Forensics

• profiling: offender profiling, also known as criminal profiling, is an investigative tool used by law enforcement agencies to identify likely suspects (descriptive offender profile) and analyse patterns that may predict future offences and / or victims (predictive offender profiling)
• OP refers to the process of using all available information about the crime, a crime scene and a victim in order to compose a profile of the unknown perpetrator (Ainsworth, 2001)
• Goals of profiling:

  • social and psychological assessment of the offender
  • psychological evaluation of possessions found with suspected offender
  • consultation about possible interviewing strategies
  • types of offences - arson, kidnap, rape, murder
• The theory behind profiling is that the modus operandi (MO) of the criminal - how they committed the crime, why they choose the situation etc. - remains consistent as it reflects their personality
• For profiling to work it needs to be assumed that the criminal‘s personality remains consistent
• Two types of profiling approaches are top down and bottom up
• Top down approach:

  • 1970s American model - FBI
  • profiling uses experience to create a profile for a crime scene based on typologies
  • crime scene analysis
  • crime scene -> draw conclusions
• Bottom up approach:

  • British model
  • more scientific as uses statistical data on crimes that have been committed
  • criminal consistency hypothesis and investigative psychology, circle theory
  • data -> hypothesis
• Top down - 4 steps:

  • data assimilation: the profiler looks at all the available data and information such as crime scene photos and reports
  • crime scene classification: organised or disorganised
  • crime scene reconstruction: a hypothesis of what happened; sequence of events, victim behaviour etc.
  • profile generation: what type of person committed the crime? - gender, age, occupation etc.
• The top-down approach is known as a ’typology’ approach because it takes all this information and classifies offenders into ‘types’ these types are based on depth interviews with some 36 sexually oriented serial murders and data from FBI
• There are two types of criminals: organised and disorganised
• Each ’type’ of criminal has certain characteristic, which helps law enforcement to narrow their list of suspects
• Organised offenders:

  • average to high intelligence
  • socially competent
  • plans offences
  • uses restraints on victims
  • weapon is usually hidden
  • body is usually transported from the scene
  • victim is specifically targeted
  • tried to conciel evidemce (e.g get rid of finger prints, blood, semen)
• Disorganised offenders:

  • below average intelligence
  • Socially incompetent
  • Unskilled or unemployed
  • Minimal use of restraints / leaves body on display and perform sexual acts post mortem
  • Victim is likely to be random
  • Offender is messy and makes no effort to conceal incriminating evidence
• Who is Theodore Robert 'Ted' Bundy?

  One of the United States' most notorious serial killers
• How many women is Ted Bundy known to have murdered during the 1970s?

  Over 30 women
• In how many US states did Bundy commit his crimes?

  Across seven US states
• What traits did Bundy use to win the trust of his victims?

  He was handsome, charming, and highly intelligent
• Which university did Ted Bundy attend?

  The University of Washington
• What did Bundy study in law school?

  He studied law
• Who did Bundy fall in love with while he was a student?


  A wealthy young woman from California
• How did Bundy's breakup affect his choice of victims?

  Many of his victims resembled his college girlfriend
• What physical characteristics did Bundy's victims typically have?

  They were attractive students with long, dark hair parted in the middle
• What was the typical pattern of Bundy's killings?


  He often raped his victims before beating them to death
• How many times did Bundy escape police custody?

  Twice
• What method was used to execute Ted Bundy?

  Electric chair
• In what year was Ted Bundy executed?

  1989
• Ted Bundy fits the profile as an organised defender quite well for many reasons:

  1. His victims were deliberately targeted - they were all brunette college girls, so he planned these crimes. He tended to lure them away by asking for help.
  2. He won the trust of his victim, which shows he was competent socially and confident in approaching women
  3. This also suggests he had a relationship before
  4. He left a few clues and evaded captured for a long time
  5. He attended university so had higher than average or at least average IQ
• Canter et al (2004) was the investigation of the organised / disorganised theory of the serial murder
• What approach is historically associated with the FBI in America?

  Top-down approach
• Who published the account of the 'lust murderer' in 1980?

  Hazelwood and Douglas
• How do Hazelwood and Douglas categorize lust murderers?

  As organised or disorganised
• What characterizes an organised offender according to Hazelwood and Douglas?


  An organised offender leads an ordered life and kills after a critical life event
• What are the typical traits of an organised offender?

  Premeditated actions, likely to bring weapons, average to high intelligence, and employed
• How does a disorganised offender typically commit a crime?

  In a moment of passion with no evidence of premeditation
• What evidence is a disorganised offender likely to leave behind?

  Blood, semen, murder weapon, etc.
• What is a characteristic of a disorganised offender's social competence?

  They are thought to be less socially competent
• What additional typology did Douglas introduce in 1992?

  "Mixed" offender
• What distinguishes a "mixed" offender from organised and disorganised offenders?

  A mixed offender may have an accomplice or the offence may escalate into a different pattern
• What is a criticism of the "Top-down" approach?

  It is based on an opportunity sample of 36 murderers who volunteered for unstructured interviews