Top down approach to offender profiling

Question 1

Aim?

Answer 1

Narrow the list of likely suspects

Question 2

Who do professional profilers work alongside?

Answer 2

Police - especially in high -profile murder cases

Question 3

What is generated when scene & other evidence is analysed?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

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

Answer 4

36

Question 5

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

Answer 5

Other characteristics that would be likely

Question 6

What are the 2 categories based on?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Characteristics of an organised criminal?

Answer 7

• 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

Question 8

Characteristics of an disorganised criminal?

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

4 staged in Construction of an FBI profile?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

What is Data Assimilation (FBI profile)?

Answer 10

Review of evidence (e.g. photographs)

Question 11

What is crime scene classification (FBI profile)?

Answer 11

Organised/disorganised

Question 12

What is Crime reconstruction (FBI profile)?

Answer 12

Generation of hypotheses about the behaviour and events

Question 13

What is Profile Generation (FBI profile)?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Strength: research support for an organised category

Answer 14

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.

Question 15

COUNTERPOINT: strength: research support for an organised category

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

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

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Limitation: top-down profiling was flawed

Answer 17

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.