forensic Flashcards
(34 cards)
Explain the ‘Top down approach’.
•A behavioural tool to help investigators predetermined characteristics of criminals.
•behaviour is catorgrised into pre-existing catorgries such as organised or disorganised crime.
- organised offenders- planned and thought out therefore- smart, above average, skilled, usually married and have children
-unorganised crime- unplanned, spur of the moment, therefore low IQ unemployed, live alone
Explain four ways the FBI profile using the top down approach.
1.Data assimilation
2.crime scene classification
3.crime reconstruction
4.profile generation
Explains Resslers view into the top down approach.
Created definitions of organised and disorganised crime.
used 36 serial offenders.
and classified them as 24 organised, 12 disorganised.
suggested distinct types.
Evaluate the Top down approach.
+research support-Canter- looked into serial killers
+can be wider used for all types of crimes
-Can be resultant of personality
Explain the ‘bottom down approach’
-profilers start with the evidence from the crime scene to paint a bigger picture about likely characteristics, motivations and background behaviour
-uses statistical analyis
what is investigator psychology?
(bottom down approach)
A type of profiling that matches deaths from the crime scene with statistical analysis of behaviour
what is geographical profiling?
(bottom up approach?)
focuses on where the offender did the crime, the geographical location.
two types:
the maurader- operates close to their home
the commuter-likely to travel to commit crimes.
What did Canter and Larkin look into?
(Bottom down approach)
The circle theory-The pattern of criminal behaviour creates a circle around the offenders house.
This can show whether it was opportunistic or planned eg.
Looked into 45 serial sexual assaulters
87percent were marauders
Evaluate canter and larkins research into the bottom up approach
+seen as more scientific
May be ungeneralisable
difficult to know before crime is apprehended
Evaluate the bottom up approach.
+ Research support
-geographical information may be insufficient
explain ‘biological explanations’- A historical approach.
LOMBROSO- wrote a book explaining how criminals were genetic throwbacks- whom were biologically different from normal people. criminals lacked evolutionary development, which made them want to commit crimes. This was rooted in their genes.
What’s the atavistic form?
Lombroso stated that different types of criminals hold throes of physiological markers, usually features of their face and heads.
Murders were describes to have bloodshot eyes, curley hair and long ears. sexual deviants describes to have fleshy lips.
lips of fraudsters where thin.
Explain Lombrosos research.
Examined hundreds of italian convicts
suggested that 40 percent of criminals have the atvisic characteristics.
Evaluate the historical approach and Lombroso
-Poorly controlled
-nature vs nurture
-ethically wrong, rasist.
Biological explanations- Genetic and neural.
Explain.
Genetic explanations:
Twin and adoption study’s-CHRISTIANSEN studied over 3500 twin pairs in denmark, and found concordance rates of 35%for MZ and 13% for DZ
Also CROWE found that those adopted children whose biological mother had a criminal record was 50% likely to get one too.
CANDIDATE GENES- two genes are associated with the violent genes
DIATHESIS STRESS MODEL- criminal behaviour comes from biological and psychological triggers- eg. growing up in a disfunctuonal society.
GENETIC EXPLANTIONS- evaluate
-issues with twin study’s- assumption of equal environments
+good at viewing nature vs nurture
NEURAL EXPLANTIONS- explain
There may be neural differences from offenders to non offenders.
PREFRONTAL CORTEX- those with antisocial tendencies have reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex.
MIRROR NEURONS-have a neural switch that can be turned on and off
NEURAL EXPLANATIONS - evaluate
+Brain evidence- links between crime and frontal lobe
-Biological determinism
explain the theory of the criminal personality.
EYSENCK-
scored people from introversion to extroversion, and neuroticism to stability.
a third one was added- psychoticism-sociability.
BIOLOGICAL BASIS-
our personality is biological and inherited. The criminal personality is innate.
Criminals are - extroverts- constantly seek excitement
neurotic- high levels of reactivity
psychotic- high levels of testosterone, unemotional and prone to agression.
SOCIOLISATION-development immature- needing immediate gratification.
Can be measured using the EYSENCK PERSONLITY QUESTIONNAIRE.
EVALUTATE Eysnecks theory
+Research support- EYSNECK- compared control to non control- and extravert neuroticm and psychotic more likely to criminals.
-too simplistic
-cultural factors not taken into account
EXPLAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS: COGNITIVE.
LEVELS OR MORAL REASONING:
-Refers to the way people think about right and wrong.
-KOLHBERG- the higher the stage the more sophisticated the reasoning, and less likely to be a criminal .
Found that a group of violent youths are have lower levels of mora reasoning .
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS:
errors and bias in a persons processing thunking which is faulty.
criminals interpret information and justify their actions differently
HOSTILE ATTRIBUTION BIAS-the tendency to see people’s actions towards you as agressive
MINIMALISATION-type of deception, downplaining the significance of an event to feel less guilt.
EVALUATE COGNITIVE EXPLANATION
MORAL REASONING:
+research support- link between moral reasoning and crime- PALMER AND HOLLIN. compared moral reasoning non offenders to offenders using a short form. offenders had less mature moral reasoning.
-may be ungeneralisable to all crimes
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS:
+real world application-application to therapy, encourages to stand up to their feelings
-depends on offence
EXPLAIN DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY:
- a explanation which explains that offending behaviour comes from interactions from others. you learn values and techniques for offending behaviour.
OFFENDING AS LEARED BEHAVIOUR
offending behaviour is learned like other behaviour if someone you look up to is criminal you are likely to inmitate the behaviour.
SUTHERLAND argues that if the amount of procriminals outweighs the anti- criminals, you are likely to offend.
SOCIALISATION IN PRISON:
SUNDERLAND: when in prison criminals are exposed to others which give them values and techniques for crimes
EVALUATE DIFFERENTIAL ASSOCIATION THEORY-
- can apply to multiple crimes
-difficult to test
