Unit 3-IP- Theory & Policy - Essay Example

3-IP- Theory & Policy 3-IP- Theory & Policy Criminal Profiling Criminology in respect to being a field of study can be traced back in European countries, during the 18th and 19th centuries. Things perceived to impede with the establishment of the welfare society for example crime, are seen as a violation of natural law. Criminal profiling was revolutionized through forensic psychology. Criminal profiling is used to bring forth the history, likely interests and description of suspects perceived to be accountable in serial murders.

Criminal profiling has been proved to be capable of revealing a new way to the study of a criminal mind. The evolution of criminal profiling can be debated through varying opinions or points of view. The FBI‘s Behavioral Sciences Unit (BSU) is endorsed with the enhancement of criminal profiling. One should consider that the actual act of accessing a criminal’s mind can be traced back in history. In the past 30 years, it has become increasingly reliable and has gained high opinion from the media, society and professionals alike.

During the late 1970s and early 1980s, John E.Douglas was among the most prominent criminal profilers of 20th century, and was among the very first to introduce this science of criminal profiling to the FBI (Turvey, 2011). John Douglas has been recognized with developing the present day art of criminal profiling. This was after his work with major criminals such as Edmund Kemper (Coed Killer), known for the murder of ten people, Richard Speck, who murdered eight nurses, and Charles Manson, a feared mass murderer.

His work led to the opening of Behavioral Sciences Unit (BSU) of the FBI, which was vested with the responsibility of criminal profiling. Now retired, Douglas and his team were the first to introduce criminal profiling to the US justice system. Edgar Allen Poe is another person, who contributed immensely to the development of criminal profiling (Turvey, 2011). Important issues dealing with criminal profiling are seen in his literary works like “The Telltale Heart.” This is probably one of his most famous works.

The Telltale Heart is the story of a murderer who keeps the body of his victim beneath the floorboard of his house, and after searching, the police find nothing. The murderer then slowly loses his sanity, because he kept hearing the heartbeats of his victim. Eventually, he turns himself in. Poe must have analyzed and understood the criminal mind, since the story is told from the murderer’s point of view. The final case study is that of Jack the Ripper, who was among the most infamous serial killers of all time.

Police surgeon, Dr. Thomas Bond, took an active role in the reconstruction of the murder of Mary Kelly, who was Jack the Ripper’s final victim. His observations were used to establish the time and cause of death. This was during the 1880s, and Bond was dismissed for being unprofessional in his hypothesis. Criticism is the problem many profilers face, especially by the media. Sadly, Bond’s assistance in the case of Jack the Ripper did not bring down the barrier put up by professionals, who are declining to use criminal profiling as a method of identifying a criminal (Turvey, 2011).

ReferenceTurvey, B. E. (2011). Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis. Waltham: Academic press.