Offender Profiling - Top Down

• Top down approach


  Technique developed by the FBI's behavioural science unit (BSU)
• Top down approach


  1. Stage 1 - Data assimilation: information is gathered from the crime scene (autopsy, witnesses, photographs) and other information such as choice of victim and location

  2. Stage 2 - Crime scene classification: analysis of information suggests the criminal type

  3. Stage 3 - Crime reconstruction: the sequence both the offender and victim's behaviour before and during the offence is hypothesised
• 36 convicted murderers were interviewed (1979-83), with 118 known victims between them
• Organised offenders


  Plan their crime, prepare by bringing weapons and restraints, take care to tidy the crime scene and will hide the body, reflect a average or higher than average intelligence
• Disorganised offenders


  Don't plan their crime in advance using weapons found at the crime scene, leave messy crime scenes (evidence) and don't try to hide the body, reflect a below average intelligence
• As a result of the interviews, 24 were classified as organised offenders and 12 as disorganised offenders