In order to analyze the relevance of victimology to criminal profiling, it is necessary to explain the nature of both methods. It is known that victimology is a relatively new discipline (about 50 years old), but it plays an important role in the criminology providing a lot of useful information concerning victims and giving better understanding of “the phenomenon of crime”. (R. Holmes; S. Holmes, 2009)
Victimology studies the victims which are related to the different crimes but committed by one and the same criminal. The main task of victimology is to find out what similarities can be found between each victim of a certain crime in order to identify the criminal’s approach in perpetration of the crimes.
Victimology touches upon such details as age and lifestyle of the victims, compares the color of eyes and hair of the victims and finds similar features, studies the relations between the victims, their common interests and so on.
All this information is vital in criminal profiling. The profiler will create a true picture of the criminal using the relevant information from victimology. (Alison, Canter, 1999)
The use of criminal profiling helps to detect the criminals and capture them. Moreover, criminal profiling helps to identify the behavior of the criminal before he gets to the highest point in his criminality. (Ainsworth, 2001)
Victimology is closely connected with criminal profiling because criminal’s behavior which is studied by criminal profiling is connected with the victims he/she chooses to kill. Victimology reveals the relationship between the victim and the criminal. (Alison & Canter, 1999)
References
Ainsworth, P. (2001) Offender Profiling and Crime Analysis. London: Willan Publishing.
Alison, L. & Canter, D. (1999) Professional, Legal and Ethical Issues in Offender Profiling. Profiling in Policy and Practice. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate.
Holmes, R.M. & Holmes, S.T. (2009) Profiling Violent Crimes: An Investigative Tool. USA: Sage Publications Inc.