The Bottom-Up Approach Flashcards
Who devised the Bottom-Up Approach and where?
James Gibson in the UK, largely drawing on the work of David Canter
What is the Bottom-Up Approach?
A method of offender profiling that is data-driven and has no fixed typologies, instead utilising systematic analysis of evidence at the crime scene to develop hypotheses about the likely characteristics of the offender
What are the 2 forms of Bottom-Up Profiling?
- Investigative Psychology
- Geographical Profiling
What is Investigative Psychology?
A form of bottom-up profiling that combines statistical procedures and psychological theory by comparing the facts of a crime against other crimes in that field via a statistical database. By doing this, profilers can identify likely characteristics of the offender based on the characteristics of previous offenders that have committed similar or the same crime(s).
What can Investigative Psychology help to determine about multiple crimes in the same field?
Whether they are linked and were committed by the same person
What 3 things are considered when utilising Investigative Psychology?
- Interpersonal Coherence
- Time and Place
- Forensic Awareness
What is Interpersonal Coherence and how may this help to characterise an offender?
- The idea that how an offender behaves at the crime scene and how they ‘interact’ with the victim may reflect their behaviour in more everyday scenarios
- For example, if an offender appears to have maintained control over a victim and humiliated them, they may appear authoritative and condescending in everyday life
How may Time and Place help to characterise an offender?
It may indicate where they’re living
What is Forensic Awareness and how may it help to characterise an offender?
- How aware the offender is of forensic evidence and how it can be acquired
- This may indicate that the offender has been incriminated before and therefore are more mindful when covering their tracks
What is Geographical Profiling?
A form of bottom-up profiling sometimes referred to as ’crime mapping’ that uses the location of linked offences to infer where the likely base of an offender is.
What is Canter’s Circle Theory?
The idea that the pattern of offending forms a circle around the offender’s base
What are the 2 ways offenders are categorised based on Geographical Profiling, and what do they mean?
- Marauder: an offender who commits crime in close proximity to their base
- Commuter: an offender who travels a distance in order to commit crime
What is the Centre of Gravity in terms of Geographical Profiling?
Where the offender’s base is
How has the Bottom-Up Approach been praised? (2 Points)
For being scientific, as it is data-driven and grounded in evidence
- Its reliance on statistical analysis also eliminates potential biases from profilers and the police
How may Geographical Profiling prove useful is catching an offender?
It can help identify the jeopardy surface, meaning the likely location of the offender’s next crime. This allows police to home in on a specific area, increasing their chance of catching the offender.
