Forensics Flashcards
What is offender profiling?
A behavioral and analytical tool used when trying to solve crimes. It is intended to help investigation narrow down the number of likely suspects of crime by predicting the probable characteristics of the unknown criminal(s) -e.g. their age, background, occupation etc.- using evidence from the crime scene
What are the two types of offender profiling?
Top-Down Approach and Bottom-Up Approach
What are some key features of the top-down approach?
It is also called the typology approach. This is when the people who are profiling the criminals have pre-existing conceptual categories of offenders in their minds. They can use the evidence from the crime to fit into either of these categories.
What are some key features of the bottom-up approach?
When the profilers look at the evidence from the crime and use these to develop likely hypotheses of what the offender is like using their knowledge of psychological theories.
What are the two categories of offenders in top-down profiling?
organised offenders and disorganised offenders
How were the two types of offender developed?
It was formed by the FBI’s behavioral science unit in the 1970s. They drew upon data gathered from in-depth interviews with 36 sexually motivated serial killers including Ted Bundy, Richard Ramirez etc. They then classified organised/disorganised offenders within these subsections.
What are 5 feature of organised offenders?
Can have any 5 of the following: -More Intelligent -High degree of control during the crime -violent fantasies may be carried out on the victim -Usually in a skilled, professional occupation -Socially and sexually competent -Uses restraints and hidden weapons - Follow their crimes in the media - Usually married/with a family - Victim is especially targeted as the offender seems to have a type
What are 5 features of disorganised offenders?
Can have any 5 of the following: -Unskilled work or unemployed -Socially incompetent -Below average intelligent -Tend to live alone and relatively close to where the offense took place - Minimal control in the crime-impulsive -Messy; doesn’t conceal incriminating evidence so evidence is likely to be present at the crime scene -History of sexual dysfunction and failed relationships -Victim is likely to be random - Crime is likely to have no elements of planning
What are the six stages of Top-down profiling?
Input, Decisions, Assessment 1, Criminal Profile, Assessment 2, Apprehension
What occurs in the “input” stage of Top-down profiling?
Input of description of the crime scene, background information about the victim and details of the crime itself. All information should be included but only confirmed suspects are used, not possible subjects.
What occurs in the “decisions” stage of Top-down profiling?
Decisions made about the data and the data is split into meaningful categories. Issues like murder type (i.e. mass/spree/serial), time factors and location factors are considered.
What occurs in the “Assessment 1” stage of Top-down profiling?
The crime is classified as organised or disorganised
What occurs in the “Criminal Profile” stage of Top-down profiling?
The profile is made including hypotheses of their likely background, habits and beliefs of the offender which helps in investigation of the offender.
What occurs in the “Assessment 2” stage of Top-down profiling?
Written report given to the investigator. If new evidence is generated/no suspects are identified the profiles will revert back to stage 2- “decisions”
What occurs in the “Apprehension” stage of Top-down profiling?
If the suspect is apprehended, the active profile-generating process is reviewed to check the conclusions were legitimate and can be revise for future cases.
What was one criticism of the top-down approach suggested by A____n 2002?
Alison- She proposed an issue with the dichotomy between organised/disorganised offenders. Crimes can contain aspects of both and criminals can change their behaviors over time. It therefore does not consider individual differences and is too simplistic.
What did G___in 2002 suggest was was an issue with the top-down approach?
Godwin- He suggested that judgement of what makes a person an organised or unorganised offender is subjective.
How can we criticise the FBI Science Unit study that top-down approach was based on relating to methodology?
There were some issues with the study. The sample was very small and unusual as they were all serial killers, which makes this less generalisable. They also used a self report design, which would have been invalid as the ps would be prone to exaggeration due to them most likely showing narcissism or arrogance.
How can we criticise the FBI Science Unit study that top-down approach was based on relating to temporal validity?
AS the study was in the 1970s, we can suggest that the attitudes of serial killers have changed (i.e. less women being persecuted as they are less likely to be seen as weak), suggesting poor temporal validity.
How can we criticise the FBI Science Unit study that top-down approach was based on relating to gender?
One could argue that the study involved beta bias.
What was one criticism of top-down profiling suggested by C_nt_r 2004?
He suggested that the criteria have little basis in reality/reliability/support. In a study of 100 serial killers they found no clear division between organised and disorganised types of offender. This shows issues with construct validity/being too simplistic.
What is one criticism of top-down that relates to culture?
One could argue that it is culturally biased and that the criteria for organised/disorganised offenders is based on stereotypes.
Who was the bottom-up method created by? Why?
David Canter, so he could catch the railway rapist
What is the model of bottom-up approach?
the Five Factor Model

