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Future considerations involving the use of psychological/psychiatric testimony in

relation to criminal profiles must involve continued research examining its efficacy

in the court system. Policy implications will therefore depend on. results obtained

from developing future research in this field.

Suggestions for Future Research

One could say that the future of criminological profiling has already arrived. In years

past, investigators relied only on personal knowledge bases involving experience and

wisdom. Inferences were drawn based on corroboration with peers and personal

hunches. In the modern computer era, comprehensive and extensive computerized

databases exist which allow thousands of variables to be cross-examined between

criminals, crime scenes, and case details. Computerized searches look for specific

patterns, consistencies, and inconsistencies in order to determine the most likely

course of action for law enforcement agents to act upon.

At the FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC), ex-

perts in criminal personality profiling developed a computerized system of crime

pattern analysis. This computerized system, termed VICAP (Violent Criminal Ap-

prehension Program) uses a collection of crime pattern recognition programs to

detect and predict the behavior of violent criminals. Future research is needed to

examine the accuracy and reliability of such computer programs and to develop a

method in which all law enforcement agencies could utilize a system on a cost-

efficient, practical level. Further, the development of a national database may bring

large statistical power to such evaluations. Research examining these possibilities is

certainly required.

Research is also needed in order to determine the possible detrimental effects

of criminal profiling. As mentioned, many courts do not allow for the inclusion

of psychological profiles as evidence in courts. Will profiling a subject negatively

persuade a jury to convict a potential felon if the profile is too broad or encompasses

too many personality characteristics? Research is needed to determine, scientifically,

if profiling is indeed efficacious.

COERCED CONFESSIONS

Introduction

No other piece of evidence is more damaging to a criminal than a stated con-
fession. Throughout history, confessions have been obtained in a variety of ways.
Due process specifically states that interrogators may use certain tactics to obtain
confessions from an accused, provided that the confession is voluntary and a prod-
uct of an essentially free and unhindered person. However, many tactics employed