**L1 - Top-Down Approach to Offender Profiling Flashcards
what is OFFENDER PROFILING?
OFFENDER PROFILING is a TOOL EMPLOYED BY THE POLICE to NARROW DOWN the LIST OF LIKELY SUSPECTS
OFFENDER PROFILING is based on the IDEA that the CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENDER can be DEDUCED from DETAILS OF THE OFFENCE AND CRIME SCENE.
PROFILING METHODS MAY VARY, But usually involve CAREFUL SCRUTINY OF THE CRIME SCENE and ANALYSIS OF EVIDENCE, INCLUDING WITNESS REPORTS, in order to GENERATE A HYPOTHESIS about the PROBABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENDER (AGE, BACKGROUND, OCCUPATION etc)
what is the TOP DOWN APPROACH to OFFENDER PROFILING?
The TOP DOWN APPROACH begins with TEMPLATES of ORGANISED OFFENDER and DISORGANISED OFFENDER which are PRE EXISTING in the MIND OF THE PROFILER
EVIDENCE FROM THE CRIME SCENE and OTHER DETAILS OF THE CRIME/VICTIM/CONTEXT are then used to FIT THE OFFENDER into EITHER OF THE TWO PRE EXISTING CATEGORIES, and DETERMINE THE OFFENDER AS ONE TYPE OR THE OTHER
what are ORGANISED OFFENDERS?
These OFFENDERS show EVIDENCE of having PLANNED THE CRIME IN ADVANCE; the VICTIM IS DELIBERATELY TARGETED and will OFTEN REVEAL THE FACT that the KILLER or RAPIST has a PREFERENCE FOR A CERTAIN TYPE OF VICTIM
They MAINTAIN A HIGH LEVEL OF CONTROL DURING THE CRIME and OPERATE with an ALMOST DETACHED SURGICAL PRECISION
There is LITTLE EVIDENCE LEFT BEHIND AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
what are some of the PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS of ORGANISED OFFENDERS?
These offenders TEND TO BE OF ABOVE AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE, in a SKILLED PROFESSIONAL OCCUPATION and are SOCIALLY and SEXUALLY COMPETENT.
They are OFTEN MARRIED and HAVE CHILDREN
what are DISORGANISED OFFENDERS?
These offenders show LITTLE EVIDENCE OF PLANNING suggesting the OFFENCE MAY HAVE BEEN SPONTANEOUS
The CRIME SCENE TENDS TO REFLECT THE IMPULSIVE NATURE OF THE ATTACK, the BODY IS USUALLY LEFT AT THE SCENE and there appears to have been VERY LITTLE CONTROL ON THE PART OF THE OFFENDER
what are some of the PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS of DISORGANISED OFFENDERS?
DISORGANISED OFFENDERS TEND TO BE OF LOWER THAN AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE, be in UNSKILLED WORK or UNEMPLOYED, and often have a HISTORY OF SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION or FAILED RELATIONSHIPS
They TEND TO LIVE ALONE and OFTEN RELATIVELY CLOSE TO WHERE THE OFFENCE TOOK PLACE
- CERTAIN CRIMES (EVALUATION OF TOP DOWN APPROACH)
- TOP DOWN PROFILING ONLY APPLIES TO CERTAIN CRIMES (e.g RAPE, MURDERS etc)
COMMON OFFENCES, such as BURGLARY DO NOT LEND THEMSELVES to TOP DOWN PROFILING because the CRIME SCENE REVEALS VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE OFFENDER
- INTERVIEW SAMPLE (EVALUATION OF TOP DOWN APPROACH)
- The ORGANISED or DISORGANISED DISTINCTION was DEVELOPED BASED ON INTERVIEWS with 36 SEXUALLY MOTIVATED SERIAL KILLERS IN THE USA
CRITICS have pointed out that this is TOO SMALL and UNREPRESENTATIVE A SAMPLE upon which TO BASE A TYPOLOGY SYSTEM
Additionally because INTERVIEWS were used the VALIDITY OF THE RESPONSES have been BROUGHT INTO QUESTION, many people argue that it is NOT VALID to RELY ON SELF REPORT DATA from CONVICTED SERIAL KILLERS when CONSTRUCTING A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
- OVERLY SIMPLISTIC (EVALUATION OF TOP DOWN APPROACH)
- The ORGANISED and DISORGANISED DISTINCTION is OVERLY SIMPLISTIC. HOLMES suggests there are FOUR TYPES of SERIAL KILLER.
VISIONARY SERIAL KILLER (KILL BECAUSE GOD or the DEVIL IS DIRECTING THEM TO)
MISSION SERIAL KILLER (KILL TO ERADICATE A GROUP OF PEOPLE they consider to be UNDESIRABLE)
HEDONISTIC SERIAL KILLERS (KILL FOR THE THRILL)
POWER SERIAL KILLER (KILL TO HAVE COMPLETE CONTROL OVER THE VICTIMS)
- CANTER ET AL (EVALUATION OF TOP DOWN APPROACH)
- CANTER ET AL ANALYSED DATA from 100 MURDERS IN THE USA with REFERENCE TO THE CHARACTERISTICS thought to be TYPICAL OF ORGANISED AND DISORGANISED KILLERS
The FINDINGS did suggest EVIDENCE OF A DISTINCT ORGANISED TYPE, however this was NOT THE CASE FOR THE DISORGANISED TYPE which UNDERMINES THE ENTIRE CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
