2- bottom-up approach

Question 1

what is the bottom-up approach

Answer 1

• developed in the UK
• generates picture of offender (likely characteristics, routine, social background) through systematic analysis of evidence
• profile is data-driven and emerges from rigorous scrutiny of offence details
• more grounded in psychological theory than top-down

Question 2

what is investigative psychology

Answer 2

• establish behaviours likely to occur at certain crimes
• creates a statistical database which acts as baseline for comparison in order to reveal statistically probable details
• determine if multiple offences are linked

Question 3

what is interpersonal significance

Answer 3

• way in which offender behaves at crime scene
• how offender interacts with the victim
• may reflect everyday behaviour
• may tell police how offender relates to women

Question 4

what does the top-down approach include

Answer 4

• investigative psychology
• interpersonal coherence
• significance of time and place
• forensic awareness
• geographical profiling

Question 5

what is significance of time and place

Answer 5

• key variable

- may indicate where the offender lives

Question 6

what is forensic awareness

Answer 6

• individuals who attempt to ‘cover their tracks’
• may indicate that they have been subject of police interrogation
• police may already have their DNA/fingerprints

Question 7

what is geographical profiling

Answer 7

• study spatial behaviour in relation to crime
• focuses on crime location, scene, local crime stats, local transport and geographical spread
• assumption that offenders restrict criminal activities to familiar area (earlier crimes are closer to base, confidence means they travel further)
• marauder: close to home
• commuter: travels a distance away
• spatial pattern will form circle around their home
• may tell police if crime was planned/opportunistic, mode of transport, employment status, approx age

Question 8

positive evaluation of bottom-up approach (2)

Answer 8

+ more scientific than top-down as it is more grounded in evidence and less driven by speculation
+ can be applied to a wide variety of offences from theft to murder

Question 9

negative evaluation of bottom-up approach (3)

Answer 9

• significant failures e.g. man stabbed 47 times and sexually assaulted in frenzied attack on Wimbledon common and later forensic evidence showed that the killer had been ruled out in initial investigation as he was several inches taller than the profile
• 48 police forces surveyed , and advice from profiler was useful in 83% of cases, but only led to accurate identification in 3%
• chemistry students produced more accurate profile than senior detectives so it is a little more than common sense and guesswork