Perceptions of the Validity and Utility of Criminal Profiling Among Forensic Psychologists and Psychiatrists Angela N. Torres, Marcus T. Boccaccini, and Holly A. Miller Sam Houston State University Criminal profiling is the process of using crime scene evidence to make inferences about potential suspects, including personality characteristics and psychopathology. An exploratory Internet survey of forensic psychologists and psychiatrists was conducted to examine their experiences with and opinions about profiling and to determine whether referring to profiling as “criminal investigative analysis” had any impact on these opinions. About 10% of the 161 survey respondents had profiling experience, although more than 25% considered themselves knowledgeable about profiling. Fewer than 25% believed that profiling was scientifically reliable or valid, and approximately 40% felt that criminal investigative analysis was scientifically reliable or valid. Although the scientific aspects of profiling lacked support, respondents viewed profiling as useful for law enforcement and supported profiling research. Keywords: profiling, criminal investigative analysis, general acceptance, admissibility, forensic The image of a criminal profiler sorting through crime scene evidence and definitively identifying a guilty suspect is popular in novels, television shows, and movies. However, this popular im- age is more fiction than fact, and the process and limits of real profiling work are often misunderstood. Criminal profiling is the process of using behavioral evidence left at a crime scene to make inferences about the offender, including inferences about person- ality characteristics and psychopathology. In its most basic form, profiling is simply the postdiction of behavior; an action has taken place that allows investigators to make inferences about the person responsible (Davis & Follette, 2002). Despite popular images of criminal profiling, the main goal of profiling in real investigations is to narrow the scope of a suspect pool rather than to identify a single guilty criminal (Douglas & Olshaker, 1995). Background Mental Health Practitioners and Criminal Profiling Psychiatrists and psychologists made significant contributions to the early development of criminal profiling. The profiles created by these practitioners were based largely on clinical judgment and prevailing theories of personality and psychopathology. For exam- ple, many early profiles from mental health practitioners were rooted heavily in psychoanalysis (Grubin, 1995). These profiles focused on the probable interpersonal functioning and psychopa- thology of the person responsible for committing the crime (Wil- son, Lincoln, & Kocsis, 1997). Psychiatrist William Langer devel- oped one of the most famous early profiles— a profile of Adolf Hitler for the U.S. Office of Strategic Service during World War II (Pinizzotto & Finkel, 1990). Langer’s psychiatric approach led to a profile of Hitler’s personality and mental disorder as well as to Langer’s prediction of suicide as Hitler’s response to defeat (Pin- izzotto, 1984). The most lauded and cited example of early pro- filing comes from the work of another psychiatrist. In 1956, David Brussel constructed a profile of New York’s “Mad Bomber” that was accurate in many details (see Weinerman, 2004a). Although some criminal profiling work is done by mental health professionals (e.g., psychologists and psychiatrists), most of it is done by trained law enforcement agents. It is difficult to get a clear estimate of how many mental health professionals are involved in profiling. The best data come from a survey of 152 police psy- chologists, who reported spending approximately 3% of their time profiling offenders (Bartol, 1996). However, Bartol did not report a standard deviation value for this finding, making it impossible to infer whether most psychologists spent 3% of their time conduct- ing profiles or whether a few professionals spent a large proportion of their time conducting profiles while others avoided this work completely. Although Bartol’s published survey results cannot help researchers determine the number of respondents who did and did not participate in profiling, Bartol did find that 70% of the police psychologists “seriously” questioned the validity of profil- ing work (p. 79). This combination of findings from the Bartol study suggests that many respondents were not actively involved in generating profiles. It is possible, but unlikely, that the same psychologists who expressed negative views about profiling were actually participating in a significant amount of profiling-related ANGELA N. TORRES is currently a student in the clinical psychology PhD program at Sam Houston State University. Her areas of interest in research include criminal profiling; sexual offenders; eating disorders; body image; female offenders; lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues; and advocacy. MARCUS T. BOCCACCINI received his PhD in clinical psychology from The University of Alabama. He is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Sam Houston State University and conducts research in the areas of witness preparation, expert testimony, and psychological assess- ment practices. HOLLY A. MILLER received her PhD in clinical psychology from Florida State University. She is an associate professor in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University. She teaches, consults, and conducts research in the areas of malingered psychopathology, assessment and treatment of offend- ers, psychopathy, and law enforcement training, assessment, and evaluation. CORRESPONDENCE CONCERNING THIS ARTICLE should be addressed to Marcus T. Boccaccini, Psychology Department, Box 2447, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77341. E-mail: boccaccini@shsu.edu Professional Psychology: Research and Practice Copyright 2006 by the American Psychological Association 2006, Vol. 37, No. 1, 51–58 0735-7028/06/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/0735-7028.37.1.51 51