Top Down Flashcards
(3 cards)
Usefulness of the method
One strength of the top down approached profiling is that police who have used the FBI methods believe it is useful. In many cases using the top down approach has
been invaluable in order to help direct police resources in the right area, or give a better understanding of the characteristics of the offender so to eliminate certain people from
enquiries (Canter (1994). However, top-down profiling can only be used for a limited range of crimes such as murders, rapes or arsons. More common offences such as burglary and destruction of property do not lend themselves to profiling because the resulting crime scene
reveals very little about the offender. This suggests that, at best, it is a limited approach to identifying a criminal of only certain crimes.
Basis of the method is flawed
A further criticism of the top-down approach is the problem of generalising the results to offenders of different crimes, locations, races, or genders. This is because the original data on which the organised/disorganised classification is based on interviews with 36 of the most dangerous and sexually motivated murderers (including Ted Bundy and Charles Manson). The data was used to identify the key characteristics that would help people ‘read’ a crime scene. However, such individuals (who are highly manipulative) are not the best source of reliable information. In addition, their approach and rationale may be quite different to more ‘typical’ offenders. Therefore, this sample does not represent all offenders and is a limitation of the top down approach.
Not based on science –
– a criticism of the top-down approach to offender profiling is that the process is not based in any science or theory. The accuracy of the profiles generated might be very subjective and open to interpretation. This can be explained by the Barnum Effect
whereby vague evidence of the crime could be manipulated to fit into the characteristics of a particular type of offender (organised or disorganised) as part of the crime classification stage. This might be acceptable if it were not for the fact that profiling has the potential to cause harm because if the profiles are wrong, this may mislead investigations. In contrast,
the bottom up approach is considered more scientific as it is based on objective statistical
techniques and computer analysis. This therefore raises the question as to whether other more objective methods of offender profiling should be used instead
