A Failure to Find Empirical Support for the Homology Assumption in Criminal Profiling |
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Authors: | Brandy Doan Brent Snook |
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Institution: | (1) Psychology Department, Science Building, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NL, A1B 3X5, Canada |
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Abstract: | A fundamental assumption in criminal profiling is that criminals who exhibit similar crime scene actions have similar background
characteristics. We tested this so-called homology assumption by first classifying, with pre-existing typologies, a sample
of arsons (N = 87) and robberies (N = 177) into different crime types and then comparing the background characteristics of criminals who committed the various
crime types. Results showed that using pre-existing typologies to classify the crimes into mutually exclusive types was not
easily accomplished. Notwithstanding classification difficulties, the homology assumption was violated in 56% of the comparisons of background characteristics between the different arson types and in 67% of the comparisons of
background characteristics between the different robbery types. Overall, 73% of the effect sizes for the associations between
crime type and background characteristics were low to moderate (V < .3; d < .2). The implications of these findings for profiling practices are discussed.
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Keywords: | Profiling Homology Arson Robbery |
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