Top-down approach

Question 1

Define crime

Answer 1

An act committed in violation of the law where the individual receives some form of punishment from the state. It’s an act which is harmful for the individual, group or society as a whole

Question 2

Define offender profiling

Answer 2

A behavioural and analytical tool to help investigators profile characteristics of unknown criminals

Question 3

Define the top-down approach

Answer 3

Focusing on there big picture (large, wide-ranging factors) and use that to make predictions using a pre-existing template

Question 4

When and where did the top-down approach originate?

Answer 4

In the 1970s in the US

Question 5

How many interviews was it developed from and who was interviewed?

Answer 5

36 sexually motivated serial killers eg. Ted Bundy

Question 6

What does modus operandi mean and why is it important for the top-down approach?

Answer 6

A signature way of working. The top-down approach works on the assumption that serious offenders have a modus operandi

Question 7

Give key characteristics of an organised offender

Answer 7

-Planned and controlled approach
-Weapon brought to the scene
-Evidence destroyed or removed
-Victim is deliberately targeted as they have a type
-Offender usually unknown to victim
-Socially and sexually competent
-Normal/high intelligence
-Skilled and professional occupation
-Angry/depressed
-Usually married with children

Question 8

Give key characteristics of an unorganised offender

Answer 8

-Unplanned, chaotic and spontaneous approach
-Weapons improvised
-Body often left at scene with lots of evidence
-Offender possibly known to victim
-Low intelligence
-Socially and sexually inept
-Anxious/psychotic
-Unskilled work/unemployed
-Live alone

Question 9

Describe the 4 stages involved in FBI profile construction

Answer 9

1. Data assimilation: reviewing evidence from the crime scene
2. Crime scene classification: organised or disorganised
3. Crime reconstruction: generating a hypothesis in terms of the sequence of events and the behaviour of victim and suspect
4. Profile generation: Likely offender

Question 10

How is the fact that it’s only useful for certain crimes a limitation of the top-down approach?

Answer 10

Only useful for crimes with unique characteristics such as rape and murder, so it cannot help for most common offences meaning it is a limited approach

Question 11

How is it a limitation that there were issues with sample?

Answer 11

Typological approach developed from interviews of 36 killers. This is a very small and unrepresentative sample of self-report meaning we cannot generalise and may lack validity

Question 12

How is it a strength that it has supportive evidence?

Answer 12

Canter et al conducted the smallest space analysis; a technique to analyse 100 USA murders in reference to 39 organised/disorganised characteristics. They found evidence of a distinct category of offender (organised)

Question 13

How is it a strength that it is still widespread?

Answer 13

It has been used to identify serious offenders effectively