Topic 1: How to Overcome Personal Perspectives and Biases in Investigations
Profiling is a method that strives to recognize the behavioral, emotional and cognitive traits of an individual depending on data collected from different sources. A common form of profiling is the crime scene profiling which is largely referred to as criminal profiling. Criminal profiling involves examination of the crime scene with an aim to obtain the traits of the offender or the motives behind the commission of the crime. The origin of this technique is attributed to the federal bureau of investigations (FBI) in the 1970s. The FBI created this method with the intent of assisting investigative authority with the means to unravel crimes such as serial murders and rapes.
The use of profiling in criminal investigations spread to other regions including the United Kingdom. Later years saw an increase in profiling in law enforcement. Behavioral psychologists and psychiatrists heavily researched on this topic. Crime scene profilers attempt to describe an unknown offender based on the evidence collected at the crime scene or the testimonies of the witnesses. The success of crime scene profiling has largely been documented but little has been said of its shortcomings.
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Despite its utilization in criminal investigations, criminal profiling has been labelled as an unscientific method of unravelling crimes. Questions have been raised about the reliability and validity of data collected through profiling. The admissibility of information collected through profiling in the judicial systems has been varied. Its admissibility in the British legal system has been uncommon while in the US it is admitted based on the credentials of the profiler. There has been increased calls from different judicial systems in the world to increase the standards of profiling before it is admissible in courts.
The limitations of criminal profiling are attributed to the reliance on the profiler’s deductions about a crime scene. Profilers largely rely on intuitions and less on scientific reasons to form their deductions. A lot of unfounded assumptions on personality theory are also made. The dependence on the assumption that human behavior will remain similar across time raises serious questions on the accuracy and validity of data collected. The information collected by profilers in violent and disturbing scenes is also prone to his individual perspectives and bias.
There are different measures that can be put in place to help overcome these individual perspectives and biases. One of the most common biases amongst profilers in the US is racial bias (Obe, Ochie and Obiyan, 2012). For several years crime has been associated with blacks. Consequently, profilers in criminal investigations tend to exhibit bias towards black persons. The bias exhibited in current times is described as implicit. Implicit bias amongst profilers can be overcome through different measures. Most times, implicit bias occurs unconsciously. The first step to combating implicit bias is by becoming aware of its presence. Implicit Association Tests (IATs) can be used determine the level of implicit bias. Implicit bias can subsequently be reduced by training programs that urge investigative authorities to eliminate the bias.
The training programs for the investigative authorities help them to realize that despite being well intentioned and unprejudiced, they have particular biases. An example of such a training program in the US is the Fair and Impartial Policing (FIP). The Anti-Bias Training for Law Enforcement Professionals also helps law enforcement officers to understand the different stereotypes, assumptions and ways of reducing them. Investigative authorities can be trained on ways to replace stereotypes with non-stereotypical images of individuals. Investigators can also be trained on using an individuation approach rather than a group based one. This would help form deductions based on particular individuals rather than associating a crime with a certain group of individuals.
Perspective taking is the other approach that can be used to reduce personal perspectives and bias. Taking the perspective that a particular investigator is biased against would help them to understand the feeling of being associated with a particular crime. The investigators can subsequently react in an unbiased manner and form useful conclusions about a crime scene. Keesee (2015), recommends the formation of a diverse police workforce as one of the measures of reducing implicit bias. Members from the biased communities should be recruited into the police force. This would help increase contact between the divergent groups and enable formation of better and unbiased understanding of the groups.
Topic 2: Evolution of Technology in Regards to Criminal Profiling and Forensic Science
Globally, the law enforcement department has made major strides in solving some of the most complex crimes. The success of these law enforcement efforts can primarily be attributed to advancement in technology. Years ago, some of the crime investigations would have hit a dead end even after years of intense investigations. But thanks to technology, such cold and gruesome crimes are in unraveled in hours, days or weeks. Criminal investigations in yester years were largely based on behavioral consistency and homology. Significant technological advancements have been realized in the last two decades in criminal profiling and forensic science. It is now easier to unmask crimes such as rapes, murders, arsons, burglary and terrorism.
Criminal profiling is one of the areas that has largely benefited from advancements in technology in the last two decades. The technique has reduced its dependence on intuition, behavioral consistency and homology. More scientific based methods have been incorporated in law enforcement. Crime data is now stored in data systems making it easier to retrieve it and observe crime patterns. Through rapid identification systems, it is now easier to obtain an individual’s crime records without being biased. This technology has been made possible by the invention of biometric recognition such as fingerprints, iris and facial recognition (Purdue University Global, 2018). It is easier to numb individuals engaged in crime using these technological advancements.
Criminal profiling has shifted from a reactive to a proactive approach in solving crimes. In earlier times investigators would get to the crime scene after the perpetration of the crime. However, using monitoring and positioning systems, law enforcement officers can be at the crime scene as the crime is being perpetrated. One excellent example is the use of closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs). Using surveillance camera’s law enforcement officers can continuously observe crime ( Lindegaard and Bernasco, 2018) . The surveillance cameras are positioned in public, semi-public and private places. Upon commission of a crime, investigators can review the camera footage and easily identify the perpetrators of the crime. The use of camera surveillance not only helps to capture criminals but also to deter crime since individuals know their movements are being monitored.
Drones is the other utilization of recent technology in law enforcement. Law enforcement officers can safely monitor a crime scene in a particular area. The invention of the Internet era has enabled the use of precise Global Positioning System (GPS). Its use has been further enhanced by the use of smartphone devices. It is now easier for law enforcement officers to tell the location of criminals on the run using this technology as opposed to earlier times when criminals would be on the run for years (Purdue University Global, 2018). Previously law enforcement officers had to rely on barricades and police searches to capture criminals. Using the GPS technology, the police can stealthily capture criminals.
Forensic science department is the other department that has benefited from technological advancements. An excellent example is the use of DNA technology in unravelling crimes. Although it was invented more than thirty years ago, DNA has made significant strides (The United States Department of Justice, 2017) . During its invention, the method was tedious and a bit unreliable. However, with more research into the DNA sequencing, it is now faster and price to conduct forensic investigations. DNA analysis methods have greatly been improved to reduce the time for conducting the tests. The technology has been used to unravel major crimes such as rapes, arson and murder. It is quite difficult for crime perpetrators not to leave behind their traces such as fingerprints, hair strands or body fluids in a crime scene (Roewer, 2013). The technology has been quite helping by helping to identify criminals. Its utilization has also helped to free individuals wrongly accused of committing a crime. It also enables recognition of victims of a crime.
References
Ibe, P., Ochie, C., & Obiyan, E. (2012). RACIAL MISUSE OF" CRIMINAL PROFILING" BY LAW ENFORCEMENT: INTENTIONS AND IMPLICATIONS. African Journal Of Criminology & Justice Studies , 6 .
Keesee, T. (2015). Three Ways to Reduce Implicit Bias in Policing. Retrieved 29 February 2020, from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/three_ways_to_reduce_implicit_bias_in_policing
Lindegaard, M. R., & Bernasco, W. (2018). Lessons learned from crime caught on camera. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency , 55 (1), 155-186.
Purdue University Global. (2018). The Growing Role of Technology in the Criminal Justice Field. Retrieved 29 February 2020, from https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/criminal-justice/growing-role-technology-criminal-justice/
Roewer, L. (2013). DNA fingerprinting in forensics: past, present, future. Investigative genetics , 4 (1), 22.
The United States Department of Justice. (2017). ADVANCING JUSTICE THROUGH DNA TECHNOLOGY: USING DNA TO SOLVE CRIMES. Retrieved 29 February 2020, from https://www.justice.gov/archives/ag/advancing-justice-through-dna-technology-using-dna-solve-crimes
