Top down - offender profiling

Question 1

Def offender profiling

Answer 1

A tool used to solve crimes that help to accurately predict the characteristics of unknown characters by focusing on narrowing down ore existing subjects to help police build a picture of who they are looking for to make an arrest

Question 2

2 types of offender profiling

Answer 2

Top down

Bottom up

Question 3

Top down approach based on

Answer 3

36 interviews with sexually motivated serial killers

Question 4

Stage 1 of topdown

Answer 4

Data assimilation - gathering crime scene evidence

Question 5

Stage 2 topdown

Answer 5

Crime scene classification - organised of disorganised

Question 6

Stage 3 topdown

Answer 6

Crime reconstruction hypothesis for how event occurred

Question 7

Stage 4 topdown

Answer 7

Profile generation - hypothesis of criminal

Question 8

Features of organised

Answer 8

Planned crime, victim is specifically targeted, body transported from scene, high intelligence

Question 9

Features of disorganised

Answer 9

Unplanned crime, sexual acts performed after death, victim randomly selected, weapon and clues may be found at the crime scene

Question 10

4 evaluation points of top down approach

Answer 10

Weakness - crime scene may have organised and disorganised aspects
Weakness - can only be used for certain crimes
Strength - can be accurately used for certain crimes
Weakness - subjective

Question 11

Elaboration weakness - crime scenes may have organised and disorganised aspects

Answer 11

• general classification can’t be conducted properly
• Goodwin suggests organised/ disorganised aspects are on a continuum because too complex
• 2 categories are too simplistic
• reducing validity because most criminal don’t just fit into one category

Question 12

Elaboration weakness - can only be used for certain types of crimes

Answer 12

• some cases there aren’t a crime scene
• harder to conduct crime reconstruction
• therefore profile generation likely to be inaccurate
• topdown approach not valid for all types of crimes

Question 13

Elaboration strength - can accurately be used for certain crimes

Answer 13

• such as burglary that requires a crime scene
• because crime scene assimilation and classification can take place
• to produce accurate profile food application helping with police

Question 14

Elaboration weakness - subjective

Answer 14

• there’s a high potential psychologists could get profile wrong
• police could rule of potential offenders
• misleading
• poor application