Lesson 1 - Top down approach Flashcards
what is offender profiling
a tool employed by the police to narrow down the list of likely suspects
what is offender profiling based on
characteristics of the offender being deduced from details of the offence and crime scene
what must profiling methods include
careful scrutiny of the crime scene
analysis of evidence including witness reports
organised offenders
they show evidence of having planned the crime in advance
victims are deliberately targeted
high level of ctrl
little evidence left behind
characteristics of an organised offender
above avg intelligence
in a skilled profession
socially and sexually competent
often married with children
disorganised offenders
little evidence of planning
crime scene reflects impulsive nature
body is left at the scene
very little ctrl
characteristics of a disorganised offender
lower than avg intelligence
history of sexual dysfunction
live alone
live close to crime scene
evaluation (all negative)
-top down profiling only applies to certain crimes (rape, arson , cult killings) common offences dont reveal enough abt the offender
- organised or disorganised distinction was developed based on interviews with 36 sexually motivated serial killers its not valid to rely on self report data from convicted serial killers- sample is also small and unrepresentative
-organised , disorganised classification system is overly simplistic
-data analysed from 100 murders in the USA found there is distinct organised offenders but disorganised wasnt distinct which disregards the classification system
-organised , disorganised classification system is overly simplistic
EXPAND
4 types of serial killer
- visionary (kill bcs god/devil said so )
-mission (kill to eradicate a grp of ppl they find undesirable)
-hedonistic(kill for the thrill)
-power(complete ctrl)
