forensic

• what is offender profiling


  an investigative tool used by the police with the aim of narrowing down suspects
• the top-down approach


  data from interviews with 36 sexually-motivated murderers and concluded offenders can be categorised to be organised or disorganised which can be used to match the characteristics of a crime to a category which can be used to find the offender
• organised offenders


  these offenders show evidence of pre-planning to their crimes, the victims are targeted, little evidence is left at the crime scene. Offenders tend to be above average intelligence, socially and sexually competent
• disorganised offenders

  these offenders show little evidence of planning, their offences may be spontaneous. evidence is left at the crime scene and the evidence tends to suggest that the offender had little control. offenders to have lower than average intelligence, unemployed and have a history of sexual dysfunction and failed relationships
• stages of conducting an offender profile


  four main stages:

  1. data assimilation- the profiler views the evidence
  2. crime scene classification- either organised or disorganised
  3. crime reconstruction- developing an hypothesis in terms of sequence of events and behaviour of the victim
  4. profile generation- developing an hypothesis related to the likely offender
• What research supported the top-down approach in criminal profiling?

  Canter et al. (2004)
• What method did Canter et al. use to analyze murders?

  Smallest space analysis
• What did Canter et al. find regarding serial killings?

  A subset of behaviors features serial killings
• How do organized and disorganized types of killers relate to each other?

  They aren't mutually exclusive; combinations can exist
• What is the top-down approach in criminal profiling?

  A method of criminal profiling that starts with general patterns of behavior and narrows down to specific characteristics of an offender
• What did the research by Canter et al. (2004) find about the top-down approach to criminal profiling?

  It found that there is a subset of behaviors that are a feature of serial killings
• What did the research by Godwin (2002) find about the organised and disorganised types in criminal profiling?

  It found that the organised and disorganised types are not mutually exclusive, and combinations can be present in a crime scene
• How can the top-down approach to criminal profiling be applied to other types of crime?

  The top-down approach can be adapted to fit other types of crime, as shown by Meketa (2017) who found an 85% increase in solved burglary cases when the top-down approach was applied
• What were the flaws in the evidence used to develop the top-down approach to criminal profiling?

  Canter et al. argued that the sample used for the original development of the top-down approach was not random or large, and the interviews were not standardized, making the results not comparable
• What are the key strengths and weaknesses of the top-down approach to criminal profiling?

  Strengths:

  • Can be adapted to fit other types of crime
  • Identifies a subset of behaviors that are characteristic of serial killings

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • The original evidence used to develop the approach was flawed (small, non-random sample, non-standardized interviews)
  • The organised and disorganised types are not mutually exclusive, and combinations can be present in a crime scene
• the bottom-up approach

  used to generate an image of the offender: their likely characteristics, routine behaviour and social background through systematic analysis of the crime scene. more data driven
• what is investigative psychology and its aims

  applying statistical procedures and psychology theory to analyse the evidence of a crime scene. it aims to establish patterns of behaviour that likely to occur across crime scenes
• what is geographical profiling

  use of information about the location of linked crimes to make inferences about the home/base of the offender. its used with psychological theory to create hypotheses about the offender
• what is Canter's circle theory

  Canter and Larkin (1993) offenders work with a centre of gravity which is likely to include the offender's base. the distribution of the offences can describe the offender to be either a marauder or a commuter
• what is a marauder?

  an offender that operates in close proximity to their home base
• what is a commuter

  an offender who is likely to have traveled a distance from their usual residence
• Who conducted an analysis of 66 sexual assaults in 1990?

  Canter and Heritage
• What method did Canter and Heritage use to analyze the data from sexual assaults?

  Smallest space analysis
• What did the analysis of sexual assaults help to demonstrate about people's behavior?

  People are consistent in their behavior
• What is case linkage reliant on in investigative psychology?

  Solved crimes
• What limitation does investigative psychology have regarding unsolved crimes?

  It does not provide much information
• Who gathered data from 120 murder cases in 2001?

  Lundrigan and Canter
• What did Lundrigan and Canter find about the disposal sites of bodies?

  They create a circle around the offender's base
• What is a limitation of geographical profiling according to the study?

  Success relies on the quality of information
• Why might geographical information be considered insufficient?

  Crime recordings aren't always perfect
• What type of analysis did Lundrigan and Canter use in their study?

  Spatial analysis
• How many murder cases were analyzed by Lundrigan and Canter?

  120 murder cases
• What is the main focus of investigative psychology?

  Linking behaviors in solved crimes
• How does case linkage impact the effectiveness of investigative psychology?

  It limits insights on unsolved crimes
• what is the atavistic approach?

  Lombroso's theory that criminals were 'genetic throwbacks' - a primitive subspecies that were biologically different to non-criminals
• what is a biological approach to offending behaviour

  offenders lack evolutionary development and they can't meet the demands of civilised society and turn to crime because of this. offending behaviour is rooted in their genes
• what are atavistic characteristics?

  • narrow, slopping brow
  • a strong prominent jaw
  • high cheekbones
  • facial asymmetry
  • dark skin
  • extra toes/nipples/fingers
• what was in Lombroso's research?

  an examination of the facial and cranial features of hundreds of living and dead Italian convicts to conclude that there was an atavistic form. he also examined the skills of 383 dead convicts and 3839 living ones to find that 40% of crimes were committed by people with atavistic characteristics
• Who is credited with changing the study of crime?

  Lombroso
• What did Lombroso shift the emphasis of crime study towards?

  A more scientific approach