top down approach

• offender profiling - 


  behavioural and analytical tool that is intended to help investigators accurately predict and profile the characteristics of unknown offenders
• complaining a profile -

  • careful scrutiny of the crime scene
  • analysis of the other evidence (including witness reports)
  • generate hypotheses about the probable characteristics of the offender (age, background, occupation)
• top down approach -

  • FBI behavioural science unit drew upon data gathered from in depth interviews with 36 sexually-motivated murderers (including Ted Bundy)
  • data categories into organised or disorganised crimes/murderers
  • each category had certain characteristics - means if data from a crime scene matches characteristics of 1 category we can then predict other likely characteristics
• organised offenders -

  • show evidence of planning the crime
  • victim deliberately targeted - suggests 'type' of victim they seek out
  • maintains high degree of control - may operate with detached surgical precision
  • little evidence or clues left
  • above-average intelligence, in a skilled professional occupation, socially sexually competent - usually married and may have kids
• disorganised offender -

  • little evidence of planning - spontaneous acts
  • crime scene reflects impulsive nature of attack - body at scene and little control from offender
  • lower than average IQ, unskilled work or unemployed, history of sexual dysfunction and failed relationships
  • live alone and often relatively close to where offence took place
• constructing FBI profile -

  1. data assimilation - profiler reviews evidence (crime scene photos, pathology reports, witness reports etc)
  2. crime scene classification - organised/disorganised
  3. crime reconstruction - hypotheses of sequence of events, behaviour of victim etc
  4. profile generation - hypotheses related to likely offender - eg demographic background, physical characteristics, behaviours etc