TERMIUM Plus®

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OFFENDER PROFILING [1 record]

Record 1 2011-10-27

English

Subject field(s)
  • Criminology
  • Police
DEF

Constructing an outline or "profile" of a person's or an offender's individual characteristics.

CONT

The BSU [i.e. the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit] has pioneered a system of criminal investigation known as Profiling, [which draws] on a combination of field experience and psychiatric knowledge to develop a loose but directed description of a possible killer. Each serial killer has an idiosyncratic pattern, a systematic way of going about the selection, pursuit, killing and disposal of his victims. Each of his victims will show characteristic damage, or be placed in a ritual manner, or taken from a social group, such as prostitutes or nurses or hitchhikers, having special significance to the killer. No two are exactly alike, but serial killers in general conform to a limited number of types.

OBS

It can take the details of an individual case and tell you whether it fits, in a general way, into the pattern of similar crimes.

OBS

DNA profiling, psychological profiling, etc.

French

Domaine(s)
  • Criminologie
  • Police
DEF

Esquisse psychologique, etc. d'un individu.

Spanish

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