Forensic Psychology-Offender Profiling Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the top-down approach?

A
  • Based on qualitative data, favoured in USA
  • Developed as way to solve extreme and bizarre murder/rape cases
  • Relies on intuition and beliefs of profiler and theories about offender types
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2
Q

Method of top-down approach?

A
  • Profiler starts with pre-established typology
  • They work downwards in order to assign offenders to either type
  • Once data entered into data-base, compared continually against other entries on basis of certain aspects of crime
  • Purpose of this is to detect aspects of crime and similar ways of crime
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3
Q

Positives of Top-Down Approach:

A
  • Been used for 40 years by FBI; Copson (1995) 82% officers interviewed said it was useful and 90% said they would use it again
  • Used by many police forces across the world
  • Influential as first systematic approach to offender profiling
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4
Q

Negatives of Top-Down Approach:

A
  • Lacks validity
  • Top-Down not based on scientific methodology
  • Only applies to certain unusual types of crime
  • Based on outdated personality models
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5
Q

What is Organised crime?

A

Crime is planned, victim targeted, body transported from scene, limited/no forensic evidence, weapon hidden

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6
Q

What is Disorganised crime?

A

Crime is unplanned, victim randomly selected, forensic clues; blood, fingerprints, weapons

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7
Q

What do organised offenders tend to have?

A

Organised offenders tend to have average/high intelligence whereas disorganised offenders are likely to have low intelligence and may suffer from psychology disturbance, work is likely to be unskilled

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8
Q

What is the Bottom-Up Approach?

A
  • Begins with evidence from the crime scene
  • Then scientific and statistical predictions based on the evidence from this scene and other crimes in contrast to top-down approach which is vice-versa
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9
Q

What is investigative psychology?

A
  • Use of computer analysis
  • Statistical analysis of data
  • Generates patterns in data
  • Enables hypothesis to be formed about the offender
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10
Q

What is geographical profiling?

A
  • People reveal themselves in the location they choose as much as their behaviour
  • Offenders are more likely to commit a crime near to where they live or travel as it involves the least effort
  • Locations of connected crimes are analysed to see where crimes were committed and relationships between crime scenes
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11
Q

What is Copson (1975)?

A

-Surveyed 48 UK police forces, 75% said profilers advice had been useful but only 3% said it actually helped catch correct offender but profiles useful for narrowing down suspects and focusing police resources

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12
Q

Canter and Larkin (1993)

A
  • Proposed offenders commit their crimes within an imagined circle and that there are two types of offenders
  • Marauder is an offender whose home is within the area the crimes were committed
  • Commuter is an offender who travels to another area to commit crime in a defined space
  • When investigators were looking at disappearance and murder of 4 young girls from different and seemingly unrelated areas of Britain in 1980s, dumping of bodies in laybys next to major A roads led to break through as it was realised his likely occupation was delivery driver, giving access to van/lorry for transportation and led to him ‘commuting’ all over country
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13
Q

Positives of Bottom-Up Approach?

A
  • Scientific method of profiling
  • Uses statistics
  • Generates hypothesis about who offender might be
  • Applied to wide range of offences
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14
Q

Negatives of Bottom-Up Approach?

A
  • Suggests may not be as useful and valid as Canter suggested
  • Copson study; only 3% said led to offender but 75% said was useful suggesting it could save police time and money looking for right person or narrowing down the potential offender
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