Offender profiling-Top-down approach

Question 1

What is offender profiling?

Answer 1

Offender profiling is a tool used when solving crimes and the aim is to narrow the field of enquiry and the list of likely suspects.

Question 2

Where did the top down approach come from?

Answer 2

It originated in the US after work carried out by the FBI It used data gathered from in-depth interviews with 36 sexually motivated serial killers. The information known about the crime and the offender is matched to pre-existing templates.

Question 3

What is an organised type of offender?

Answer 3

They show evidence of planning the crime in advance and that they have deliberately targeted the victim. They maintain high control during the crime and operate with precision. They leave behind little evidence and tend to be intelligent, in a professional occupation, socially competent and married.

Question 4

What is a disorganised offender?

Answer 4

They show little evidence of planning and the crime scene reflects the impulsive nature of the attack. The body is normally still at the scene and they normally live close to where the offense has been committed. They have a lower than average IQ and tend to live alone, with unskilled work.

Question 5

What are the 4 main stages of constructing an FBI profile?

Answer 5

Data assimilation-Reviewing evidence
Crime scene classification-organised or disorganised
Crime reconstruction-Proposed sequence of events and behaviour of the victim
Profile generation-Hypothesis related to the offender such as characteristics and background.

Question 6

What are the weaknesses of top down offender profiling?

Answer 6

It only applies to certain crimes like rape, arson and killings, meaning it is a limited explanation
It is based on outdated models of personality as it says behaviour is driven by personality rather than external factors.
No evidence for disorganised offender as Canter found only evidence for an organised offernder.
Classification is too simple as combinations of both types could occur, leading to Holmes suggesting there are 4 types of serial killers.
The original sample is small and not representative as it only contained murderers.