top down aproach

• What does offender profiling provide?

  A description of possible characteristics of the criminal and predictions about future crimes
• What types of characteristics are included in offender profiling?

  Social, mental, and physical characteristics
• In what types of crimes is offender profiling primarily used?

  In murder and rape cases
• What is a requirement for using offender profiling?

  There must be a pattern that can be evaluated
• Which organization uses the top-down approach in offender profiling?

  The FBI in America
• What does the top-down approach involve?

  The creation of general typologies of criminal behavior and motivation
• What is the focus of the top-down approach?

  On the characteristics of the criminal
• In what year did the FBI interview 36 serial killers?

  1979
• What insights were gained from the interviews with serial killers?

  Motivation for the crime and early signs of criminality
• What classification system was developed from the interviews with serial killers?

  A classification system for various types of murderers
• What are the two types of murderers identified in the classification system?

  Organised and disorganised murderers
• What characteristics define organised murderers?

  High IQ, socially competent, good job, in a relationship, and own a vehicle
• What are the characteristics of disorganised murderers?

  Low IQ, socially incompetent, unskilled job, and little interest in media coverage
• How does crime scene analysis help in offender profiling?


  It indicates which type of criminal the officers are looking for
• Who was Aurthur Shawcross?


  A serial killer who committed murders in New York in the 1980s
• What was the profile created for Aurthur Shawcross based on his crimes?

  A lone male aged at least 35 with an unskilled job and a police record
• What does the case of Aurthur Shawcross demonstrate about the top-down approach?

  It shows the usefulness of this approach to profiling
• What is a limitation of the top-down approach in offender profiling?

  It is limited to crimes that include a pattern of offences
• What percentage of the time did Douglas find that this type of profiling led to a conviction?

  7%
• What criticism did Canter et al. have regarding the classification of criminals?

  They argued that there are not just two types of criminals
• How did Holmes and Holmes respond to Canter's criticism?

  They reclassified murderers into five categories
• What did Canter argue about the power/control killer characteristics?

  They were present in at least 50% of killers and could not be a distinct category
• What was a flaw in the methodology of the top-down approach?

  The sample size was very small and not random
• Why can the testimonies of the interviewed serial killers be questioned?

  Because they were known to be manipulative
• What issue arises from the lack of standardization in the interviews?

  It calls into question the validity and reliability of the conclusions
• What is a potential problem with the classifications and typologies used in offender profiling?

  They are based on murderers who have been caught and may not apply to those who have not
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the top-down approach in offender profiling?

  Strengths:

  • Provides a structured way to analyze criminal behavior
  • Can lead to useful insights in specific cases

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Limited to crimes with a pattern
  • Low conviction rate (7%)
  • Methodology flaws and potential for oversimplification