Should We Be Using Personality Profiles and Crime Scene Analysis

In the society of today we have numerous crimes being committed frequently and not always in the presence of a credible witness or in an environment where evidence could be reliably collected from. This leaves some crimes going without a compelling source for linking an offender to a crime.

Hence personality profiles and Crime scene analysis can be used to narrow down a search field or assist in the connection of a crime to an offender.

In this essay it is argued that offender profiling exists in a such a way that it positive impacts offender apprehension, and that these positives far outweigh any negatives or challenges presented. Firstly, it has been shown that personality profiling can be used for a variety of offences and still be just as effective. Even in offences where there is no physical location, such as in cybercrime. Secondly, crime scene analysis can allow the police to report on the actions of the offender rather than focusing solely on the motivations of the offender.

Thirdly, There have been numerous instances where personality profiling has successfully led to the apprehension of the correct offender.

The increasing use of these profiles and analysis in policing is however not without considerable criticism. A frequently visited example is the Stagg case where it lead to apprehension and charging of the incorrect offender. The process also has not under gone significant testing and hence been not been proven foolproof.

It is concluded that despite the flaws presented against profiling, the process its self has proven to be of assistance in the apprehension of offenders and continues to develop as a useful tool since its conception in the late 1970s.

The first argument for the utilisation of crime scene analysis and profiling is that personality profiling is versatile and can be used for a range of offences, such as violent crimes like rape or murder but also physically detached crimes, such as cyber fraud or harassment.

When looking at applying a psychological profile to an offender it is considered crimes of violence as the more ideal crime to apply these theories to. However, the limited similarities that exist between violent crimes and cyber crimes still allow this this model of analysis to take place (Chiesa, Ciappi and Ducci, 2008). It is to be understood that the similarities between these two types of crime is that they are both serial in nature. Both crimes will have both modus operandi and a signature. This consistency between seperate crimes will help form the profile. Understanding that these differences exist between the abilities of personality analysis will allow this process to

continually develop over time but also increasingly become a functional investigative tool.

The second argument for the utilisation of these techniques