offender profiling: top-down approach

Question 1

define offender profiling

Answer 1

set of investigative techniques used by police to try identify perpetrators

Question 2

how is the top-down approach used?

Answer 2

matched what is known about crime and offender to typology (pre-existing template)

Question 3

how is a typology used in the top-down approach?

Answer 3

starting with classification of organised or disorganised and using the template to make assumptions

Question 4

how is the classification of organised or disorganised found?

Answer 4

looking at crime scene evidence and putting together characteristics

Question 5

outline the characteristics of an organised offender

Answer 5

• plans crimes in advance
• high degree of control
• clean crime scenes
• does well socially
• above average intelligence
• victim deliberately chose

Question 6

outline the characteristics of an disorganised offender

Answer 6

• lack of planning
• lack of control (messy)
• body likely left behind
• victim not targeted
• low intelligence
• little interest in crime

Question 7

outline the steps in constructing a FBI profile

Answer 7

1. data assimilation (looking at evidence)
2. crime scene classification (organised/disorganised)
3. crime reconstruction (retrace timeline of events)
4. profile generation (demographic, physical characteristics)

Question 8

evaluate the top-down approach

Answer 8

A: RLA: Ted Bundy’s crime scenes display organised evidence classification (no body, same theme of victims chosen, signature of head injury and raped)- when found, Bundy possessed same characteristics as profile characteristics
-> real life evidence provided displaying technique being successful and therefore gives approach validity
C: reductionist: unable to profile a crime scene if displaying organised and disorganised characeristics- now been improved by alteringg classifications to make them more suited
-> limits as too simplistic as doesn’t consider offenders having a mixture of organised and disorganised characteristics

A: RLA: Vampire of Sacramento’s crime evidence displayed disorganised characteristics (no signature, random victims, unclean crime scene)- when found offender fit characteristics of disorganised classification
-> supports as gives real life proof of top-down approach being successful, increasing reliability
C: only applies to particular crimes: only fits to violent crimes (e.g. rape/murder) whereas more common offences (e.g. theft) happening more frequently aren’t able to be assessed by approach
-> not generalised therefore limited in representability