Suspect based profiling focuses on the characteristics of the suspect that law enforcement is looking
for rather than the physical attributes of the individual in question. Racial profiling brings into play
the physical characteristics such as skin color, ethnicity, and race of the individual which also tends to
bring in the bias of stereotypes in hair, personality traits, and other mental pictures that could
otherwise be done away with. Focusing strictly on the characteristics of how the suspect’s mind
works and the actions of the suspect gives insight into the type of person that law enforcement is
looking for and helps to calculate the individual’s next moves. Racial profiling simply gives a
population of people that may or may not be the suspect.Disagreements within the field of criminal
profiling can hinder the progress that is being made with developing the field because those in the
field may not come together to be able to agree with what works in order to find and narrow down
suspects successfully. This can cause arguments, disarray, and confusion within the field making it
difficult to figure out what truly is beneficial and what is not. Disagreements also work against the
field by creating room for challenging the field, especially in the court setting as far as credibility.
When the experts come together and agree on their findings it makes it much easier for the field to
progress. However, these disagreements are how different aspects are analyzed and other ways to do
things are found to be successful while previously used methods are found to be obsolete.
Banks, R. R. (2001). Race-based suspect selection and colorblind equal protection doctrine and
discourse. UCLA Law Review, 48(5), 1075–.
