When it comes to the aspect of tv shows and media, there is going to be a “perfect” element to it. Imagine most action, crime-based entertainment like CSI, Criminal Minds, and Chicago PD. Although there may be some blunders and “goose chase” effects, the episodes always end with the good guys saving the day. I feel that this is to keep up the ratings and to keep people coming back to watch by creating drama and suspense. It’s all a script. In reality, with criminal profiling there is no script or need to create more drama and suspense. It’s a real crime, with a real suspect, a real victim, and a real sense of urgency to catch the perpetrator. The details of a case in real life when it comes to profiling are not laid out as nicely as they are in a script for a show or movie which would create successes and failures in profiling criminals. ReferencesCostanzo, M., & Krauss, D. A. (2020). Forensic and legal psychology : psychological science applied to law. Worth Publishers.
