Offender profiling: The top-down approach Flashcards
Offender profiling is a(n) _____________ tool employed by the police when…
investigative, solving crimes
What is the main aim of offender profiling?
To narrow the list of likely suspects
Who will professional profilers often be called to work alongside?
The police
Professional profilers will often be called upon to work alongside the police, especially when?
During high-profile murder cases
True/False: Offender profiling methods are consistent
False, they vary
Compiling a profile will usually involve careful ________ of the crime scene
scrutiny
True/False: Offender profiling only involves careful scrutiny of the crime scene
False, usually involves analysis of other evidence including witness reports
True/False: Witness reports are often analysed
as a part of offender profiling
True
Offender profiling usually involves analysis of evidence in order to generate what?
Hypotheses about the probable characteristics of the offender
Give 2 examples of probable characteristics of an offender that offender profiling aims to generate
Any 2 from age, background and occupation
How many stages are there in the construction of an FBI profile?
4
What is the first stage of the construction of an FBI profile called?
Data assimilation
What happens during the data assimilation stage of the construction of an FBI profile?
The profiler reviews the evidence
Give 2 examples of pieces of evidence that the profiler will review during the data assimilation stage of FBI profile construnction
Any 2 from crime scene photographs, pathology reports and witness reports
What is the second stage of the construction of an FBI profile called?
Crime scene classification
What happens during the crime scene classification stage of the construction of an FBI profile?
The crime scene is classified as either organised or disorganised
What is the third stage of the construction of an FBI profile called?
Crime reconstruction
What happens during the crime reconstruction stage of the construction of an FBI profile?
Hypotheses in terms of the sequence of events, behaviour o the victim, etc. are created
What is the fourth stage of the construction of an FBI profile called?
Profile generation
What happens during the profile generation stage of the construction of an FBI profile?
Hypotheses are related to the likely offender, e.g. of demographic background, physical characteristics, behaviour, etc.
Give 2 examples of hypotheses that are likely to be related to the likely offender during the profile generation stage of the construction of an FBI profile?
Any 2 from demographic background, physical characteristics, behaviour, etc.
Where did the top-down approach originate?
In the US
How did the top-down approach to offender profiling come about?
As a result of work carried out by the FBI
What did the FBI’s Behavioural Science Unit draw upon when creating the top-down approach?
Data gathered from in-depth interviews with 36 sexually-motivated murderers, including Ted Bundy and Charles Manson
The top-down approach says that data can be categorised into how many types of offender?
2
The top-down approach categorises offenders through a list of what, that could then be used to do what?
Certain characteristics that would be likely. This could then be used to find the offender
The top-down approach is based on the idea that serious offenders have signature…
ways of working
The top-down approach is based on the idea that serious offenders have certain signature ‘ways of working’ that generally correlate with what?
A set of social and psychological characteristics which relate to the individual
Show evidence of having planned the crime in advance. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
The victim is deliberately targeted. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
The killer or rapist has a ‘type’ of victim they seek out. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
Offender maintains a high degree of control during the crime. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
May operate with almost detached surgical precision. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
There is little evidence or clues left behind at the scene. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
Tend to be of above-average intelligence. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
Tend to be in a skilled, professional occupation. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
Tend to be socially and sexually competent. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
Usually married and may even have children. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Organised
Organised offenders show evidence of having _______ the crime in advance
planned
The fact that the victim is deliberately targeted by organised offenders suggests what about the killer/rapist?
They have a ‘type’ of victim they seek out
True/False: There is support for a distinct organised category of offender
True
Who provides support for a distinct organised category of offender?
Canter
Canter conducted an analysis of ___ US murders
100
Canter conducted an analysis of 100 US murders, each committed by…
a different serial killer
What type of analysis did Canter use in his analysis of 100 US murders?
Smallest space analysis
Smallest space analysis
A statistical technique that identifies correlations across different samples of behaviour
In the case of Canter’s analysis of 100 US murders, what was smallest space analysis used to do?
Assess the co-occurrence of 39 aspects of serial killings
Give 2 examples of aspects of serial killings that Canter used smallest space analysis in order to assess?
Any 2 from whether there was torture or restraint, whether there was an attempt to conceal the body, the form of murder weapon used and the cause of death
What did Canter’s smallest space analysis of 100 US murders committed by different serial killers reveal?
There does seem to be a subset of features of many serial killings
How does Canter’s research support the top-down approach?
He gave evidence to support a distinct organised category of offender - his analysis revealed that there does seem to be a subset of features of many serial killings, matching the FBI’s typology for organised offenders
Show little evidence of planning. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
Spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment acts. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
The crime scene tends to reflect the impulsive nature of the attack. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
The body is still usually at the scene. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
There appears to have been very little control on the part of the offender. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
Tend to have a lower-than-average IQ. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
Unskilled in work or unemployed. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
History of sexual dysfunction and failed relationships. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
Tend to live alone and often relatively close to where the offence took place. Does this characterise organised or disorganised offenders?
Disorganised
True/False: Many studies suggest that the organised and disorganised types are mutually exclusive
True
What did Godwin (2002) argue about the organised and disorganised types of offender being mutually exclusive?
In reality, it is difficult to classify killers as one or the other type
True/False: A killer may have multiple contrasting characteristics
True
High intelligence and sexual competence are examples of two ___________ offender characteristics
contrasting
What did Godwin suggest about the organised and disorganised types of offender?
It is probably more of a continuum
True/False: The top-down approach can be adapted to other kinds of crime
True
True/False: Critics have claimed that the top-down approach can only be applied to a limited number of crimes
True
What does Meketa (2017) report about the top-down approach’s application?
It has recently been applied to burglary
What has the application of the top-down approach to burglary lead to?
An 85% rise in solved cases in three US states
When applying the top-down approach to burglary, what does the detection method retain?
The organised-disorganised distinction
What are the names of the two new categories that are added when applying the top-down approach to burglary?
Interpersonal and opportunistic
What is meant by the interpersonal type of offender?
Offender usually knows their victim and steals something of significance
What is meant by the opportunistic type of offender?
Generally inexperienced young offender
The fact that the top-down approach has recently been applied to burglary suggests…
that top-down profiling has wider application than was originally assumed
FBI profiling was developed using interviews with how many murderers in the US?
36
Of the 36 murderers in the US that the FBI interviewed to develop profiling, how many were classed as organised offenders?
24
Of the 36 murderers in the US that the FBI interviewed to develop profiling, how many were classed as disorganised offenders?
12
Of the 36 murderers in the US that the FBI interviewed to develop profiling, how many were serial killers?
25
Of the 36 murderers in the US that the FBI interviewed to develop profiling, how many were single or double murderers?
11
What did Canter argue about FBI profiling being developed using interviews with 36 murderers in the US?
Argued the sample was poor - the FBI agents didn’t select a random or large sample and didn’t include different kinds of offender
True/False: When developing profiling, the FBI selected a large, random sample of murderers to interview
False, the sample was small and not random
True/False: When developing profiling, the FBI didn’t include different kinds of offender
True
True/False: When developing profiling, the FBI used a standard set of questions
False, each interview was different
What’s the problem with the FBI not using a standard set of questions when interviewing murderers and developing profiling?
They are not really comparable - suggests that top-down profiling doesn’t have a sound, scientific basis
The top-down approach is based on the principle of b__________ c__________
behavioural consistency
Serial offenders have characteristic ways of working. What are these called?
Their modus operandi
Serial offenders have characteristic ways of working that should be seen across all their crime scenes. It should therefore be possible for profilers to do what?
Link different crime scenes together, making the offender easier to catch
Mischel (1968) argues that people’s behaviour is much more driven by what than what?
The situation they are in than by a thing called ‘personality
Mischel’s suggestion that people’s behaviour is much more driven by the situation they are in than personality means that behavioural patterns seen at a crime scene may tell us what about how that individual behaves in everyday life?
Little
