Criminology and Criminal Profiling

In our Police Science Institute Course on “Criminal Profiling”, we begin at the beginning … referencing the necessity to first gain a basic knowledge in the field of Criminology.   Criminal Profiling therefore is an interesting (and relatively recent) sub-category within the vast Criminological field of both study and practice.   Let us briefly examine Criminology’s impact upon Profiling.

Many of the recognition problems have derived from the fact that Criminology does not maintain its own, unique research methodology, but in the alternative, borrows from many broad practices and latest developments from various fields of study such as law, psychology, anthropology, sociology, psychiatry, biology, chemistry and medicine.

When we speak of the “field of competency” as it relates to the Criminologist, we are referring to the vast and collective areas of study regarding the main criminological elements … such as victims, deviation and human aberrance, fear of crimes and criminal behavior, along with crime perpetrators, social awareness and crime records, to name a few.   All of these are of concurrent importance to the Criminal Profiler.

As may be evidenced in the context of any other science(s), the science of Criminology is based upon proven scientific methods and relevant statistics in order to reach its findings through the usage and implementation of viable scientific procedures.    In doing so, we can clearly see the truly multi-dimensional aspect through the use of numerous theoretical and methodological philosophies pertaining to the field of human sciences. 

Criminological studies apply to several classifications of research, and therein, 2 primary categories …“Academic” and “Operative”:

• Academic research serves to enhance and broaden the process of crime data (evidence) gathering with the designed purpose of establishing a reference repository of crimes and related criminal processes; and,

• In contrast, Operative researchis geared toward establishing acceptable and workable strategies to be applied in matters pertaining to correctional institutions and Law Enforcement investigative divisions.

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