Outline and evaluate the bottom-up approach to offender profiling (16 marks)
The bottom-up approach is when profilers work up from evidence collected from the crime
scene to develop hypotheses about the likely characteristics, motivations, and social
background of the offender.
The profile is ‘data-driven’ and emerges as investigator finds more details. The aim is to
generate a picture of the offenders’ characteristics, routines, and background through
analysis of the evidence.
Investigative psychology is a form of bottom-up profiling that matches details from the crime
scene with statistical analysis of typical offender behaviour patterns based on psychological
theory. Statistical procedures detect patterns of behaviour that are likely to occur (or coexist)
across crime scenes. Done to develop a statistical ‘database’ which acts as a baseline for
comparison. Features of a crime can be matched against database to suggest important
details about the offender such as their history or family background. Interpersonal
coherence is the way an offender behaves at the crime scene (including how the ‘interact’
with the victim) this may reflect their everyday behaviour (for example they may be
controlling or apologetic etc.), so their behaviour ‘hangs together’ (has coherence). This
might tell police about how offender relates to women e.g. more generally.
Geographical profiling is another form of bottom-up profiling based on the principle of
spatial consistency – that an offender’s operational base and possible future offence are
revealed by the geographical location of their previous crimes. Crime mapping is when the
location of crime scenes is used to infer the likely home or operational base of an offender.
Spatial consistency is when they restrict their ‘work’ to areas they are familiar with. A
marauder operates close to their home base and a commuter is likely to have travelled
further away from their usual residence. Circle theory suggests that pattern of offending
locations is likely to forma. Circle around offender’s usual residence, this becomes apparent
with more offences.
One strength of the bottom-up approach is that there is support for investigative psychology.
66 sexual assault cases were analysed using smallest space analysis. Several behaviours were
identified in most cases. Each individual displayed a pattern of behaviours which helps
establish if multiple offences were committed by the same person (‘case linkage’). This
supports consistency in behaviour.
However, case linkage depends on the data base and thief will only consist of historical
crimes that have been solved. The fact that they were solved may be because it was
relatively straightforward to link these crimes together in the first place which makes this a
circular argument. This suggest that investigative psychology may tell us little about crimes
that have few links between them and therefore remain unsolved.
Another strength is that there is research support for geographical profiling. Information was
gathered from 120 US murder cases. Smallest space analysis revealed spatial consistency – a
centre of gravity. Offenders leave their home base in different directions when dumping a
body but created a circular effect, especially marauders. This supports geographical profiling.
The bottom-up approach is when profilers work up from evidence collected from the crime
scene to develop hypotheses about the likely characteristics, motivations, and social
background of the offender.
The profile is ‘data-driven’ and emerges as investigator finds more details. The aim is to
generate a picture of the offenders’ characteristics, routines, and background through
analysis of the evidence.
Investigative psychology is a form of bottom-up profiling that matches details from the crime
scene with statistical analysis of typical offender behaviour patterns based on psychological
theory. Statistical procedures detect patterns of behaviour that are likely to occur (or coexist)
across crime scenes. Done to develop a statistical ‘database’ which acts as a baseline for
comparison. Features of a crime can be matched against database to suggest important
details about the offender such as their history or family background. Interpersonal
coherence is the way an offender behaves at the crime scene (including how the ‘interact’
with the victim) this may reflect their everyday behaviour (for example they may be
controlling or apologetic etc.), so their behaviour ‘hangs together’ (has coherence). This
might tell police about how offender relates to women e.g. more generally.
Geographical profiling is another form of bottom-up profiling based on the principle of
spatial consistency – that an offender’s operational base and possible future offence are
revealed by the geographical location of their previous crimes. Crime mapping is when the
location of crime scenes is used to infer the likely home or operational base of an offender.
Spatial consistency is when they restrict their ‘work’ to areas they are familiar with. A
marauder operates close to their home base and a commuter is likely to have travelled
further away from their usual residence. Circle theory suggests that pattern of offending
locations is likely to forma. Circle around offender’s usual residence, this becomes apparent
with more offences.
One strength of the bottom-up approach is that there is support for investigative psychology.
66 sexual assault cases were analysed using smallest space analysis. Several behaviours were
identified in most cases. Each individual displayed a pattern of behaviours which helps
establish if multiple offences were committed by the same person (‘case linkage’). This
supports consistency in behaviour.
However, case linkage depends on the data base and thief will only consist of historical
crimes that have been solved. The fact that they were solved may be because it was
relatively straightforward to link these crimes together in the first place which makes this a
circular argument. This suggest that investigative psychology may tell us little about crimes
that have few links between them and therefore remain unsolved.
Another strength is that there is research support for geographical profiling. Information was
gathered from 120 US murder cases. Smallest space analysis revealed spatial consistency – a
centre of gravity. Offenders leave their home base in different directions when dumping a
body but created a circular effect, especially marauders. This supports geographical profiling.
