Criminal Profiling: Myth vs. Reality

My Previous Perception and Understanding of Profiling

Previously, my apprehension and discernment of criminal profiling was superficial. I knew that criminal profiling was a correct approach of apprehending offenders, but I was not aware that criminal profiling was a diverse field of science that is studied. Furthermore, I did not understand the levels of racial disparity that were involved in criminal profiling. Incidentally, a significant part of my standpoint on the profession was based on shows such as Profiler, Law & Order, and The Mentalist. The types of shows exhibit criminal profiling as a strategy for capturing criminals. Although these television shows can portray the mechanisms of criminal profiling, they are not able to reveal the racial disparities that are existent in the field. In the U.S, especially in neighborhoods with African-Americans and Hispanics, there are significant concerns about the arrests made by law enforcement.

How My Opinion on Criminal Profiling Changed

The perceptions and comprehensions that I had regarding criminal profiling were transformed when I became aware of the statistics and reality surrounding the profiling of criminals. I realized that in 2011, children between the ages of 14 and 18 had police encounters almost 8000 times in Brownsville, New York City (Dobrin, 2012). In the same year, teenagers were obstructed by police 20 times around Stuyvesant High School. This particular statistic made me aware of the racial prejudice involved in criminal profiling. Additionally, I understood that criminal profiling is a new field of science. There is no agreement on the terms or methods between the practitioners of profiling. Forensic psychologists describe it as crime action profiling while the FBI refers to it as criminal investigate analysis (Winerman, 2004). What is more, I grasped the gruesome fact that there is incredible racism in profiling of offenders by police officers.