Essay on Serial Killer Profiling - 2183 Words

Just as insight into the mind of the artist may be gained by examining and comparing the progression of his work, so knowledge of the mind of the serial killer can be ascertained by an examination of his canvas: The murder scene. Forensic profiling is the attempt to do just that. An investigator tries to discern information about the killer based on the information at the crime scene, deducing information about the cause from the effect. This is not an exact science, and has been often likened to an art. It is the goal of this work to provide the reader with a basic understanding of the function and application of forensic psychology, as well as an explication of some of its strengths and weaknesses. Profiling itself has been in use†¦show more content†¦Firstly, the assumption is that behavior will match personality, and the crime scene will therefore contain information about the inner workings of the killer’s mind. Is the killer meticulous or chaotic? What motives does the killer hold? Applied properly, this allows investigators to narrow down the suspect pool. As stated earlier, however, this should not be applied to the exclusion of all other information. A second assumption made is that the method of operation will remain similar. This is not to say that the killer may refine their methods or change in severity, but as the killer progresses, the chosen M.O. will be recognizable. Weapon choice, for instance, or victimology will retain similar traits throughout each killing. This allows investigators to be sure that crime scenes are the product of the same killer. The third assumption upon which profiling relies is the idea that the serial killer’s signature will remain the same. A signature is the â€Å"unique manner in which he or she commits crimes† (Holmes, 1998, p. 180). This is not to be confused with the method of operation. The distinction is in the unique nature of the signature. The method of operation is not unique to a particular killer who, say, attacks prostitutes. However, if said killer were to shave the head of each victim and tattoo her scalp, then that would be his signature. Likewise, a killer who consistently removes a particular body part would be said to have that as aShow MoreRelatedThe Process of Criminal Profiling as it Pertains to Serial Killers1224 Words   |  5 Pagescriminal profiling as it pertains to serial killers is extremely interesting and much more common than one would first think. This study deals with the research into the developmental and psychological approaches to serial killers . In the process of studying these offenders, researchers have discovered that crime scene manifestations of behavioral patterns enabled the investigators to discover much about the offender (Jones The Process of Criminal Profiling When Applied To A Serial Killer 1). 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