Offender Profiling: Bottom-up

Question 1

Cognitive social approach

Answer 1

Criminals interactions with others are seen as the key to their behaviour.

Question 2

Bottom up as

Answer 2

no initial assumption is made about the offender until a statistical analysis using correlational techniques has been carried out on the detail of the cases.

Question 3

Objective and reliable

Answer 3

Relies heavily on computer databases.

More objective and reliable than top-down as always based on data analysis and a theoretical basis of human behaviour.

Question 4

Aim

Answer 4

To identify a pattern of similarities between offences.

Question 5

Method

Answer 5

Content analysis of 66 sexual offences from various police forces committed by 27 offenders.
Find 33 offence variables that were clearly linked to potential behaviour characteristics.
It was possible to say yes or no to each variable.

Question 6

Analysis

Answer 6

Small space analysis

Question 7

Results 1

Answer 7

Variables central to 66 cases of sexual assault:

• vaginal intercourse
• no reaction to the victim
• impersonal language
• surprise attack
• victim’s clothing disturbed

Question 8

Results 2

Answer 8

Variables suggest a pattern of behaviour where the attack is impersonal and sudden and the victims response is irrelevant to the offender.

Question 9

Results 3

Answer 9

Less central variables which have found to be important in other research =

1: attempted intimacy with the victim
2: sexual behaviour
3: overt violence and aggression
4: impersonal interaction
5: criminal behaviour and intent i.e. stealing from the victim,.

Question 10

Conclusions

Answer 10

Usefulness: all five aspects have now been shown to contribute to all sexual offences.
But in different patterns for different individuals.
This can lead to an understanding of how offenders behaviour changes over a series of offences, or more usefully establishing whether two or more offences were committed by the same person. This has become known as his 5 factor theory.