Bottom up approach

• Bottom up approach 


  An evidence base approach using statistical analysis of data collected at the crime scene and info such as choice of victim and location

  Suggets how often certain types behaviour are seen in particular crimes

  usually referred to as investigative psychology developed by Canter
• interpersonal coherence - suggests person interactional style with victim is same as with other people in their lives eg agressive, shy, manipulative
• time and place significance - location chosen by ofender so is significant to them - ties into offendors mental mode of their environment -more likely to feel comfortable/control in place they know better
• criminal characteristics - how crime commited suggests aspect of offenders characteristics based on evidence from previous cirminal studies
• criminal career - how following crimes by same offender change due to the criminal becoming more experienced eg use of restraints in later murders
• forensic awareness - does criminal show some knowledge of the criminal justice system and use techniques to reduce evidence at the crime scene
• geographical profiling


  crime mapping

  spatial consistency - people commit crimes within limited geographical space

  Canter's circle theory

  • marauders - base crime within circle, close proximity to their home base
  • commuters - travel distance away from their usual residence

  Such spatial decision can tell investigative team whether it was planned or opportunistic, reveal mental maps about offender, mode of transport, employment status, age
• W:

  Difficult to know if criminal is marauder or commuter before being apprehended and before crimes have been commited - doesnt prevent crime

  Difficult to distinguish offences by seperate offenders, number of offences could be small or not all of the offences recorded.

  -->reduce application of geographic profiling in directing police resources
• S: Research support


  Canter and Larkin showed 87% sample of british serial sexual assaulters were marauders - supports circle hypothesis and idea that choice of the place of the crime is significant factor in offender behaviour.
• S:


  More scientific approach than top down - doesn't rely on researchers own intuition and experience of individual profilers