Forensic Psychology : L2 Bottom-Up Approach Offender Profiling

Question 1

What is the Bottom-Up Approach?

Answer 1

• Aimed to generate a picture of the offender, characteristics, routine behaviour, and social background
• Achieved through systematic analysis of evidence left at crime scene

Question 2

How does Bottom-Up vary from Top-Down

Answer 2

• Does not begin with fixed typologies
• Data driven from crime scene analysis
• Far more grounded than Top-Down

Question 3

What is investigative psychology?

Answer 3

• Establish a statistical database of behaviours which occur at crime scene and the characteristics of offenders whop carry out these behaviours
• Specific details can be matched against this database in order to reveal information about the profiler

Question 4

What is Interpersonal Coherence?

Answer 4

The theory that an offender behaves similar in everyday life to the way they behave at a crime scene

Question 5

What is forensic awareness

Answer 5

Individuals who attempt to ‘cover their tracks’ in order to prevent identification

Question 6

Geographical Profiling

Answer 6

• Study of spatial behaviour in relation to crime and offenders
• Focuses on location of the crime as a clue to where the offender lives
• Assumption that serious offenders restrict crimes to an area they are familiar with

Question 7

Marauder

Answer 7

Operates close to their home when committing crimes

Question 8

Commuter

Answer 8

Travels a distance away from their home to commit a crime

Question 9

(-) Evaluation

Answer 9

• Some significant failure when using bottom-up profiling. In 1992, Rachel Nickell was stabbed and sexually assaulted. In 2008, following forensic evidence, Robert Napper was convicted. He has been ruled out earlier due to the profile stating he was taller than the offender was claimed to be.
• Chemistry students produced a more accurate offender profiler than experienced detectives. This implies the bottom-up approach is a little more common sense and guess work.
• 48 police forces were surveyed and only 3% of cases lead to the accurate identification of the offender compared to the perceived 83% of information from a profiler judged to be useful.

Question 10

(+) Evalutation

Answer 10

• Bottom-up argued to be more scientific than top-down profiling as it is more grounded in evidence and psychological theory.
• Bottom-up profiling can be applied to a wide variety of offences, unlike top-down.