The top down approach originated in the US. Profilers start with a pre-established typology and work down in order to assign offenders to one of two categories based on witness accounts and evidence from the crime scene.
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A disorganised offender is one who shows little evidence of planning, leaves close and tends to be socially and sexually incompetent with lower than average intelligence.
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It is best suited to crime scenes that reveal important information about the suspect e.g. ****, murder and arson as well as crimes involving sadistic torture, dissection of the body and acting out fantasies.
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Research analysed data from 100 murders in the USA and the details were examined with reference to 39 characteristics though to be organised or disorganised. The findings suggest evidence of distinct organised type but not a disorganised type.
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Other psychologists focus more on the different motivations killers might have rather than trying to determine specific types. The typology approach was developed using interviews with 36 killers in the US. 25 serial killers and 11 single or double.
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The British bottom up approach involves profilers working up from evidence collected from the crime scene to develop hypotheses about the likely characteristics, motivations and social background of the offender.
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Geographical profiling is a form of bottom up profiling based on the principle that an offender's operational base and possible future offences are revealed by the geographical location of their previous crimes.
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The pattern of offending is likely to form a circle around the usual residence and this becomes more apparent the more offences there are. Spatial consistency. Research collated information from 120 murder cases involving serial killers in the USA.
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The effect was more noticeable for offenders who traveled short distances (marauders). Canter argues that the bottom up approach is more objective and scientific as it is more ground in evidence and psychological theory rather than speculation.
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The approach can also be used applied to a wide range of offences. Techniques such as smallest space analysis and the principle of spatial consistency can be used in investigation of crimes such as burglary and theft as well as more serious offences.
