Offender Profiling: Bottom Up Approach

Question 1

What is the aim of the approach?

Answer 1

To generate an image of the offender, their likely characteristics, routine behaviour and social background through the systematic analysis of evidence at the crime scene

Question 2

What does the approach not begin with?

Answer 2

Fixed typologies - the profile is data driven and emerges at the investigator engages in deeper and more rigorous scrutiny of the details of the offence - it is more grounded in psychological theory than the top down approach

Question 3

Where did this approach originate?

Answer 3

Britain

Question 4

What is investigative psychology?

Answer 4

An attempt to apply psychological procedures alongside psychological theory to the analysis of a crime scene

Question 5

What is the aim of the use of investigative psychology?

Answer 5

To establish patterns of behaviour which are likely to occur across crime scenes

Question 6

What does investigative psychology do?

Answer 6

Develops a statistical database which then acts as a baseline comparison. Specific details of an offence can then be matched against the database to reveal important details about the offender, their personal history etc which may determine if offences are linked and therefore committed by the same individual

Question 7

What is central to the approach?

Answer 7

Interpersonal coherence - the way the offender acts at the scene including interaction with the victim and may reflect their behaviour in everyday interactions. Rapists want to control and humiliate whereas others are more apologetic (Dwyer) - may tell us how they relate to women on a daily basis

Question 8

What else are key variables?

Answer 8

The significance of time and place - geographical profiling may indicate where the offender lives

Question 9

What is forensic awareness?

Answer 9

Describes those individuals who have bee subject to police interrogation before and their behaviour therefore may denote how mindful they are of ‘covering up their tracks’

Question 10

What is geographical profiling and who developed it?

Answer 10

Rossmo - it uses information to do with the location of linked crimes to make inferences about the likely home or operational basis of an offender which is known as crime mapping

Question 11

What can geographical profiling be used in conjunction with?

Answer 11

Psychological theory to create hypotheses about the modus operendi of the offender

Question 12

What is the assumption?

Answer 12

That serial killers will restrict their work to geographical areas they are familiar with so understanding the spatial pattern of their behaviour provides investigators with a centre of gravity which is likely to include the offenders’ base which is often in the middle of the pattern

Question 13

What else does geographical profiling help the profiler to do?

Answer 13

Make educated guesses about where the offender is likely to strike next - this is called the jeopardy surface

Question 14

What did Canter’s circle theory propose?

Answer 14

Two Models of offender behaviour (Canter and Larkin)

Question 15

What were the two types of offender behaviour?

Answer 15

The marauder - who operates in close proximity to their own home
The commuter - who is likely to have travelled a distance from their base

Question 16

What is the patterns of offending likely to create and why is this helpful?

Answer 16

A circle around their usual residence - this becomes more apparent the more offences there are
This spatial decision making can offer the investigative team insight into the nature of the offence e.g. whether it was planned/opportunistic as well as revealing their ‘mental map’, mode of transport, employment, status, age etc

Question 17

What evidence supports investigative psychology?

Answer 17

Canter and Heritage - conducted a content analysis of 66 sexual assault cases - data examined using SSA - several characteristics were identified as common in most cases such as impersonal language and lack of reaction - these patterns occur differently in different people.. Can lead to an understanding of how an offender’s behaviour may chance over a series of offences - supports IP as shows how statistical techniques can be used

Question 18

What is Smallest Space Analysis?

Answer 18

A computer programme that identifies correlations across patterns of behaviour

Question 19

What evidence supports geographical profiling?

Answer 19

Lundigran and Canter - collated information from 120 murder cases involving serial killers. The location of each body disposal site was in a different direction from the previous - creating centre of gravity - the offender’s base was invariably located in the centre of the pattern - the effect more noticeable in marauders and supports Canter’s claims.

Question 20

What is it’s scientific basis?

Answer 20

The theory is more grounded in evidence and psychological theory than the top down
With the aid of artificial intelligence investigators are more able to manipulate biological, psychological and geographical data quickly to produce insight and results that assist investigations

Question 21

Which areas have recently supported it’s utility?

Answer 21

Suspect interviewing and examination of material present in court

Question 22

What is the wider application?

Answer 22

SSA and spatial consistency can be used in less serious offences like burglary an theft unlike the American model.

Question 23

Who found mixed results for profiling?

Answer 23

Copson - surveyed 48 police forces and found that the advice provided by the profiler was judged to be useful in 83% of cases but in 3% lead to accurate identification of the offender

Question 24

Who found opposing evidence?

Answer 24

Kocsis found that chemistry students produced a more accurate offender profile on a solved murder case than senior detectives

Question 25

What case supports/doesn’t support?? the approach?

Answer 25

Rachel Nickell - 21 year old, stabbed 47 times and sexually assaulted in an attack on Wimbledon common - wrong man initially arrested(Colin Stagg) but later the real perpetrator caught (Robert Napier)