Offender profiling

• Offender profiling

  Offender profiling is an investigative tool employed by the police when solving crimes. It is used to narrow the field of enquiry and the list of likely suspects. There are different ways in which the police can profile their likely offender. These include the top-down approach, the bottom-up approach and geographical profiling.
• The top-down approach to offender profiling

  The top-down approach to offender profiling originated from the work of the FBI. During interviews with 36 serial killers, the FBI identified two categories of offenders: organised offenders and disorganised offenders. These two types of offenders have signature ‘ways of working’ that are associated with their social and psychological characteristics.
• Whats an Organised offenders way of working

  This offender shows evidence of planning. For example, it would be clear there was a high degree of control during the crime and little evidence would be left behind. The offender also targets their victim in advance, often indicating the offender has a ‘type’ and the crime is premeditated.
• what are the social characteristics of an organised offender

  These offenders tend to be socially and sexually competent. For example, they are usually married and may even have children.
• What are the psychological characteristics of an organised worker

  These offenders have higher than average intelligence. This means they typically work in a skilled profession.
• What are the ways of working for a disorganised offender

  This offender shows little evidence of planning. For example, it would appear that there was little control during the crime and evidence would often be left behind. The victim is also random, indicating the offender does not have a ‘type’ and the crime is impulsive.
• What are the ways of working for a disorganised offender

  This offender shows little evidence of planning. For example, it would appear that there was little control during the crime and evidence would often be left behind. The victim is also random, indicating the offender does not have a ‘type’ and the crime is impulsive.
• What are the social characteristics of a disorganised offender

  These offenders tend to be socially and sexually incompetent. For example, they may have a history of sexual dysfunction and failed relationships.
• What are the psychological characteristics of a disorganised offender

  These offenders have lower-than-average intelligence. This means they typically work in unskilled professions or are unemployed.
• The what is the 1st part of the top-down approach to offender profiling therefore involves the following:

  1.profiler begins with pre-existing categories of organised and disorganised offenders in their mind.
• The 2nd part of top-down approach to offender profiling therefore involves the following

  The profiler categorises the offender as organised or disorganised depending on their analysis of:

  • The type of crime committed

  • Evidence from the crime scene

  • The victim and where the crime took place
• what is the 3rd part of the top-down approach to offender profiling therefore involves the following

  The profiler will then generate an offender profile that summarises the likely offender. This will refer to their likely social characteristics (e.g. relationship status), psychological characteristics (e.g. intelligence) and demographic background (e.g. level of education, employment, homeownership etc.)
• Evaluation of the top-down approach

  • Issues with developing the approach from interviews with serial killers
  • The distinction between organised and disorganised
  • May not be useful for crimes that reveal very little about the offender
• The bottom-up approach to offender profiling, including investigative psychology

  The bottom-up approach is a data driven approach to offender profiling. This means that, unlike the top-down approach, the bottom-up approach does not begin with fixed types of offenders. Instead, the bottom-up approach begins by analysing evidence at the crime scene.
• What is an example of the bottom-up approach to offender profiling, including investigative psychology

  Investigative psychology, a bottom-up approach to offender profiling, uses statistical data from similar crimes to predict offender characteristics. It compares crime-scene evidence with past cases, suggesting traits based on patterns, like socially-incompetent, unemployed Caucasian men for certain offenses. This method also links unsolved cases through similar crime-scene data, assuming offenders act consistently across crimes.
• Evaluation of the bottom-up approach

  • more scientific due to the use of statistics
  • Of little benefit when there is a lack of pre-existing data on similar crimes
  • Comparisons between crimes can be difficult if behaviour has changed
• Geographical profiling

  Geographical profiling examines crime locations to deduce where an offender may live, work, or socialize, assuming serial offenders target familiar areas. This often creates a circular pattern around the offender’s residence, which strengthens with more offenses. Geographical profiling also helps predict future crime sites, using data from crime scenes, local crime statistics, and transport links.
• Evaluation of geographical profiling

  • Of limited use when profiling commuter offenders
  • Of little benefit when local crime data is incomplete
  • Supporting evidence for its effectiveness