ABSTRACT
Behavioral profiling depends on the same probability analysis technique as psychological autopsy and is correctly scrutinized for admissibility. Profilers should be familiar with psychological states, because their expertise overlaps that of clinical psychologists and psychiatrists. The legal system relies on the belief that people are generally rational and that they freely make decisions. Thus, they are responsible for their behavior. As with law enforcement, profilers can offer assistance to court personnel in recognizing personality traits and behaviors that are consistent with certain types of crimes. The profiler can also clarify other aspects of forensic evidence, explain technical angles, and help to reconstruct the crime. When experts in criminal investigative analysis (CIA) testify about crime scene behavior, they might also address mental state, particularly evidence of psychopathology. Rainbow suggests that investigators use a hybrid approach that involves an evidence-based listing of the most likely suspect traits and behaviors for specific crimes, grounded in empirically confirmed psychological principles.
