Fashion conscious burglars? Testing the principles of offender profiling with footwear impressions recovered at domestic burglaries
Tonkin, Matthew
Tonkin, Matthew
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. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
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Date
2009
Type
Article
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Collections
Citation
Tonkin, M., Bond, J. W. & Woodhams, J. (2009). Fashion conscious burglars? Testing the principles of offender profiling with footwear impressions recovered at domestic burglaries. Psychology, Crime and Law, 15 (4), pp.327-345.