26.10.23 Forensic Psychology - Bottom up approach

Question 1

What is the bottom-up approach?

Answer 1

Profilers work UP from evidence collected to develop likely HYPOTHESES about likely MOTIVATIONS and CHARACTERISTICS of offender

Question 2

What is the aim of the bottom-up approach?

Answer 2

Generate PICTURE of offender

Question 3

Is the bottom-up approach British or American?

Answer 3

British

Question 4

What is investigative psychology?

Answer 4

• Form of bottom up PROFILING
• Matches DETAILS from crime with STATISTICAL ANALYSIS of typical offender behaviour PATTERNS
• Based on PSYCHOLOGICAL theory

Question 5

What is the purpose of investigative psychology?

Answer 5

Establish PATTERNS of behaviour likely to occur

Question 6

Why is this beneficial?

Answer 6

Develops STATISTICAL database acting as BASELINE for COMPARISON

Question 7

What is central to this approach?

Answer 7

Interpersonal coherence

Question 8

What is interpersonal coherence?

Answer 8

Way offender BEHAVES at crime scene and their INTERACTIONS with victim may reflect BEHAVIOUR in everyday life

Question 9

Give an example of interpersonal coherence

Answer 9

Other offenders may be more APOLGETIC maybe telling police something about how offender relates to WOMEN in more GENERAL way

Question 10

What is forensic awareness?

Answer 10

• Describes OFFENDERS who have been subject of POLICE INTERROGATION before
• Become BETTER at ‘covering their tracks’

Question 11

What is geographical profiling?

Answer 11

• Form of bottom up PROFILING
• Based on principle of SPATIAL CONSISTANCY
• Offender’s OPERATIONAL base and FUTURE offences revealed through GEOGRAPHICAL location of previous CRIMES

Question 12

What is a marauder?

Answer 12

Offender operating in CLOSE proximity to HOME BASE

Question 13

What is a commuter?

Answer 13

Offender travelling distance AWAY from home base

Question 14

What is Canter’s circle theory?

Answer 14

Pattern of OFFENDING forms CIRCLE around offender’s HOME BASE

Question 15

What can such spatial decision tell police about?

Answer 15

• MODE of transport
• Age
• EMPLOYMENT status

Question 16

What is a strength of investigative psychology?

Answer 16

Evidence supporting investigative psychology

Question 17

Evidence supporting investigative psychology

Answer 17

• Canter and Heritage
• Conducted SMALLEST sample analysis of
  66 SEXUAL assault cases
• Several behaviours identified as being
  COMMON
• Each individual displayed
  CHARACTERISTIC pattern of behaviours
• SUPPORTS one of BASIC principles of
  investigative psychology and bottom-up
  approach that people CONSISTENT in
  behaviour

Question 18

What is a limitation of investigative psychology?

Answer 18

Case linkage depends on DATABASE

Question 19

Case linkage depends on database

Answer 19

• Only consists of HISTORICAL crimes
• Which are SOLVED
• May be because it was pretty
  STRAIGHTFORWARD to LINK crimes
  together in first place
• CIRCULAR argument
• Investigative psychology may tell us VERY
  LITTLE about crimes with few links
  between them
• Remains UNSOLVED

Question 20

What is a strength of geographical profiling?

Answer 20

Evidence supporting its use

Question 21

Evidence supporting its use

Answer 21

• Lundrigan and Canter
• Collected information from 120 MURDER
  cases involving SERIAL KILLERS in US
• Found SPATIAL CONSISTENCY in
  behaviour of killers
• Offender’s BASE located in CENTRE of
  pattern
• Supports view that GEOGRAPHICAL
  PROFILING can identify offender

Question 22

What is a limitation of geographical profiling?

Answer 22

May NOT be sufficient on its own

Question 23

May not be sufficient on its own

Answer 23

• SUCCESS of geographical profiling may be
  dependent on QUALITY of data provided
  by POLICE
• 75% not even reported to police
• Questions UTILITY of approach relying on
  accuracy of GP
• Suggests GP on its own may not always lead to SUCCESSFUL capture of offender