Bottom up

• What is the bottom up approach?

  The bottom up approach was developed by David canter in the UK, and is an evidence based approach that uses investigative psychology to record all of the data from a crime scene and compare it to previous offences.
• what does bottom up approach allow us to identfiy?

  This allows characteristics, social demographics, and motivations of the offender to be identified. For example : interpersonal coherence (the offenders Interactional style with the victim e.g. aggressive, shy, manipulative) ; time and place significance ( suggests that the location has a significance to the offender as they feel more comfortable in a familiar environment.) ; and criminal career (how experienced the offender is). 
• What is geographical profiling?

  One branch of investigative psychology is geographical profiling which maps all linked offences to produce a crime circle in which the offender usually lives in the centre. From this, the type of offender can be identified as a marauder who commits crimes within the neighbourhood, or commuter who commits crimes away from the neighbourhood. 
• what are the strengths of bottom up?

  scientific methods - objective databases

  can be applied to a wide variety of crimes

  practical applications - helped catch john Duffy (railway rapist)

  copson 1995 found that 83% of detectives said information provided from this approach was useful
• what are the weaknesses of bottom up?

  has been wrong before - Rachel nickell

  copson 1995 found that it only led to identification of offender in 3% of cases

  snook et all found that the circle theory wasn’t as effective in Germany meaning that there could be cultural variation