Top Down (forensics) Flashcards
How did they come up with the classification system?
Interviewing 36 serial killers + thorough analysis of crime details
What does the classification consist of?
Organised
Disorganised
What is the process of top down profiling?
Data assimilation
Crime scene classification
Crime reconstruction
Profile generation
What is data assimilation?
- Collect all available information
- E.g. photographs/details of the scene, post-mortem of victims, victim backgrounds)
What is crime scene classification?
- Put the crime into a particular category based on the data collected (either organised or disorganised)
What is crime reconstruction?
- Develop hypothesis about the behaviour of the victim
- Develop hypothesis about the sequences of the events
- Develop the MO (modus operandi) about the offender (signature way of working correlate with social and psychological characteristics.)
What is profile generation?
- Suggest offenders physical appearance
- Suggest demographic information (age, race, job) etc.
- Suggest habits and personality
What are the behaviours towards the victim when the crime is organised?
- Victim is targeted
- In control and detached
- Controls conversation
What is the crime scene detail when the crime is organised?
- Body hidden/moved
- Weapons absent
- Attempts to clean up
What is the characteristics of criminals when the crime is organised?
- Socially/sexually competent
- Skilled/professional occupation
- High intelligence
- Married with children
What is the behaviour towards the victim when the crime is disorganised?
- Victim random
- Crime unplanned
- Avoids conversation
What is the crime scene detail when the crime is disorganised?
- Body in view
- Weapon/evidence left
- Sexual activity after death
What is the characteristics of criminals when the crime is disorganised?
- Unskilled/unemployed
- Socially/sexually incompetent
- Low IQ
- Failed relationships
- Live alone
- Lives close to crime scene
What is offender profiling in general?
- Crime scene characteristics being used to establish a description of an offender
What is the aim of offender profiling?
- To narrow down the field of suspects.
- To create a hypothesis of probable characteristics of an offender.
Strengths of top down approach
+ Canter used smallest space analysis to examine 100 murders –> found distinct typology for organised offenders.
+ Used in 3 US states for burglaries –> 85% rise in solving of crimes. Also, created new categories such as opportunistic and interpersonal.
Weaknesses of the top down approach
- Lack of use for other crimes –> based on crimes that reveal details of the offender, doesn’t work for more common offences.
- Not mutually exclusive to the categories. Application to both organised and disorganised crimes.
