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Criminal Personality Profiling - An Overview (From Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation, P 137-149, 1987, Robert R Hazelwood and Ann Wolbert Burgess, eds. - See NCJ-105948)

NCJ Number
105954
Author(s)
R R Hazelwood; R K Ressler; R L Depue; J E Douglas
Date Published
1987
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This overview of criminal personality profiling includes profile information, profiling operations of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit, case submission procedure, profiler qualifications, and the profiling of rapists.
Abstract
When analyzing a crime to profile the unknown offender, the profiler examines what occurred to determine the offender's motivation for the crime. The profile is of a person who would commit such a crime for such a reason. In sexual assaults, the verbal, sexual, and physical behavior of the offender are assessed. Criminal personality profiling was informally begun in the FBI Academy's Behavioral Science Unit in 1972. It was formalized in 1978, and in 1983 FBI profilers were assigned to assist law enforcement agencies in nonfederal investigations of violent crimes still unsolved after all investigative leads have been exhausted. Effective profilers are experienced in criminal investigations and research. They have common sense, intuition, and ability to draw conclusions from deductions and intuitions about the crime, the offender, and the victim. Criminal personality profiling must augment rather than replace other proven investigative techniques. 8 references. (Author summary modified)