top down approach Flashcards
What is offender profiling?
Offender profiling is a behavioural and analytical tool used to help investigators predict and profile the likely characteristics of unknown criminals. It uses information from crime scenes and witness reports to generate hypotheses about the offender’s background, personality, and behaviour.
What is the top-down approach to offender profiling?
The top-down approach, developed by the FBI, starts with a pre-established typology and works down to assign offenders to one of two categories: organised or disorganised. Profilers collect data such as crime scene details, victim info, and reports, and use this to match the case to a known pattern.
What are the key characteristics of an organised offender?
Shows evidence of planning
Targets a specific victim
High control over the crime scene
Socially and sexually competent
Higher-than-average intelligence
Often married and may have children
What are the key characteristics of a disorganised offender?
Little or no planning
Leaves evidence/clues
Crime scene is chaotic and impulsive
Socially and sexually incompetent
Lower-than-average intelligence
Often lives alone or near the crime scene
How is an FBI profile constructed?
Data assimilation – Gather evidence like crime scene photos, autopsy reports, etc.
Crime scene classification – Organised or disorganised
Crime reconstruction – Hypotheses about events, offender behaviour
Profile generation – Suggest likely offender background, personality, etc.
What is one strength of the top-down approach?
There is research support for the organised offender type. For example, Canter et al. (2004) conducted content analysis on serial killings and found consistent patterns matching the FBI’s organised profile characteristics. This suggests the organised typology has some validity.
What is a limitation of the top-down typology system (organised/disorganised)?
The categories are overly simplistic. Canter et al. found that most serial killers don’t fit neatly into either category. Many offenders show a mix of traits, suggesting the classification lacks validity and should be seen as a spectrum rather than two distinct types.
How does the top-down approach lack scientific rigour?
The original FBI study was based on interviews with 36 convicted serial killers, but the sample was small and not random. This limits the generalisability of the findings and introduces bias. Also, the methodology lacks scientific objectivity.
What is a practical strength of the top-down approach?
It can be helpful in serious cases, especially where the crime scene provides rich evidence (e.g., high-profile murder or sexual assault cases). It gives investigators a starting point and narrows down suspects, which can save time and resources.
What is a limitation of using this method in all types of crime?
The top-down approach may not be useful in crimes like burglary or fraud, where behavioural patterns are less evident. It works best in cases with clear behavioural indicators, like violent crimes, and may not generalise to other contexts.
