Topic > History of Serial Killer Profiling

Throughout history, the profiling of criminal defendants has been a controversial topic for as long as profiling has existed. Experts from both sides of the spectrum have commented on the question at hand: whether profiling works. However, learning the history of profiling provides a clearer picture of how reliable and unique this method is compared to other time periods. In this article you will see the use of profiling throughout history, starting with Jack the Ripper to when the FBI took profiling to a whole new level, and you will see how profiling compares to the topics we will discuss in this course . The first example of profiling dates back to the Jack the Ripper case in 1888. Jack the Ripper was a notorious serial killer who raped, murdered and mutilated five women in England. He is still known because he was the first documented serial killer in existence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. His identity is still unknown, but a profile was created while he was killing to help authorities catch him. (Stevens, Evens 20). According to a surgeon, named Thomas Bond, who worked with the London police, he created a profile in which he stated that Jack the Ripper was "a middle-aged man, who led a solitary life and knew medicine because he knew medicine. anatomy of people". . (Evens, Stevens 34). Furthermore, Bond mentioned, “the sexual nature of the killings combined with elements of anger. " (Evens, Stevens 35). He looked at crime scene photos of the latest mutilated murder victim and the medical examiner's post-mortem notes to put together this profile. (Evens, Stevens 45). The way the victim was killed is definitely important for your profile because it shows the emotions and knowledge of the killer and establishes a pattern to look for. Using this method in a time when the police were not really efficient in investigative methods is impressive. In this particular example, the profile didn't work. Jack the Ripper was never caught and to this day no one has scientific evidence of his identity. Another example is George Metesky, the elusive bomber who struck New York in the 1950s planted over 32 homemade explosives throughout the city, injuring fifteen of them (“Unmasking the Mad Bomber”, 2017). After a long period of time he began writing threatening notes to local newspapers. Therefore, the police hired a psychologist to try to get into the criminal mind. The psychologist they hired was named James Brussel. He speculated that the bomber may have had a mental illness while studying the bomber's behaviors. Specifically, he thought, “[Bomber] was a textbook paranoid schizophrenic…, he later explained, he may believe that other people are controlling him or plotting against him” (“Unmasking the Mad Bomber” 2017). This is only the first part of the bomber puzzle. Using this disease, he put together different characteristics of this attacker starting from paranoia, being a lone wolf, feeling superior to everyone else which would make him incapable of holding down a job (2017). He eventually put together a profile on this bomber which helped authorities identify and capture the bomber. The profile included: unmarried, self-taught, foreign, elderly, and paranoid ("Criminal Profiling: The Reality Behind the Myth, 2004). His name was George Maetesky, and the seventeen-year manhunt ended. Dr. Brussels was a pioneer in bridging psychology and criminal investigations using crime scene photos and behavioral models to.