Critically evaluate the status of Offender profiling as a psychologically - underpinned technique - Essay Example

an either be “proactive or reactive.” Investigators use reactive profiling when solving crimes that have already happened while proactive profiling involves an attempt to interdict and foil crime before it happens. Profiling provides the police investigators with a personality snapshot or typology helpful in identifying and apprehending a suspect. It assists the police with a set of unique behavioural habits and personality characteristics. Alison and Canter (1999) say that profiling almost always takes place after a crime scene has been examined. Dr. Canter’s studies related to the link between Action versus Characteristics ( A v C ) of the offender including his criminal history, background and relationships to others has become known as the ‘profiling equations’ and has given rise to criminal behaviour identification which is crucial to models of inference related to investigations.

Unlike detective fiction, these inference models operate at the thematic level. To collect information and test hypothesis for inductive reasoning; is at the heart of empirical science and investigative psychology where a wide range of empirical studies aims at providing objective bases for investigative inferences. Studies related to inference are slowly beginning to provide a basis for a general theory of offender consistency. But it would be unwise to rule out the possibility, that if the offender is intelligent, he’ll often alter his M.O. (Modus Operandi or method of operation) to avoid detection as in the case of Yorkshire Ripper; who used a screwdriver in his early killings and later changed to using a ligature.

To help the police generate detailed information, psychologists have developed processes and guidelines for ‘cognitive interviews’ but to measure their precise relevance and accuracy, varies between situations. Similarly, psychologists are involved in studies and procedures to help reconstruct faces from memory. They have also contributed to the