On the challenges of forensic profiling of serial offenders

The article substantiates the thesis about the systemic (objective) and subjective nature of problems of criminalistic profiling. The systemic problems in the article include problems arising from the basic structure of the state and society, while the subjective problems include problems based on the human factor. The range of problems touches upon methodological, historical, criminalistic, and psychological aspects. The subject of the study was a set of circumstances (problems) of both theoretical and applied nature that hinder the implementation of the practice of effective investigation of serial crimes. In the conducted research the following general scientific methods were used: analysis, synthesis, system-structural. In the conducted research the following private-scientific methods were used: modelling, statistical analysis, comparative-historical, expert evaluation. The article has obtained a number of the following conclusions. At the moment, due to the systemic nature, the following problems of criminalistic profiling cannot be solved: the problem of conservatism of the law enforcement system; the problem of the closed nature of the law enforcement system; the problem of underestimation of the possibilities of public involvement in the detection of serial crimes; the problem of professionalism of law enforcement officers. At the moment, due to the subjective nature, the following problems of criminalistic profiling can be solved: the problem of distinguishing the personality of a serial offender from the personality of a criminal committing multi-episode crimes of a different nature; the problem of methodological support; the problem of evidentiary value of profiling results; the problem of adapting psychological knowledge into criminalistics; the problem of representativeness of data on serial offenders. At the moment, due to the dual (systemic and subjective) nature, the following problems of forensic profiling can be partially solved: the problem of lack of traditions or specific algorithms for the implementation of personnel policy in the field of forensic profiling; the problem of "blindness in communication". The authors declare no conflicts of interests.

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