Top-Down A03

• Only applies to particular crimes


  TDA is best suited for crimes that reveal important details about the suspect like rape, arson and killings. But more common offences like burgalry do not lend themselves to a profile as the resulting crime reveals little about the offender. Thus the TDA is a limited approach at identifying crimninals.
• Based on outdated models of personality


  The typology classified system is based on the assumption that offenders have patterns of behaviour and motivations that remain consistent across situations and contexts.
• Critics (Based on outdated models of personality)


  Suggested that this approach is naive and is informed by old fashioned models of personality that see behaviour as being driven by stable dispositional traits rather than external factors that may be constantly changing. Thus, this Approach is based on 'static' models of personality and likely to have poor validity when it comes to identifying possible suspects.
• Evidence does not support the 'disorganised offender'


  Canter et al used a technique called smallest space analysis, anlysis data from 100 murderers in the USA. Details of each case were exa,omed with references to 39 characteristics thought to be typical of org/disorg offenders.
• Canter et al findings (Evidence does not support the 'disorganised offender')

  Findings did suggest evidence of a distinct org type, yet for disorg this was not the case. This undermines the classification system. Regardless, still used as a model for professionals.
• Classification is too simple


  Behaviours that describe each of the org/disorg types are not mutually exclusive, a variety of combinations could occur in many given murder scene.
• Godwin (Classification is too simple)

  Asked how police investigators would classify a killer with high intelligence and serial compitenance who commits a spontenous murder in which the victim's body is left at the crime scene. Prompted other researchers to produce more detailed typological approaches.
• Other typological approaches (Classification is too simple)

  Holmes suggests there are four types of serial killers. Missionary, Visionary, Hedonistic and Power/Control. However, Keppel and Walter focus more on the different motivations of killers which may determine the specific type of offender.
• Original sample

  Typology approach developed using interviews with 36 killers in the US. This is too small and unrepresentative a sample upon which to base a typology system that may have a significant influence on the nature of the police investigation. Canter argued that it is not sensible to rely on self-report data with the convicted killer when constructing a classification system