Criminal Investigative Psychology

Criminal Investigative Psychology is the area in Forensic Psychology that is least likely to be acknowledged. The majority of people see this as merely a criminal justice area of expertise. In actuality, this area is strongly associated with how the human mind works. Psychologists can apply their knowledge of human motivation and behavior to areas in the criminal-investigative arena.

The criminal profiler creates a psychological profile or picture of a suspect based on what he/she knows about motivation, mental illness, and also human behavior. The best place to begin getting an idea of a criminal's mind is often at the scene of a crime. Investigators pay particular attention to the things done at the scene or to the victim and also to the things not done. These observations can lead to a behavioral profile of the yet unknown suspect. Once the behavioral profile is done, the profiler can then compare this to other criminals or mental patients with the same basic characteristics. It is generally very difficult to get professional hands-on experience on how to be a profiler.

Police have been able to catch a wide array of people using profilers, including serial killers. Once criminals have been taken into custody, profilers can learn even more about the criminal mind and can find possible motives, verify motives,