Top Down Approach

Question 1

What is the main aim?

Answer 1

To narrow the list of likely suspects down

Question 2

What are they generating hypotheses about?

Answer 2

The probable characteristics of the offender e.g. their age, background, occupation etc

Question 3

How did they develop this approach?

Answer 3

In-depth interviews with 36 sexually motivated killers e.g. Ted Bundy and Charles Manson

Question 4

What are the 4 stages of FBI profile?

Answer 4

Data assimilation
Crime scene classification
Crime reconstruction
Profile generation

Question 5

What is data assimilation?

Answer 5

Reviewing the evidence by using crime scene photographs, pathology reports etc

Question 6

What is crime scene classification?

Answer 6

Organised or disorganised

Question 7

What is crime reconstruction?

Answer 7

Hypotheses in terms of sequence of events, behaviour of the victim etc

Question 8

What is profile generation?

Answer 8

Hypotheses relate to the likely offender e.g. physical characteristics

Question 9

What is disorganised killing?

Answer 9

Unplanned
Victim not targeted
Weapon present
Low intelligence
No social competence
Most likely to not have a partner

Question 10

What is organised killing?

Answer 10

Planned
Victim targeted
Weapon present
High intelligence
Social competence
Has a partner

Question 11

AO3: strength- support?

Answer 11

Support for a distinct organised category of offender
Canter et al conducted an analysis of 100 US murders- each committed by a different serial killer
Smallest space analysis used- a statistical technique which identifies correlations across different samples of behaviour
Analysis was used to assess the co-occurrence of 39 aspects of serial killings
Included whether or not there was torture/restraint, attempt to conceal the body, the type of murder weapon use
Analysis revealed there is a subset of features of many serial killers- matched the topology of organised offenders therefore the typology approach has validity

Question 12

Counterpoint of support?

Answer 12

Organised and disorganised are not mutually exclusive
Godwin argues that it is difficult to classify killers as one or the other type
A killer may have multiple contrasting classifications e.g. they may be socially awkward, yet have a partner or they may plan their attack but leave the murder weapon there

Question 13

AO3: wider application?

Answer 13

Can be adapted to other kinds of crime e.g. burglary
Critics have claimed the approach only works for sexually motivated murder but Meketa reports that top down approach has been applied to burglary- 85% rise in solved cases in 3 US states
Detection method uses organised/disorganised but also adds 2 new categories: interpersonal (offender usually knows their victims and steals something of significance) and opportunistic (generally inexperienced young offender)

Question 14

AO3: flawed evidence?

Answer 14

FBI profiling was developed using interviews with 36 murderers in the US- 25 were serial killers, 11 were single or double murders
24 were classified as organised and 12 were disorganised
Sample was poor- FBI agents did not select a random or a large sample and the sample did not include different kinds of offender
No standard set of questions- each interview was different therefore not comparable