General Provisions of Forensic Profiling

Abstract

There is an urgent need to modify and modernize the types of law enforcement and enforcement activities at the present stage of reforming the bodies and units of the National Police of Ukraine. Particularly, always was a demand to draw up a psychological and criminalistic portrait of an unidentified criminal in the activity of the bodies of pre-trial investigation. Accordingly, the introduction of such type of activity as forensic profiling becomes especially relevant. The purpose of the article was to specify and systematize the general provisions of forensic profiling. Methodology. Based on the analysis, systematization and generalization of scientific achievements the author in the article: 1) for the first time the object and subject of study and tasks of forensic profiling were specified and defined; 2) were clarified: a) the meaning of the terms: «forensic profiling», «psychological and forensic portrait of the subject of crime»; «psychological and victimological portrait of a crime victim»; b) subjects of forensic profiling: c) basic principles of forensic profiling; d) sources of forensic profiling; e) advantages and disadvantages of forensic profiling; f) mandatory conditions for ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of forensic profiling. Thereby, structuring the basic general theoretical provisions of forensic profiling (object, subject, targets, principles, and sources) will contribute to the systematization theoretical provisions of legal psychology in the field of profiling an unidentified offender, as well as specifying the directions activity of the profiler. The systematization of the main advantages and disadvantages of forensic profiling will enable profilers the most thoroughly aware of the need to abide by the principles, rules and conditions of forensic profiling. The description of the basic provisions of operational-search profiling, preventive profiling and personnel profiling is a promising direction.

Keywords: criminalistics profiling; psychological-criminalistics portrait; psychological-victimological portrait; crime subject; victim of crime.