Offender Profiling - complete Flashcards
What is Offender Profiling?
Also known as criminal profiling
Behavioural and Investigative Tool
Help predict and profile characteristics of unknown offender
What are the two main types of predictive profiling?
Behavioural Investigative Advice (BIA)
Geographical
What is BIA profiling?
Help with investigations based on study of behaviour exhibited in the commission of the crime (West, 2001)
Age, pre- convictions and education/work
What is geographic profiling?
Used to determine the most probable location of an offenders anchor point (home) by analysing spatial and temporal data (Rossmo, 2000)
Home address, work place and travel patterns
Name two profiling assumptions and explain
Behavioural consistency - offenders behave similarly across offences i.e. victims, locations, specialist or generalist?
Homology: nature and nurture - different offences of similar background will commit similar behaviours (Vettor et al. 2013)
What are the other types of criminal profiling?
Typological - crime scene characteristics to categorise offender i.e. organised vs disorganised
Clinical - apply knowledge from clinical setting
Statistical - examining crime using volume data analysis
Academic - research based methodology using psychological theory
What is the FBI approach?
The FBI approach focusses on organised vs disorganised offender dichotomy
What is Organised v Disorganised dichotomy?
Organised= offense planned, personalised victim, body hidden, transport, controlled
Disorganised= Spontaneous, depersonalised, evidence present
What assessment is undertaken at a crime scene? I.E. murder
Data - Assessment - Inference
Location - ID, selection, planning, familiarity
Victim - lifestyle, risk, links to scene
Offender - risk, time, aggression, behaviour
Forensics - evidence, precautions
Post Mortem- cause of death, time of death, injury, disposal
What is Operation Lynx?
5 sex attacks between 1982 to 1995
Lone females abducted
Spanned 600sq miles
DNA link and partial fingerprint
What forms of advice/ assumptions were given in Operation Lynx?
Clinical - known to police and incarcerated between crimes
Behavioural Profiler - Offences behaviourally link to DNA crimes
Geographic Profiler - hunting pattern and geographic peak profile area was home base
How do practitioners respond to investigative needs?
Consider incomplete or conflicting information
Change approach as investigation develops
Identify efficient and effective strategies
But
Constrained by personnel, finances and law
Ultimately a successful investigation requires evidence
What is the current state of UK profiling?
Many successful operations
Development of processes e.g. fDNA
Integrated approach - focusses on research
Enhanced databases
Practical use of BIA and Geographic profiling guidance
