OFFENDER PROFILING: BOTTOM UP AO1 & AO3 Flashcards
1
Q
Who developed the Bottom-Up Approach
A
- was developed in UK and also aims to generate a profile of the unknown offender
- For example, their characteristics, social background, routine behaviour etc.
- The profile emerges as the investigator analyses the offence, and it is based on psychological theory.
- 2 parts to the BUA:
2
Q
Geographical profiling (GP)
A
- uses information to do with the location of linked crime scene to make inferences about the likely base of an offender (crime mapping).
- By understanding the spatial pattern of their behaviour, investigators can discover the offender’s centre of gravity that helps identify where the offender lives or is likely to strike next (jeopardy zone).
- Canter and Larkin proposed that offenders are either marauder (operate close in proximity to their homebase) or commuters (a distance away from their home base- within an area which is well known to them)
3
Q
- Investigative psychology (IP)
A
- uses patterns that co-exist across the offender’s crime scenes to generate data about the offender, For example, matching behavioural patterns to get data on the offender.
- IP uses interpersonal coherence which is the way an offender behaves at the scene, the way they interact with the victim may indicate how they act in everyday life.
- Also, it uses the significance of time and place to give an idea where the offender is living if the crime occurs within the same forensic “centre of gravity’.
- Lastly, forensic awareness focuses on those who have been the focus of police attention before- which may denote how mindful they are of covering their tracks
4
Q
- One strength of IP is that there is supporting research to show effectiveness.
A
- For example, Canter and Heritage conducted a content analysis of 66 sexual assault cases, and found several characteristics were identified as common in most cases.
- These characteristics occur in different patterns in different
individuals. - This means that it will be easier to identify criminals when profiling.
- This is an advantage as it shows the usefulness of IP as you are able to identify if someone has committed more than one crime because the characteristics will match the individual.
- Therefore, it has useful real life applications
5
Q
One strength of GP is that there is supporting research.
A
- For example, Lundrigan and Canter collated information from 120 murder cases involving serial killers in the USA.
- A small space analysis revealed
spatial consistency in the behaviour of the killer regarding body disposal. Each location was different from
the previous but created a centre of gravity which was identified as the offender’s base. - This means that there were patterns that were distinct to the individual, which aids with convictions.
- This is an advantage as it demonstrates the key principles made by Canter and increases the validity of the theory.
6
Q
Str of BUA- it’s objective and scientific.
A
- For example, with the aid of AI, investigators are able to provide evidence based on geographical, biological and psychological data which is less driven by speculation.
- This means that convictions are more likely to be accurate than the top down approach (TDA) as it does not rely on subjective interpretation.
- This is an advantage as it is a more appropriate approach that is better at profiling than TDA. This increases the scientific credibility of theory
7
Q
Lim of IP- it’s rarely useful.
A
- For example, Copson surveyed 48 police forces and found that the advice provided by the profiler was only useful in accurately identifying the offender 3% of the time.
- Therefore, this highlights that it has limited usefulness.
- Furthermore, Kocsis et al found that chemistry students produced a more accurate offender profile on a solved murder case than experienced senior detectives.
- This shows it must not be as effective as implied and therefore has limited usefulness for investigators to identify criminals
