Forensics - The bottom up approach

Question 1

what is the bottom up approach

Answer 1

• profilers work from the evidence collected from the crime to develop hypotheses about likely characteristics, motivations and social background

Question 2

what is investigative psychology

Answer 2

• matches details from the crime scene with statistical analysis of typical offender behaviour patterns
• establish patterns of behaviour that are likely to develop
• details matched against the database to reveal information about the offender
• interpersonal coherence - the way an offender behaves at the scene
• time + place significance - where the offender is living
• criminal career - no.times a crime was committed
• forensic awareness - individuals who have been at the subject of a police interrogation

Question 3

what are the steps of investigate psychology

Answer 3

Key psychological principles - Canter 1994
- establish behaviour patterns
- develop statistical database
- interpersonal coherence
- time and place significance
- forensic awareness

Question 4

what is geographical profiling

Answer 4

• based on the principle of spatial consistency = an offenders operational base and possible future offences are revealed by location of previous crimes
• centre of gravity = spatial pattern of an offender
• Jeopardy surface = made educational guess where the offender strikes next

Question 5

what is the strength of investigative psychology

Answer 5

Canter and Heritage
- conducted analysis of 66 sexual assault cases using small space analysis
- several samples of behaviour established as common
- helps to establish whether 2 or more offences are linked

• applied to a wide range of offences
• more scientific than top down
• useful in 88% of cases

Question 6

what is the limitation of investigative psychology

Answer 6

Copson
- only useful in 3% of cases

Question 7

what is the strength of geographical profiling

Answer 7

Lundrigan and Canter
- collated information from 120 murder cases
- smallest space analysis revealed spatial awareness and consistency in 1 killer
- location of each body disposal site started a centre of gravity
- offenders start from their home base and go in different directions each time they dump a body

Question 8

what is the limitation of geographical profiling

Answer 8

• reliant on quality of data the police can provide
• recording of crime isn’t always accurate
• Ainsworth = other factors are just as important in creating a profile