Since you are asking specifically for usefulness, I will drop my cons about profiling and focus on how it could help.
One useful thing about profiling is the use of patterns. When a killer or rapist strikes, it is good to know who they attack. When we profile,we are able to see behavioral patterns in the attacker, which allows us to warn potential victims.
Another useful thing is that it helps us understand the background of the offender. If we notice a certain pattern in background, upbringing, socioeconomic status, or literacy level, we can become more aware of how those backgrounds are either enabeling or making it easier for offenders to become what they are.Hey, it could even help our parenting skills, for all we know. Serial, homosexual killer and rapist Jeffrey Dahmer, for example, was brought up by what we could call "sensible, Christian, and decent" parents: But what else went on in there? Do we know for SURE?
And my final benefit for profiling is predictability. Surely, we can make mistakes but when lives are at stake, it is best to take every measure possible to avoid a future strike. When the 1970's saw a pattern of brown-haired white girls getting raped and killed, they were able to see what some rapists were looking for, and some were caught- thought not all (hence, the story "The Lovely Bones") Yet, the crimes were so new that there was a lack of predictability as to how the next victim would die. A bit of profiling could've helped on that one big time as well.
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