Development of offender profiling
Bryanna Fox, David P. Farrington, Andreas Kapardis, Olivia C. Hambly · 2020
This chapter first overviews the reasons why criminals are caught by police and the increased popularity of profiling-type films and TV series in recent years. Attention then turns to the “offender profiling” concept and its definition before examining early attempts to construct an offender profile to assist the police in very serious cases. The historical and conceptual development of the offender profiling idea is then documented, charting progress from the clinician’s era to the modern statistical approach to profiling. More specifically, the following methods are described and evaluated: the clinical method, criminal investigative analysis, investigative psychology, crime linkage analysis, and geographic profiling. The chapter also discusses the emergence of the Behavioral Investigative Adviser as a statistical profiling specialist and officially recognized profession in the United Kingdom with its professional and ethical standards regulated at the national level. Finally, the chapter highlights the desirability of developing and implementing evidence-based offender profiling to advance knowledge and to assist police investigations across the globe.