Top down approach to offender profiling Flashcards

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1
Q

Aim?

A

Narrow the list of likely suspects

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2
Q

Who do professional profilers work alongside?

A

Police - especially in high -profile murder cases

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3
Q

What is generated when scene & other evidence is analysed?

A

Hypotheses about the probable characteristics of the offender (age, occupation)

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4
Q

How many sexually motivated murders did the FBI interview, together with their data and characteristics to create 2 categories?

A

36

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5
Q

What can we predict if some characteristics of an offender match 1 category?

A

Other characteristics that would be likely

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6
Q

What are the 2 categories based on?

A

Idea that offenders have certain, signature “ways of working” - correlate to a particular set of social & psychological characteristics that relate to the individual

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7
Q

Characteristics of an organised criminal?

A
  • Evidence of planning the crime, victim = deliberately targeted & offender may have a “type”
  • High degree of control during crime & little evidence left behind
  • Above average IQ, in skilled profession
  • Usually married & have children
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8
Q

Characteristics of an disorganised criminal?

A
  • Little evidence of planning, suggests offence may be spontaneous
  • Crime scene reflects impulsive nature of act, e.g. body still at scene
  • Below average IQ, unskilled work or unemployed
  • History of failed relationships & living alone, possible history of sexual dysfunction
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9
Q

4 staged in Construction of an FBI profile?

A
  1. Data assimilation
  2. Crime scene classification
  3. Crime reconstruction
  4. Profile generation
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10
Q

What is Data Assimilation (FBI profile)?

A

Review of evidence (e.g. photographs)

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11
Q

What is crime scene classification (FBI profile)?

A

Organised/disorganised

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12
Q

What is Crime reconstruction (FBI profile)?

A

Generation of hypotheses about the behaviour and events

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13
Q

What is Profile Generation (FBI profile)?

A

Generation of hypotheses about the offender (e.g. physical characteristics)

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14
Q

Strength: research support for an organised category

A

Canter et al looked at 100 US serial killings. Smallest space analysis was used to assess the co-occurence of 39 aspects in the serial killings. This analysis revealed a subset of behaviours of many serial killings which match the FBI’s typology for organised offenders. Suggests that a key component of the FBI typology approach has some validity.

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15
Q

COUNTERPOINT: strength: research support for an organised category

A

Godwin argues that in reality most killers have multiple contrasting characteristics & don’t fit into one “type”. Suggests organised/disorganised typology is probably more of a continuum.

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16
Q

Strength: Can be adapted to other types of crimes, e.g. burglary

A

Meketa reports top-down profiling has recently been applied to burglary, leading to an 85% rise in solved cases in 3 US states. Detection method adds 2 new categories: interpersonal (e.g. offender knows their victim) & opportunistic (inexperienced young offender). Suggests top-down profiling has a wider application than originally assumed.

17
Q

Limitation: top-down profiling was flawed

A

Canter et al argues FBI agents did not select a random or even large sample, nor did it include different types of offenders. There was no standard set questions & each interview was different & therefore not really comparable. Suggests top-down approach doesn’t have a sound, scientific basis.