Bottom-up Approach Flashcards
Define the bottom-up approach to offender profiling
The bottom-up approach is where profilers work up from systematic analysis of evidence collected at the crime scene to create a unique picture to the offender. It’s a more grounded theory than the top-down approach.
Who developed the bottom up approach?
Largely developed in Britain by David Canter, he aimed to make the process of offender profiling much more scientific.
Describe investigative psychology as a type of bottom-up profiling.
A form of bottom-up profiling matching details from crime scene with statistical analyses of typically offender behaviour patterns, based on psychological theory. Reveals significant details about the likely offender.
What is meant by interpersonal coherence?
The way a person behaves at the crime scene is called ‘interpersonal coherence’ e.g. how they interact with the victim. Assumes the way the act in crime scene is how they act in real life.
What is forensic awareness and how might this be important when identifying behaviour?
Forensic awareness describes those individuals who have been the subject of police interrogation before so their behaviour may denote how mindful they are at covering their tracks.
Define geographical profiling, and how developed it?
Geographical profiling was developed by Kim Rossmo. It’s a form of bottom-up profiling based on spatial-consistency an offender’s base and future offences can be inferred through the geographical location of previously.
What is meant by crime mapping?
Crime mapping is using information from the linked crime scenes to make inferences about the likely base of the offender.
What is meant by centre of gravity?
It’s where the offender is likely to be based and likely to be the next offender locations.
What is the difference between the marauder and the commuter?
The marauder operates close to home whereas the commuter is likely to have travelled a distance away from their usual residence
Why does the case of Racheal Nickell provide evidence against both types of profiling?
Use of investigative psychology gave a false profiling for Colin Stagg. They ruled out actually killer because they believed he was too small
Support evidence for investigative psychology?
A strength of the bottom-up approach is that it has supportive evidence for its supportive evidence for its use. Canter and Heritage conducted an analysis of 66 sexual assaults using space anyalsis. They found different patterns in different individuals this can help investigators establish whether several offences were committed by the same person.
Supportive evidence for geographical profiling?
Lundrigan and canter collected information from 120 serial murder cases in the USA. Using analysis they found there was a high degree of spatial consistency with the behaviours with a centre of gravity where the offender’s base was. This is important as it shows geographical profiling can be used to catch the offender using the jeapordy surface. Therefore the bottom-up approach is useful at identifying offenders using geographical profiling in the police force.
How does the bottom up bottom-up approach show mixed results
Copson found that in 48 police case it was ‘useful’ 83% of the time but only helped accurate identification 3% of cases. This is important as it could lead the police down the wrong path, which could lead to wrong arrests or more crimes being committed
