top-down approach

• offender profiling = an investigative technique used by the police when solving crimes. the aim is to narrow down the field of who the suspect is likely to be. it contains analysis of evidence such as witnesses and probable characteristics such as age or gender
• the American approach = the top-down approach originated from the USA as a result of work carried out by the FBI in the 1970s. the FBI's behavioural unit gathered data from in-depth interviews with sexually motivated serial killers such as Ted Bundy
• typology approach = offender profiles who use this method will match what is known about the crime and offender to a pre-existing template that the FBI has developed. they are classified into organised or disorganised offenders on evidence and this helps police investigations.
• organised offenders = show evidence of having planned the crime in advance. the victim is targeted and will show that the offender has a 'type'. they maintain a high degree of control during the crime. there is little evidence or clues left behind at the scene. they tend to be intelligent, professional occupation and are usually married and have children
• disorganised offenders = show little evidence of planning, the crime scene tends to reflect the impulsion of the attack such as the body may still be at the scene. there is little control from the offender. they tend to have lower IQ, unemployed and often have a history of failed relationships. they tend to live alone and often close to where the crime took place.
• A03: only applies to particular crimes

  • best suited to crimes that reveal important details about the suspect such as rape
  • as well as crimes that involve macabre practices such as fantasies
  • it is a limited approach to identifying a criminal
• A03: based on outdated models of personality

  • the typology classification system is based on the assumption that offenders have patterns of behaviours that remain consistent
  • critics have suggested it is naïve and is informed by old fashioned models that see behaviour driven by dispositional traits
  • it has poor validity when it comes to predicting offenders and their next move
• A03: evidence does not support the disorganised offender

  • Canter (2004) used a technique called smallest space analysis where he analysed data from 100 murders in the USA
  • the details of each case were examined to 39 characteristics thought to be disorganised or organised killers
  • the findings did not suggest evidence of distinct organised type, which undermines the classification system