Understanding Geographical Profiling Techniques

Oct 3, 2024

Geographical Profiling in Investigative Psychology

Introduction

  • Objective: Provide information on the likely location of an offender's base rather than personal characteristics.
  • Application: Helps investigators prioritize search areas by estimating the geographic location of an offender’s home, work sites, or familiar areas.

Principles of Geographical Profiling

  • Non-Random Crimes: Crimes are often committed in logical locations.
  • Least Effort Principle: Offenders choose options requiring the least effort. Proximity matters if options are equally attractive.
  • Distance Decay: Crime frequency decreases with distance from the offender's home, avoiding immediate proximity to reduce recognition risk.

Influences on Crime Location Choice

  • Mental Schemata/Maps: Internal representations of areas based on personal experiences.
    • Influenced by how one interacts with an environment.
    • Example: Car drivers vs. public transport users have different mental maps.
  • Familiarity: Offenders prefer areas they are familiar with, feeling 'safe.'
    • Can be linked to home, work, or leisure activities.
    • Familiarity might result from deliberate interactions with an area.

Offender Types

  • Marauder: Offends based on home as a base.
    • Offenses farthest apart can indicate home within the circle created between them.
  • Commuter: Travels away from home to offend.
    • Commuters commit crimes closer geographically than marauders.

Challenges in Differentiating Offender Types

  • Contextual Features: Specific victim needs can affect crime site choice.
  • Crime Evolution: Offender’s mode may evolve, complicating certainty.
  • Spatial Bias: Missing crime data can skew analysis.

Geographical Profiling Tools

  • Computer Programs: Assist in profiling with different calculations, costs, interfaces, and outputs.
    • Allows customization to specific areas.
    • Allows exploration of case impacts on geographical maps.
  • Limitations: Programs rely heavily on accurate input data.
    • Example: Requires accurate locations and assumptions about offender’s residence stability.

Conclusion

  • Effectiveness: Geographical profiling may not add value if existing investigative methods are deemed sufficient by investigators.
  • Practical Use: Offers prioritized geographic areas but depends largely on input accuracy.