PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE OF AN UNKNOWN CRIMINAL: SOME FEATURES OF APPLICATION

Abstract

It has been determined that the use of the psychological profile method for identifying an unknown criminal should be perceived as an exception, since in the vast majority of cases its use is preceded by traditional and more accurate identifica- tion methods. In the case when traditional methods of searching for a person do not yield results, then compiling a psycho- logical profile can be used as an auxiliary tool. The procedural features of the application of the psychological profile method for an unknown criminal need to be clarified, as well as the benefits of such a method for achieving the objectives of pre-trial criminal proceedings. It has been established that in the case when during pre-trial criminal proceedings there is a need to reflect the psychological characteristics of an unknown criminal, it is advisable to use the psychological profile method.There are cases when, when searching for an unknown criminal, the criminal prosecution authorities have a limited amount of information about this person, for example: data on behavior during or after committing a criminal offense, information on methods of preparing for the offense and methods of hiding its traces, witness statements, etc. Such information about an unknown criminal can be called fragmentary. Thus, the psychological profile of a person will be created through, so to speak, the prism of such fragments (parts of known information). It is concluded that the use of psychological profiling of an unknown criminal can be carried out “in the format” of an expert opinion or a specialist’s opinion. The involvement of an expert in the investigation of a crime may be preceded by the involvement of a psychological profiling specialist (outside of expert research), since the involvement of a specialist requires less expenditure of procedural resources (primarily time).The use of the method of psychological profiling of an unknown criminal can provide criminal prosecution authorities with information about: a person’s psychotype, physiological and behavioral characteristics, a person’s intellectual abilities, motives for criminal behavior and prediction of the criminal’s actions in the future, etc.