Offender Profiling Flashcards
What are the two approaches to offender profiling?
Top down (US)
Bottom up (UK)
What is offender profiling?
A behavioural and analytical tool intended to help investigators predict and profile characteristics of the unknown offender.
What is the top down approach?
An analysis of witness reports & scrutiny of the crime scene creates a profile of a likely offender.
A profiler uses this knowledge to narrow down the field of possible suspects.
Relies on intuition and beliefs of the profiler.
Originated with FBI in America that used data from 36 sexually motivated murderers such as ted bundy.
What are the 4 stages of the top down approach?
Data assimilation
Crime scene classification
Crime reconstruction
Generation of a profile
What is data assimilation?
The review of evidence from a crime scene such as crime scene photos, pathology reports and eyewitness testimony
What is crime scene classification?
Based on data collected, the crime is classified as either organised or disorganised.
Distinction between two classifications presumes that there is a correspondence between offences and offenders
What are the characteristics of an organised type of offender?
The crime tends to be planned, the victim is specifically targeted e.g. stalking them for months before, body is often transported from the scene of the crime, leaves few clues (e.g. weapon is usually hidden) and violent fantasies may be acted out on the victim.
Such offenders are generally high in IQ, socially and sexually competent, are confident and attractive, usually live with a partner, have a good working car and usually follow their crimes in the media
What are the characteristics of a disorganised type of offender?
The opposite of organised offender: crime tends to be unplanned and impulsive, targets a random victim e.g. more opportunistic, there is little attempt to hide evidence: e.g. crime scene may have blood splatters, and facial destruction and sexually statistic acts are performed on the victim after death
Such offenders are usually sexually inadequate, have poor social skills and sever forms of mental illness, live alone near to the crime scene, usually have been physically or sexually abused in childhood and are confused and distressed at the time of attack.
What is crime reconstruction?
The profiler will produce a hypothesis regarding the possible sequence of events leading up to and during the crime as well as the possible behaviour of the victim.
What is profile generation?
A profile of the offender is constructed which includes a hypothesis about their likely background, habits and beliefs. This is used to work out a strategy for the investigation to help catch the offender.
What is the bottom up approach?
Developed in the uk and based on scientific theory and research.
A data- driven approach where statistical techniques are used to produce predictions about the likely characteristics of an offender.
What is investigative psychology?
Developed by David Canter- British psychologist.
Attempts to apply statistical procedures alongside psychological theory to analyse crime scene evidence.
Aims to establish patterns of behaviour across crime scenes.
A statistical database is developed to act as a baseline for comparison to specific details of an offence and reveal details such as family background.
Can determine if a series of offences are linked and likely to be the same offender.
What are the 3 key features to investigative psychology?
Interpersonal coherence
Forensic awareness
Small space analysis
What is interpersonal coherence?
Identifying correlations in individuals day to day behaviour, assuming it is consistent, and the crime scene.
What is forensic awareness?
Certain behaviours at the crime scene may reveal awareness of police techniques.
Example: David et al found that rapists who conceal fingerprints often had a previous conviction for burglary
