Profiling, or criminal investigative analysis, as it is called by the FBI, involves the investigation of a crime with the hope of identifying the responsible party, that is, an unknown perpetrator, based on crime scene analysis, forensic psychology, and behavioral science.
Practitioners of profiling all share a common goal of analyzing evidence gathered at a crime scene and statements provided by victims and witnesses to develop a description of an unknown offender.
In the investigation phase, profiling is used to determine whether or not crimes are linked and to predict the personality and lifestyle characteristics of an unknown perpetrator. In the investigation phase, profiling is used to develop strategies to apprehend the unknown criminal and to assess the likelihood of an escalation in the perpetrator’s crimes.
The goal of offender profiling is to infer the defining characteristics of an unknown suspect based on his/her behavior during the commission of a crime.
Profiling can be most useful when little is known about the offender(s), which is particularly important when offenders use the Internet to conceal their identities and activities.
Investigative Profiling assists investigators by: