Top-down approach

Question 1

In short, what is the top-down approach?

Answer 1

An approach that starts with a pre-established typology and works down to assign offenders to one of two categories: organised or disorganised. They use witness accounts and evidence from the scene.

Question 2

Who was this approach devised by?

Answer 2

The FBI.

Question 3

How was the data for this approach gathered? (A study)

Answer 3

• 36 interviews of sexually motivated serial killers.
• Data was categorised into organised and disorganised.
• Each category had characteristics that meant future crimes could be compared to help predict offenders.

Question 4

What are some characteristics of an organised offender?

Answer 4

• Evidence of planning
• Targeted victim
• Socially and sexually competent
• Higher than average intelligence

Question 5

What are some characteristics of a disorganised offender?

Answer 5

• Little to no evidence of planning
• Leaves clues
• Socially and sexually incompetent
• Lower than average intelligence

Question 6

What are the 4 steps of constructing an FBI profile?

Answer 6

-Data assimilation: profiler reviews evidence.
- Crime scene classification: organised or disorganised.
- Crime reconstruction.
- Profile generation: hypothesis are made relating to the offender.

Question 7

One strength is that there is research support for the organised category.

Answer 7

• Canter et al: looked at 100 serial killings and used smallest space analysis.
• Analysis found a subset of behaviours of killings that matched the FBI’s typology for organised offenders.
• Suggests the FBI’s typology approach is valid.

Question 8

A strength of this approach is that it can be adapted to other types of crime.

Answer 8

• Top-down profiling has been applied to burglary, which has seen as increase in solved cases.
• The method used adds 2 new categories: interpersonal and opportunistic.
• Suggests this approach has wider application that first assumed.

Question 9

One limitation is that the evidence for this type of profiling was flawed.

Answer 9

• Canter et al suggests the FBI didn’t select a random or large sample, to include different types of offenders.
• No standard set of questions, meaning all interviews were different so can’t be compared.
• Suggests top-down profiling doesn’t have a scientific basis.