Offender Profiling: Top Down Approach Flashcards
What is offender profiling?
An investigative tool used to help catch criminals. It involves narrowing the search for a perpetrator by providing the police with insights into their likely qualities based on an analysis of the behaviour required to commit the crime. It is most often used in violent crimes such as murder and rape.
What is top down profiling?
Developed by the FBI in the USA during the 1970s and 80s. Based on interviews with 36 convicted murderers, a data base was compiled to pick out characteristics of the types of person that committed the crimes.
What are the typologies of organised criminals?
Leads an orderly life and kills/attacks after a critical event
Planning and control are evident from the crime scene analysis-for example, leaves little physical evidence behind.
Offender is likely to be of average or higher intelligence.
Offender is likely to be socially competent - for example, has ‘normal’ family relationships
Offender is more likely to be employed in a skilled job
Probably the eldest child in the family, who experienced inconsistent discipline as a child.
What are the typologies of disorganised criminals?
The offender is more likely to have committed the crime in a moment of passion.
No evidence of pre planning - for example, uses whatever is available as a weapon and leaves DNA or other physical evidence behind.
Offender is likely to be or below average intelligence.
Offender is not socially competent and probably lives alone.
Offender will have a poor work history.
Likely to have a low birth order, often the youngest in family, and may have suffered harsh discipline as a child.
finish the evaluation: the method was developed by the FBI who use it to help identify perpetrators
This means it has ecological validity as it arose out of actual practice.
finish the evaluation: it is not scientific as it lacks a clear theoretical basis
And is difficult to test as it relies on the subjective interpretation of the crime scene and the unique experience of the profiler.
finish the evaluation: it is mostly only useful in cases of murder and rape
Especially when these are part of a series, so is a limited way of investigating crime as most crime is not as serious as these.
finish the evaluation: canter (2004) tested the organised/ disorganised typology and found no evidence that crime can be categorised in this way
As all crimes contained elements of both typologies. Instead, it would be better to investigate personality differences between offenders
