the bottom-up approach

• Bottom-up approach

  • Aims to build a picture of the offender’s likely characteristics, routine behaviour and social background.
  • Done using Systematic Analysis of evidence from the crime scene
  • Bottom-up Approach is ‘data-drive’ as the profile emerges as each detail of the offence is scrutinised at a deeper level
• Modus Operandi


  Identifying characteristics or behavioural pattern that we use to identify somebody through the way they commit a crime
• investigate psychology

  • Attempts to apply statistical procedures alongside psychological theory to establish patterns of behaviour across crime scenes.
  • All evidence is entered into statistical database which is used for comparison across crime scenes
  • can be used to determine whether a series of crimes are linked or have been committed by the same offender
• How they investigate psychology

  • Interpersonal Coherence
  • Important of Time and place
  • Offenders’ Forensic Awareness
• Interpersonal coherence 


  How an offender acts at the crime scene (interactions with their victims may reflect how they act in everyday life)
• Important of time and place

  Can be used for geographical profiling (to determine where an offender lives or their daily routine)
• Offenders’ Forensic Awareness


  If an offender has been subject to police interrogation before this may determine how they behave and attempt to ‘cover their track’.
• Geographical Profiling

  • Refered to as ’crime mapping’ and assumes that offenders usually commit crimes in geographical areas they are familiar with.
  • Idea of ‘spatial consistency‘… we can use the locations of an offende’s previous crimes to work out a ‘centre of gravity‘ and the surrounding ‘operational bas’ where they are most likely to commit crimes next
  • The offender’s home is usually within thus bass as well
  • Can help us to determine an offender’s mode of transport, employment status, age, etc
• The ‘Circle Theory’

  • Patterns of offering forms a circle around the offender’s home base
  • Distribution of offenders lead us to describe an offender in 2 ways: The marauder and The commutter
• The marauders 


  Operates in close proximity to their home base
• The Commuter 


  Likely to have travelled s distance away from their usual residence
• Strength: existence of supporting evidence from research

  Evidence: Canter and Heritage (1990) conducted a content analysis of 66 sexual assaults cases using the statistical technique smallest space analysis (identifies the correlation across patterns of behaviour). And found several characteristics that were common in most cases

  Explain: able to understand how behaviour may behaviour may change over series of offences+ establish if offences were committed by same person

  Link: supports real-world application and data-driven+ highly scientific
• Supporting evidence: concept of geographical profiling/crime mapping

  Evidence: Lundrigan and Canter (2001) analysed 120 murder cases involving serial killers in the USA using smallest space analysis to find patterns. Found out body disposals sites were located in different directions=forming a centre of gravity

  Explain: effect is more pronounced+noticeable for offenders who travelled shorter distances (marauders)

  Link: supports Canter’s claim that offender’s spatial consistency is key to determining their operational base
• supporting: More objective than top-down approach 


  Evidence: Using A.I. investigators are a me to manipulate geographical, biographical and psychological data=quicker to gain insight+results of investigation

  Explain: other techniques (investigative psychology) have been amplified in areas like suspect interviewing+examination of material

  Link: Adds scientific credibility adding validity to theory
• Contradicting evidence: Bottom up profiling has mixed results 


  Evidence: Common (1995) surveyed 48 police departments and found that advice provided by the profiler was judged to be ‘useful’ in 83% of cases

  Explain: issue as the same study revealed that 3% of cases lead to accurate identification of the offender meaning it can be misused and misleading when solving crimes

  Link: therefore Bottom-up approach can mislead the the investigations and therefore sometimes may not be as useful