Criminal profiling is glamorized in criminal procedural television and movies: profilers can seem to have
almost super-sensory powers of perception and are often portrayed as being key to solving cases.
After reviewing the module resources, post to the discussion topic your answers to these questions:
What was your understanding and perception of criminal profiling before this course? (Feel free to
name specific movies or shows that come to mind.)
My understanding came classically through Law & Order, as well as mob movies like Goodfellas and
Casino. These are two different aspects of criminal profiling but at times they intertwine. The mob
movies that I watched would paint my perception of those “in the family” who were very human and
were doing what they could to get by even if by nefarious means. Law & Order showed criminals in a
more nefarious light and was more of the process of the systems of law. In the latter, criminals were
viewed in the light of being just “bad people”, especially in the Special Victims Unit spin-off.
How did that perception change when you read the statistics and reality about criminal profiling?
I tended to side more with the Goodfellas/Casino side of things, which is that people are not what they
do at the worst points of their lives. Rehabilitation is achievable and should be what we strive for in the
process of justice. The statistics that I read about coercion by police, and the premises of false
confessions really took me to task about the view. Being tricked or forced into giving information that is
false or not warranted is a blight on the criminal justice system.
Why do you think profiling's image in popular culture and its reality in the detective world are so
different?
A reason for the discrepancy between the popular image of profiling and its actual use is that the media
tends to simplify and exaggerate the techniques and results of profiling for dramatic effect. Profiling is
just one tool in a detective's toolbox, and its success rate can vary depending on the circumstances of
the case.
