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Crim & Forensic Psychology > Offender Profiling > Flashcards

Offender Profiling Flashcards

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1
Q

What is offender profiling? 📝

A

Identifying characteristics of a perpetrator of a crime based on analysis of the nature 🏃🏽 and the manner🙅🏽 in which it was committed

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2
Q

What indicates aspects of a criminals’ personality?

A

Their choice of actions before, during and after the crime

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3
Q

What are the predominant crimes we can profile?

A

Mostly contact crimes

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4
Q

What is the basic premise of offender profiling?

A

What + how + when + where + why = WHO

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5
Q

What principles are used to profile an offender?

A

Behavioural, correlational and psychodynamic principles

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6
Q

What are the core objectives of offender profiling?

A

Reduce the scope of an investigation, reduce the problem of an information overload, permit strategic allocation of resources, assist in linkage of crimes, predict future offences, ease the burden of public fear, media interest and political pressure

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7
Q

Goals of offender profiling

A

Social and psychological assessment of offenders

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8
Q

Core variables to know about offender

A

Age, gender, race, employment, marital status, sexual maturity, religion, reaction to police questioning

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9
Q

What is a psychological evaluation of offender belongings used for

A

To aid understanding of how certain possessions tie the suspect to the crime

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10
Q

What does psychological evaluation of offender belongings predict?

A

What items a suspect likely to have in their possession, to build case for prosecution

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11
Q

Why would psychological evaluation of offender belongings be invaluable at trial?

A

Can ultimately lead to the conviction of the perpetrator

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12
Q

What is crime linkage analysis?

A

Investigative decision process of deciding whether 2 or more crimes are committed by same offender

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13
Q

Preferred type of evidence in linkage analysis

A

Hard evidence, or in absence of this- observable behaviour

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14
Q

What is linkage blindness

A

Don’t know crime is committed by same person (could have prevented victimisation Ghubin et al (1997)

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15
Q

2 reasons for crime linkage (Santtila et al, 2005)

A

Reduce number of potential suspects, accumulate evidence concerning a particular offender

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16
Q

Process of crime linkage

A

Look at offence behaviours then compare to relevant for similar offences

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17
Q

Assumptions of behavioural crime linkage

A

Consistency (similarity across related crime scenes) and variability (what random set of behaviours they used)

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18
Q

What technology is the gold standard to facilitate linkage by (Collins et al., 1998)

A

Violent Crime Linkage Analysis System (ViClas)

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19
Q

Critical evaluation of computerised systems (Bernell et al., 2012): 4 assumptions

A

Data in systems must be coded reliably
Data are accurate
Serial offenders exhibit consistent but distinctive patterns of behaviour
Analysts have ability to use behaviour to link crimes accurately

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20
Q

Approaches to offender profiling

A

FBI- Inductive approach, Canter’s signature vs. Modus operandi and geographical profiling

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21
Q

What type of approach is the FBI-inductive approach

A

Top-down approach

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22
Q

Profiling process (FBI Inductive approach

A

Data assimilation, crime classification (organised or disorganised) crime reconstruction (hypotheses) and profile generation

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23
Q

Assumptions in FBI inductive approach

A

Unknown offenders share common characteristics.

Past offenders culturally similar to current offenders (environmental conditions + motivations)

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24
Q

Disorganised Asocial offender

A

Spontaneous, Unknown, messy, weapon left

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25
Q

How should police interview a disorganised asocial offender

A

Show empathy, non-threatening, counseller approach, interview them at night

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26
Q

Organised non-social offender

A

Evidence of planning (body moved, weapon taken), intelligent, controlled mood, charming. After crime volunteers info, anticipates questioning

27
Q

How should police interview an organised non-social offender?

A

Direct strategy, aware that answers are usually well-read

28
Q

Criticisms of FBI inductive approach

A

Generalises from limited population, lacks theoretical rationale, relies on interviews, failure to compare profiles with actual offenders

29
Q

Boon and Davis (1992) deductive approach

A

Get details of crime and build up specific associations between offences and offender characteristics

30
Q

Deductive methods assumptions

A

No offender acts without motivation so each offence should be investigated as its own behavioural and motivational existent

31
Q

Positives of deductive methods

A

Profiles more specific and reduces investigator bias

32
Q

Limitation of deductive methods

A

Time consuming and involves a multi-disciplinary team

33
Q

Canter’s approach to offender profiling

A

Inductive and deductive as FBI dichotomy is too simplistic

34
Q

Canter’s Signature vs Modus operandi

A

Signature- each crime has their own signature

Modus operandi- dynamic, learned behaviour which changes over time as offender gets more experienced

35
Q

Geographical profiling (Rossmo, 2000)

A

Suggests that criminals offend close to their homes e.g. Burgle and rape

36
Q

Geographical profiling aims

A

Identify which cases are linked
Predict characteristics
Understand link between offence and location

37
Q

Geographical profiling preparation

A

Exam case files, inspect scene and photos, discuss with identifications, analyse the neighbourhood crime stats, study the street

38
Q

Assumptions in geographical profiling

A
  • individuals construct mental maps of areas they know

- victim location and availability are key to determining where offences will occur

39
Q

Jeopardy surface in geographical profiling

A

Computerised analysis of point pattern target sites (produces 3D probability distribution)

40
Q

Routine activity theory of geographical profiling

A

A motivated offender, a suitable victim and the absence of a capable guardian

41
Q

Limitation of routine activity theory

A

Doesn’t address why offenders commit crimes

42
Q

Support for geographical profiling

A

Godwin and Canter (1997): 85% offences lived within circle compassing offences

Koscis and Irwin (1997): arson attacks in AUS

Snook et al (2005): younger travelled shorter distances. Higher IQ travelled further

43
Q

Search and attack methods in geographical profiling include

A

Victim and attack search methods

44
Q

Victim search methods (geographical profiling)

A

Hunter (search based from home, go out and look)

Poacher (search based on own activity e.g. Business)

Troller (opportunistic)
Trapper (under their control)

45
Q

3 methods of attack (geographical profiling)

A

Raptor (Attacks upon encounter)

Stalker (follows victim, then attacks)

Ambusher (entices victim to location, then attacks)

46
Q

Evaluation of geographical profiling

A

Canter’s approach similar

However, generalising between EU and USA

47
Q

2 distinct issues with offender profiling (Petherick, 2005)

A

Accuracy (would suggest direct relationship between profile and offender) and Utility (waste of resources)

48
Q

Hazel wood et al (1995) criticism of offender profiling

A

Only an investigative tool used to narrow down a pool of suspects (not to identify)

49
Q

What is successful offender profiling?

A

Number of hits scored by profiles (Jackson et al 1997)

Must assist in decision making process (Rossmo et al., 2000)

50
Q

Criticism of offender profiling literature (Dowden et al 2007) content analysis

A

Majority of profiling research are discussion papers and they lack a systematic testing of theories

51
Q

What assumptions are being tested in offender profiling?

A

Stability of offender profiling over time, consistency of offender’s behaviour between his criminal/ non criminal domains, associations between crime and background of offender

52
Q

How accurate is offender profiling? (Holmes, 1989)

A
  • 192 offender profiled cases

- only 17% contributed to the arrests

53
Q

Criticisms of Holmes (1989)

A

No control group for comparison, stats techniques not described and most info gained by police

54
Q

Circle theory of environmental range

A

(Rossmo, 2000) suggests that criminals offend close to their homes

55
Q

Three central elements of offender profiling

A

Produces 8 possible crime location sets
Victim encounter sets suggests the organisation and mobility of offender
Research has shown high consistency in crime set by serial offenders

56
Q

How useful is offender profiling?

A

Cops on (1995) found 100% for arson and abduction (but small cases)

57
Q

Aspects of usefulness of offender profiling (Copson, 1995)

A
  • lead to identification (3%)
  • furthered understanding of case/offender (61%)
  • reassured officers’ judgements (52%)
  • offered structure for interview (5%)
  • not useful (17%)
58
Q

How useful is offender profiling operationally? (Copson, 1995)

A

83%

59
Q

Problems with assessing accuracy of offender profiles

A

Turvey (1999): issue of subjectivity in interpretations, accuracy can only be proven once caught and even when caught not FACTUAL evidence of guilt/innocence.

60
Q

Villiejoubert and colleagues (2008): cognitive study on how receivers of profiles interpret the claims study details

A
  • 70 ptps
  • online questionnaire
  • manipulated quantifiers used
61
Q

Criticism of uncertainty phrases (Collins and Alison, 2002):

A
  • content analysis of 26 profiles by different profilers

- only 54% had uncertainty phrase

62
Q

However, recently Almond et al (2007) found (unqualified phrases)

A

Only 18% of claims were unprofiled

Therefore improvement in practice

63
Q

Villejubert et al (2008) findings

A

Most can’t be certain of claims: mere levels of probability, need a probability qualifying phrase e.g 60% chance as claims interpreted differently for different people

  • verbal as opposed to numerical associated with higher judgements and level of dangerousness- more likely to be thought true
64
Q

Recommendations of offender profiling (Villejubert et al, 2008)

A

Need to counterbalance effects in communications (e.g. If dangerous claim is made, reduce a probable to a possible) to make less likely to be thought true

Crim & Forensic Psychology (6 decks)

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