Fashion conscious burglars? Testing the principles of offender profiling with footwear impressions recovered at domestic burglaries
Authors: Tonkin, Matthew1; Bond, John2; Woodhams, Jessica3
Source: Psychology, Crime and Law, Volume 15, Number 4, May 2009 , pp. 327-345(19)
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Abstract:
Traditionally, research on offender profiling has investigated the relationships between offender behaviour and offender characteristics. However, evidence about offender behaviour is not the only evidence available at a crime scene. This study extends previous collaborative research between forensic scientists and psychologists (e.g. Bond & Sheridan, Journal of Forensic Science, 52, 1122-1128, 2007) to investigate how forensic science can assist in the psychological process of offender profiling. Specifically, the potential utility of footwear impression evidence in the task of offender profiling is investigated. Using 155 domestic burglaries, the consistency and homology assumptions underlying offender profiling were tested. Evidence supportive of both assumptions is reported. A multiple regression analysis identified significant relationships between cost of footwear and employment status, age of offender, and the relative deprivation of his/her residence.Keywords: criminal investigative analysis; serial; offences; crimes; linkage
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1080/10683160802244108
Affiliations: 1: Rampton Hospital, Retford, Nottinghamshire, UK 2: Northamptonshire Police, Wootton Hall, Northampton, UK 3: Department of Natural and Social Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham
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