Forensic Flashcards
What is the top-down approach?
Profilers start with pre-existing typology and work down to lower levels to split offenders into either organised or disorganised typology based on evidence from the crime scene.
Organised offender characteristics
(Top-down)
Evidence of planning, high control, little clues left, above average intelligence, sexually competent, married, victim targeted.
Disorganised offender characteristics
(Top-down)
No planning, spontaneous, little control, low IQ, live alone often close to the crime scene, unemployed, not married.
What is the bottom-up approach?
A British investigative technique where a systematic analysis of crime scene evidence is used to create an offender picture. It is ‘data driven’ so more rigorous scrutiny of offence details.
What is geographical profiling?
(Bottom-up)
Uses info about the location of linked crime scenes to make inferences of their likely operating base. Crime mapping is used which can reveal an offenders operating base and modus operandi.
Canters Circle theory
(Bottom-up)
Canter and Larkin (1993), understanding spatial pattern of behaviours gives Investigators a ‘centre of gravity’ forming a circle around an offenders home base.
Marauder- operates close proximity to home base.
Commuter- travelled distance from their usual residence.
What is investigative psychology?
(Bottom-up)
Attempt to apply statistical procedures alongside psychological theory to crime scene analysis with the aim to establish behaviour patterns across crime scenes. Statistical database is created that can be used for comparison to see if a crime is the same offender
+Research support for top-down approach
Canter(04), 100 US murders each by diff serial killer. Used smallest space analysis on 39 serial killing aspects (e.g. attempt to conceal body or not), suggests there does seem to be sunset of features matching FBIs typology.
H: Other studies like Godwin(02) argue that it’s hard to say killers are one or the other type and it may be more of a continuum.
+Top-down approach has wider application
Can be adapted (e.g.burgulary), Meketa(17) top-down approach applied to burglary, leading to 85% rise in solved cases in 3 US states
-Flawed evidence of top-down approach
Out of the 36 interviews with US murders 25 were serial killers and 11 single or double murders. 24 were classed as organised and 12 disorganised. Canter et al argued the sample was poor as the FBI agents failed to select a random or large sample. Was no standardised set of Q’s for the interviews.
+Evidence for investigative psychology (bottom-up)
Canter and Heritage (1990) did analysis of 66 sexual assault cases examining using smallest space analysis. Several behaviours were identified as common in diff beh samples. ‘Case linkage’ used to link crime scenes based on crime scenes characteristics.
-Disadvantage of case linkage. (bottom-up)
‘Case linkage’ is database dependent, and the database will only consist of solved historical crimes. The solved crimes may be down to them being relatively straightforward to link together, making the argument circular. Therefore unsolved crimes with multiple linkages remained unsolved.
+Evidence for geographical profiling (bottom-up)
Ludrigan and Canter (2001) collated info from 120 murder cases involving serial killers in the US used smallest space analysis to reveal that the disposal sites of bodies created a ‘centre of gravity’ around offenders home base. Circular pattern (more effective in marauders)
-Geographical info insufficient (bottom-up)
Recording of crimes are inaccurate (75% of crimes are not reported), age, experience of the offender as well as the offence timing. Suggests geog factors alone may not lead to successful capture.
What are atavistic characteristics?
strong jaw, high cheekbones, dark skin, asymmetric face, unemployed, extra toes/fingers/nipples, narrow sloping brow, slang, tattoos.
What was Lombroso’s theory?
Criminals are ‘genetic throwbacks’ who are biologically different from non-criminals. He suggested that those who engage in crime have a natural tendency rooted in their genes to engage in crime as they are unable to handle the demands of civilised society so they inevitably turn to crime.
Would be described as speculative and naïve in todays society.
What were the different types of offender Lombroso classified?
Murderers- bloodshot eyes, curly hair, long ears.
Sexual deviants- glinting eyes, swollen fleshy lips and projecting ears.
Fraudsters- thin and reedy lips.
Lombroso’s research?
Examined facial and cranial features of 4000+ Italian convicts (383 dead), and found that 40% had the atavistic form.
+Lombroso’s legacy
(Bio exp: historical approach)
-Counterpoint
Changed the face of the study of crime, hailed as ‘the father of modern criminology’- and he himself coined the term criminology (Hollin 1989).
Also credited for shifting focus away from moralistic discourse to scientific discourse. His techniques also heralded beginning of offender profiling.
H: Several critics including Matt DeLisi have questioned whether Lombroso’s legacy is positive as it involves racist undertones (e.g. curly hair, dark skin) which are found among ppl of African descent. His theory fitted eugenic 19th century attitudes. His theory’s seen as highly subjective
-Contradictory evidence to Lombroso’s link between atavistic form and crime.
(Bio exp: historical approach)
Goring (1913) Comparison between 3000 offenders and 3000 non-offenders concluding that there’s no evidence that offenders are a distinct group with unusual facial and cranial characteristics.
This challenges idea that offenders can be physically distinguished from the rest of the population.
Although he suggested ppl who commit crimes have lower than average intelligence.
- Lombroso’s methods of investigation had poor control
(Bio exp: historical approach)
He failed to control important variables unlike Goring who compared his offender group with a control group. This could have controlled CVs that may of explained higher crime rates in certain groups. E.g. crime and social conditions, like poverty and poor educational outcomes. (Hay + Forrest 2009)- links that would explain why offenders more likely to be unemployed.
Research doesn’t meet modern scientific standards.
+/- Nature or Nurture determines atavistic form?
(Bio exp: Historical approach)
Atavistic form suggests crime is genetically determined (nature), however these features may not be inherited and come about due to other factors (e.g. diet, poverty).
What was Eysenck’s personality theory?
That behaviour could be represented along 3 dimensions:
Introversion-extraversion
Neuroticism-stability
Psychoticism-sociability
Biological basis of criminal personality according to Eysenck
Criminals are:
Extraverts- Underactive nervous system means they seek stimulation (risk-taking behaviours).
Neurotic- Unstable. High reactivity levels in SNS- so respond quickly to threat meaning they are nervous, jumpy and over-anxious. Behaviour is difficult to predict.
Psychotic- Higher testosterone levels and are unemotional and prone to aggression.
