Offender Profiling

• What does profiling refer to in criminal psychology?

  Using information to create an offender's profile
• What is the belief underlying profiling?


  Offender characteristics can be inferred from offences
• Why is profiling done in criminal investigations?

  To narrow down suspects and inquiries
• What is the FBI's Top Down Approach based on?

  Matching crime scenes to existing offender templates
• How were the templates for the FBI's profiling created?

  Through interviews with sexually motivated killers
• How many sexually motivated killers were interviewed for the FBI's profiling?

  36 sexually motivated killers
• What is a characteristic of an organised offender?

  Crime scene reflects control and planning
• What is a common trait of organised offenders?

  Above average IQ
• What is a characteristic of a disorganised offender?

  Spontaneous offense with little control
• What is a common trait of disorganised offenders?

  Low IQ
• What is the first step in the FBI profiling process?

  Data assimilation from various sources
• What does crime classification involve in the FBI process?

  Deciding if the crime scene is organised or disorganised
• What is the purpose of crime reconstruction in profiling?

  To hypothesize about crime sequence and behaviors
• What does profile generation involve?

  Identifying offender's characteristics and demographics
• What did Douglas's 1981 review reveal about profiling effectiveness?

  Identified suspects in 15% of cases
• What is a limitation of the Top Down approach?

  Limited applications to certain crime types
• Why is the original sample for typologies criticized?

  It was too small and unrepresentative
• What assumption underlies the Top Down approach?

  Similar crimes are committed by similar offenders
• What did Alison's survey of stranger rapists reveal?

  Little support for similarities among offenders
• What did Canter's analysis of murders reveal about disorganised killers?

  No evidence supported the disorganised classification
• What are the two examples of the British Bottom-Up Approach?

  Investigative Psychology and Geographical Profiling
• What does Investigative Psychology focus on?

  Creating a picture of the offender through evidence
• What is criminal consistency in Canter's approach?

  Criminal actions are consistent over time
• How does Canter's approach differ from the FBI's?

  It emphasizes data-driven analysis over intuition
• What does the 5 factor model apply to in crime scenes?

  It provides insights into offender characteristics
• What is the significance of time and place in Canter's model?

  Indicates offender's likely residence or work
• What does forensic awareness indicate?

  Clues about criminal history and awareness
• What does criminal career analysis provide?

  Understanding of past criminal behavior
• What does interpersonal coherence refer to?

  Variation in criminal activity and social interactions
• What does criminal coherence help classify?

  Types of crime based on offender backgrounds
• Who was the Railway Rapist?

  John Duffy
• How did Canter assist in capturing John Duffy?

  By analyzing geographical information from crime scenes
• What was the accuracy of Canter's profile predictions for Duffy?

  13 out of 17 predictions were correct
• What is a strength of the bottom-up approach?

  Reliance on statistical analysis for objectivity
• What is a limitation of statistical analysis in profiling?

  Not all offences may be reported accurately
• What is a strength of the bottom-up approach regarding applicability?

  Wider applicability to various types of offences
• What did Copson's survey reveal about profiling effectiveness?

  Profiles helped in 3% of arrests directly
• What is a criticism of the bottom-up approach according to McGrath?

  It relies on averages that may not apply
• What does geographical profiling analyze?

  Locations of crimes to infer offender's base
• What is the basic assumption of geographical profiling?

  Serial offenders operate in familiar areas