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Forensic Psychology > Geographic Profiling > Flashcards

Flashcards in Geographic Profiling Deck (22)
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1
Q

why geography

A

every crime location is the choice of the offender.

offender either travelled to the location or area to commit an offence.

offender may have been there for some other purpose when the decision to commit the crime was made

A CONNECTION/ KNOWLEDGE OF THE LOCATION IS LIKELY

2
Q

theories and principles

A

four main theories relating to how crime location is chosen;

LEAST EFFORT PRINCIPLE

  • zipf(1950)
  • “when multiple destinations are of equal desirability, the closest one is chosen”

DISTANCE DECAY
-this describes the effect of distance on cultural or spatial interactions. The distance decay effect states that the interaction between two locales declines as the distance between them increases.

RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY
- the offender weighs up the costs Vs. the benefits before committing the offence to see if its really worth it.

ROUTINE ACTIVITY THEORY
- to choose a crime location, an offender must be aware of it. Offender identify suitable crime locations through the course of normal daily legit activities.

3
Q

decision to commit the crime

A

SELECTED AREA

  • has easy access
  • few police patrols
  • low security housing
  • larger gardens

REJECTED AREA

  • unfamiliar
  • distant
  • neighbourhood watch
  • no public transport
4
Q

different motivation - different choice

A

each offence will also impact on ow far the offender travels, how he identifies a relevant vehicle and how long he searches for

low value-joy rider

high value- illegal export

vehicle with high demand-resale of vehicle/parts

fast and reliable-get away vehicle

5
Q

types of crime site

A

encounter site

attack/assault location

murder/rape scene

body deposition/release site

credit card usage

ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT SITES ARE INDICATIVE OF THE TYPE OF OFFENDER, whether they are organised, planned, spontaneous or opportunistic.

6
Q

technology can only go so far

A

technology only predicts an anchor point based on the spatial relationship between crime locations.

They are ignorant to;
- underlying demographics/land use

  • offender search methodology
  • victim and offender movement
  • type of crime/crime location
  • temporal info
7
Q

RIGEL

A

Validity, reliability and utility

optimal search strategy for appropriate integration into investigation

RIGEL is not always applicable

rigel is only one small element, all of these things will effect distance trvelled and location of offences/ how offender may be found

every case is different, you never know which part of your analysis will be relevant/conclusive/informative

8
Q

producing a geographic profile

A
  1. identify what happened
  2. understand the criminal event
  3. ask questions
  4. apply theories
  5. formulate a hypothesis
  6. what Vs. why
  7. what stage is the investigation at
  8. apply to the investigation
  9. develop investigative strategies
9
Q

investigative strategies

A

prioritisation of area;

  • house to house
  • leaflet drop
  • DNA screen
  • media releases
  • body searches
  • patrols
  • decoys

-CCTV

10
Q

main challenges

A

identifying the relevant data

being kept in the loop

changes in the investigation

inconclusive analytical patterns

persuading investigators of a course of action

11
Q

Prioritisation Matrix

A

a matrix that sorts in order what it most important and least important to prioritise

12
Q

temporal analysis

A

is the study of time

13
Q

why do we analyse time ?

A
  1. to understand what has already happened

2. to predict what will happen in the future

14
Q

what are the elements that are typically combined to identify a discrete temporal location?

A

date and time

15
Q

A.M

A

ante meridian

16
Q

P.M

A

post meridian

17
Q

temporal distribution

A

how events are situated throughout the study area in relation to one another

18
Q

what are the 3 classes of distribution ?

A
  1. CLUSTERED EVENTS- tend to occur in close proximity to one another
  2. UNIFORM EVENTS-tend to occur far apart from one another
  3. RANDOM EVENTS- are neither clustered nor uniform.
19
Q

CASE EXAMPLE (sexual assault)

A

11 sexual assault cases in Bath city centre

all victims were socialising or returning from work when they were;

  • approached in the street
  • approached from behind
  • hand up skirt
  • disguise was worn

there is CCTV of the offender

offender DNA was obtained

20
Q

producing a geographic profile

A

scene visit necessary

checking the detail

  • what info do we have regarding the offences?
  • is there any further info that could be obtained?
  • how have the offences been linked?
  • what searches have been carried out?
  • has the offender carried out any other offences?

working through the data to identify patterns

YOU HAVE TO BE AWARE OF STATISTICS —-

cause/correlation (do they have a link?)

what is likely to happen by chance?

conformation bias

Toulmins logic (Stephen Toulmin, an English philosopher and logician, identified elements of a persuasive argument. These give useful categories by which an argument may be analysed)

21
Q

putting everything together

A

what does the information suggest ?

should alternative hypotheses be considered?

what investigative strategies are suited to the enquiry?

how can i best report this to the investigation?

22
Q

“no body” murder

A

professionals should research;

  • knowledge of previous and similar cases
  • timeline of the victims activity
  • timeline of the offenders activity
  • offenders personality and criminality
  • offenders geography (current and past locations and travel)