Bottom-up approach to offender profiling

• How does the bottom-up approach differ from the top-down approach in offender profiling?

  Starts with raw data
• The bottom-up approach uses two main strands: investigative psychology and geographical profiling
• Investigative psychology applies statistical procedures alongside psychological theory to analyze crime scene evidence.
• Match the key principles of investigative psychology with their descriptions:

  Interpersonal coherence ↔️ Offender behavior reflects everyday life

  Significance, time, place ↔️ Offender chooses specific location

  Forensic awareness ↔️ Criminal avoids police detection
• What statistical computer program is used in investigative psychology to analyze patterns in crime scenes?

  Smaller space analysis
• Geographical profiling suggests that the location of crimes can reveal information about the offender
• Crime mapping is based on the principle that crime locations are random and unrelated to the offender's familiarity with the area.

  False
• What theory proposed by David Canter suggests that offenders restrict their crimes to familiar areas and their base lies within a circle drawn around the crimes?

  Circle theory
• Order the two models of offending behavior based on their operational proximity to the offender's home:

  1️⃣ Marauder

  2️⃣ Commuter
• What type of spatial decisions made by an offender can provide insight into the nature of the offense and their characteristics?

  Location choices
• Give a limitation of the approach regarding the limited use of geographical profiling on its own

  One limitation of the bottom up approach is that geographical profiling may not be sufficient enough on its own. The success of geographical profiling relies on the quality of data that the police can provide . Unfortunately, recordings of crime aren't always accurate and can vary between police forces. Not only that, a large portion of crimes are also not reported to the police in the first place which means important information or evidence may be missed. This therefore, suggests that the utility of geographical profiling and the bottom up approach must be questioned as it relies on the accuracy of recorded crimes.
• Give a strength regarding supporting evidence for the use of investigative psychology

  One strength of the bottom up approach to offender profiling is that there is evidence to support investigative psychology as a profiling technique. Researchers conducted an analysis on 66 sexual assault cases. Using smallest space analysis, they were able to identify clear common patterns of behaviour including impersonal language and lack of reaction to the victim. This therefore, shows that statistical analysis can be applied to reveal important details in crime scenes, thus supporting the use of investigative psychology in police investigations.
• Give a strength of the approach regarding supporting evidence for the use of geographical profiling

  One strength of the bottom up approach is that there is evidence to support the use of geographical profiling. Researchers used smallest space analysis to analyse the spatial consistency in the body disposal sites of 120 serial killer cases. They found that the offenders home was always located in the centre of the crime scene pattern. However, this was more noticeable with marauders. This supports the idea that geographical profiling is a key factor in determining the operational base of an offender.
• Give a limitation of the approach regarding the fact that i produced mixed results

  One weakness of the bottom up approach to offender profiling is that It can produce mixed results. Despite the many successful identifications made due to the bottom up approach such as the John Duffy case, there is evidence to question its effectiveness. For example, Copson surveyed 48 police forces and found that the advice provided by the profiler was judged to be useful in 83% of cases, but only in 3% of the cases did it lead to accurate identification of the offender. This therefore, suggests that there is some inconsistency in the application of the bottom up approach which brings the reliability and effectiveness of it into question.
• Give a strength of the approach regarding its wider application to offences

  One strength of the bottom up approach to offender profiling is that it has a wider application to a range of different offences. Techniques such as smallest space analysis and the principles of spatial consistency can be used in the investigation of crimes such as burglar and theft as well as more serious offences. In contrast, the US top down approach is limited to more serious offences such as murder, rape and arson etc. This therefore, suggests that the bottom up approach is more useful in criminal investigations as it can be used in a greater variety of different cases.