Offender profiling: the top down approach

Question 1

1. Profiling inputs

Answer 1

Data is collected including a description of the crime scene (including photographs and sketches), background information about the victim (including employment, habits and relationships), and details of the crime itself (weapon, cause of death, autopsy report)

Question 2

2. Decision process models

Answer 2

the profiler makes decisions about the data and organises it into meaningful patterns such as:

• Murder type (mass, spree, serial murder)
• Time factors (did the crime take place over a long or short period of time, during the night or day)
• Location factors (was the crime scene the same as the murder scene)

Question 3

3. Crime assessment

Answer 3

Based on data collected the crime is classified as organised or disorganised.
-Organised- planned, victim specifically targeted, body is often transported from the scene, weapon is hidden, violent fantasies are often carried out on the victim.
Offenders usually high intelligence, socially and sexually competent, live with a partner, have a car and follow their crimes in the media
-Disorganised - unplanned, random selection of victim, likely to engage very little with the victim, sexual acts performed on the victim after death.
Crime scene likely to contain many clues such as blood or semen, finger prints and the weapon.

Question 4

4. Criminal profile

Answer 4

A profile is now constructed of the offender which includes hypotheses about their likely background, habits and beliefs.

Question 5

5. Crime assessment

Answer 5

A written report is given to the investigating agency and persons matching the profile are evaluated.

Question 6

6. Apprehension

Answer 6

If the suspect is apprehended, the entire profile-generating process is reviewed to check that at each stage the conclusions made were legitimate.