PAPER 3 - FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY - offender profiling Flashcards
what is offender profiling?
a behavioural and analytical tool intended to help investigators determine characteristics of an offender by analysing a crime scene
what is the aim of offender profiling?
to narrow down pool of potential suspects to stop investigators wasting time
what is the top-down approach to offender profiling?
- starts from general classification and goes to the specific
- based on in depth interviews with 36 sexually orientated serial murderers
- interviews were to identify major personality and behavioural characteristics of these offenders, making it easier to classify future offenders
what are the 2 types of offenders?
organised and disorganised
what type of murder is committed by an organised type of offender?
- crime is planned
- victim specifically targeted
- body transported from crime scene
- high control of situation (use of restraints)
- leaves few clues
- violent fantasies about victim
what are the likely characteristics of an organised type of offender?
- generally high IQ
- socially and sexually competent
- confident and attractive
- usually living with a partner
- follows media coverage of crime
experiences anger at time of attack and calm after
what are the stages of the top-down approach to offender ptofiling?
- data assimilation = review evidence
- crime scene classification = organised/disorganised
- crime reconstruction
- hypothesis about likely offender
what are the limitations of the top-down approach to offender profiling?
- crime scene evidence that profiles are based on is often incomplete and ambiguous
- basis of method is flawed
- potential harm caused
- distinguishing between organised and disorganised
- issues regarding accuracy
what are the strengths of the top-down approach to offender profiling?
- approach is useful
- improvements are being made on method
how is the fact that crime scene evidence that profiles are based on is often incomplete and ambiguous, a limitation of the top down approach?
- Canter suggests this could mean judgement based on evidence can only be speculation
- is up to profiler to determine which evidence is important enough to include in the profile
how is the method for the top-down approach flawed?
- original data of organised/disorganised came from 36 of the most dangerous and sexually motivated murderers
- data was to identify key characteristics, but these individuals are manipulative
- approach and rationale may be more appropriate for more ‘typical’ offenders
how might the top-down approach cause potential harm?
- profiles may mislead investigators if they are wrong
- smart offenders can read about how profiles are constructed and deliberately mislead profilers by leaving misleading clues
how is distinguishing between organised and disorganised a limitation for the top-down approach?
- Tuvey suggests that it is a continuum rather than a dichotomy
- supported by the fact that the descriptors are generalisations e.g. ‘tends to be’ so has little utility
- Canter studied 100 US serial killers, found many organised types but little disorganised types
what is the bottom-up approach to offender profiling?
profiles are created in terms of characteristics, social background and routine behaviour
- done through systematic analysis of evidence at the crime scene and moving up towards classification
- uses statistical technique to produce predictions about likely characteristics of an offender
what 2 key aspects of the bottom-up approach are involved in offender profiling?
- investigative psychology
- geographical profiling
what is investigative psychology?
- developed by Canter
- uses psychological theory and statistical procedures to analyse crime scene evidence
- aims to establish patterns in behaviour
- Canter thought that how someone behaves in a crime mirrors how they behave in life
- statistical database developed and acts as a baseline so specific details of an offence can be matched
what are the 3 key features of investigative psychology?
- interpersonal coherence
- forensic awareness
- smallest space analysis (time and place)
what is interpersonal coherence?
consistent behaviour so links can be made between crimes
what is forensic awareness?
- offenders have awareness of police techniques and past experiences of crime
- e.g. may cover up fingerprints
what is smallest space analysis?
- statistical technique
- uses analysis to find correlating patterns of behaviour
- used by Canter and Salfati (found 3 themes)
what are the 3 underlying themes used to analyse the correlation between offender characteristics and scenes where a stranger was targeted?
- instrumental opportunistic
- instrumental cognitive
- expressive impulse
what is ‘instrumental opportunistic??
- instrumental = using murder to obtain something or accomplish a goal
- opportunistic = offender took easiest option
what is ‘instrumental cognitive’?
particular concern about being detected and more planned
what is ‘expressive impulse’?
- uncontrolled
- in heat of strong emotions
- may feel provoked by victim
what is geographical profiling?
Canter suggests information about location and timing of offences can allow for predictions e.g.
- which offences are linked
- characteristics of offender responsible eg where they may live
- why certain places attract more crime than others
what is crime mapping within geographical profiling?
- allows police and other officials to target crime prevention resources in the right area and help focus investigations
- assumes most of a person’s activities are confined to fairly few limited areas, therefore offences may be restricted to a specific geographical area
what is circle theory?
when an offender restricts crimes to familiar territory so understanding of spatial behaviour gives profiler a sense of gravity
what is a marauder (geographical profiling)?
operates in close proximity to their homes
what is a commuter (geographical profiling)?
travels distance from usual residence to offend
explain “geographical profiling will not work without accurate data on the offences committed in certain area” evaluation point
- police data on crime can be limited e.g. underreporting crimes/inconsistencies in how locations of crimes are reported
- means crime maps are likely to be incomplete
police have access to vast amounts of data and may be unclear of what info to leave out when constructing a crime map
how is the bottom up approach thought to be more scientific? (evaluation + counterpoint)
- theory based on use of objective statistical techniques and computer analysis
- however data used in systems is only related to solved cases so tells us little about patterns of behaviour related to unsolved crimes
- formulas created may also be incorrect so practice may be biased
how is the bottom-up approach useful? (evaulation)
- Canter’s first attempt to profiling was very impressive
- Copson surveyed 48 UK police forces using investigative profiling and 75% said profiling was helpful, but only 3% said it helped identify actual offender
- suggests method may not be that useful in actually catching offenders but benefit makes it worthwhile
how is circle theory not be successful? (evaluation)
- Canter and Lakin shoes research support for the model by distinguishing between marauders and commuters of 45 sexual assaults
- however, in the study 91% of the offenders were marauders (classification may not be useful)
- Petherick saw many flaws in model e.g. what if persons home isn’t in centre of circle, police will look in the wrong place (over simplified model)
what can be said about the success of geographical profiling? (evaluation)
- suggested while it may not solve crimes specifically, it can help prioritise house-to-house searched/identifying area where DNA could be collected
- however it can distinguish between multiple offenders in same area
- critics question how much more it offers than traditional method of police placing pins on a map (few recommend this method)
