The effectiveness of Criminal Profiling

The author and forensic scientist Brent 

E. Turvey defines a Profile as : " a collection 

of inferences about the qualities and chara- 

cteristics of an individual, or individuals 

responsible for the commission of a crime, 

or series of crimes." 

In recent decades, since the film Silence of 

The Lambs became a box office success, and 

in turn spawned many other films, and t.v. 

shows about the practice of Criminal Profil- 

ing, society has become fascinated by this 

Investigative Procedure, And many methods 

have been developed by various so-called 

experts in the field. (With the F.B.I.'s meth- 

od which has since been re-dubbed criminal 

investigative analysis being by far the most 

popular, and used method in spite recent s- 

crutiny by forensic scientists such as Turvey, 

Petherick, Brown, and other proponents of 

the rival method of Behavioral Evidence A- 

nalysis. Or B.E.A. for short.) 

But , rivalries aside. HOW effective is profi- 

ling from an investigative standpoint? How 

many cases had it solved, or assisted in sol- 

ving? Is it popular moreso because of the 

romanticizing of its methodologies by such 

Authors as Thomas Harris et al? Or is there 

genuine benefit to be derived from the said 

"Criminal Profile"? 

Let us begin with a brief history into the 

Art of Profiling.