bottom up approach

• A profiling technique where profilers work up from evidence collected from the crime scene to develop hypotheses about likely characteristics, motivation and special background of the offender.

  They focus on systematic statistical analysis of the crime scene and them work their way up to a profile based on that evidence.

  This avoids typification’s and fixed typologies as instead the profile is data driven and more grounded in psychological theory.
• The bottom up approach is used in the UK
• Features of the Bottom up approach:

  -       Investigative psychology

  -       Geographical profiling
• Investigative psychology

  This approach finds patterns of behaviour that are likely to occur across crime scenes and acts as a baseline. These details can then be matched again the database to reveal more important details about the offender, such as history and family background.

  Statistics/data + psychological theory = analysis of crime scene

  Interpersonal coherence is a part of investigative psychology which looks and how the victim behaved at the crime scene and interacted with the victim which gives an indication of how they behave in real life.
• Geographical profiling

  The location of which linked crimes are happening can give indication to an area in which an offenders ‘home’ base is. This is called crime mapping.

  The assumption is that an offender will restrict their crimes to certain geographical areas which helps profilers give educated guesses over where the next crime will occur- this is the jeopardy surface.
• Canters circle theory - geographical profiling

  proposed 2 models of offender behaviour:

  The marauder- where the offender operates close to their home

  The commuter- where the offender operates
• Smallest space analysis:

  A statistical technique that enables correlation of crime data to find patterns. Salfati and Canter identified three themes:

  Instrumental opportunistic – murder to achieve a goal with the easiest methods used.

  Instrumental cognitive- criminal is concerned about being found and is very careful.

  Expressive impulsive- criminal is uncontrolled and emotional, their crimes are heat of the moment actions.
• There is supporting evidence for investigative psychology from Canter and heritage 1990 who completed a content analysis of 66 sexual assault cases using the smallest space analysis and found that common characteristics of the offenders where their language used with and reaction to the victim. This may help us to understand how behaviour may change over a series of offences or establish if 2 offences have been committed by the same person.
• Another strength is that the bottom up approach is much more scientific and objective compared to the top down approach, this is beneficial as it is much less driven by speculation and hunches and therefore carries greater scientific credibility and is a more credible technique. This also means that it can be widely applicable to a range of crimes from theft and burglary to rape and murder.