The Top-Down Approach (Year 13 Booklet 4)

Define crime.

• An act committed in violation of the law where the individual receives some form of punishment from the state

• It is an act which is harmful for the individual, group or society as a whole

How would you define offender profiling?

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

How would you define the top-down approach? What else is this approach often called?

• Focuses on the bigger picture → uses this to make predictions about the offender using a pre-existing template

• Typology approach

When and where did the top-down approach originate?

• 1970s

• US by the FBI

How many interviews was the Top-Down Approach developed from and who was interviewed?

• 36

• Sexually motivated serial killers (e.g: Charles Manson and Ted Bundy)

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

• A signature or specific way of working

• Certain modus operandi’s correlate with psychological and social characteristics

Give key characteristics of an organised offender (11 traits)

• Planned and controlled 

• Plan weapons

• Destroy evidence

• Attempts to control victim

• Has a victim type

• Unknown to victim

• Socially and sexually competent

• High intelligence

• Skilled profession

• Angry/depressed personality

• Married/has children

Give key characteristics of a disorganised offender (10 traits)

• Unplanned and chaotic

• Improvised weapons

• Body often left at scene/lots of weapons

• Little attempt at controlling the victim

• Possibly knows victim

• Socially and secually incompetent

• Low intelligence

• Anxious/psychotic personality

• Unskilled job/unemployed

• Live alone

List the 4 stages involved in FBI profile construction.

1. Data assimilation

2. Crime Scene classification

3. Crime reconstruction

4. Profile generation

Describe data assimilation

Reviewing evidence from the crime scene. e.g: crime scene photographs, pathology reports, witness reports.

Describe crime scene classification

Organised or disorganised

Describe crime reconstruction

Generating a hypothesis in terms of the sequence of events and the behaviour of victim and suspect

Describe profile generation

Likely offender. e.g: demographic background, physical/psychological characteristics`

Outline a 4 point counter that gives 2 strengths and 2 limitations of the top-down approach to offender profiling

• Limitation: Only useful for certain, very serious crimes. Cannot help most common offences

• Strength: Emerging evidence suggests it might be useful for burglary. Maketa found in the USA is has led to an 85% increase in solved cases in 3 states

• Limitation 2: Maketa’s research was based on a 4 category version of the top-down approach (adds interpersonal and opportunistic). Therefore original 2 category model cannot be used for burglary?

• Strength: Still widespread and had been effectively used to identify serious offenders. Has real life application.