4 Critical Assumptions for Offender Profiling – Factual?

3) Homology Assumption – Those who commit similar offences will have similar characteristics

This is the assumption that offenders who commit similar offences will have similar characteristics. Research does not seem to support this assumption particularly. Mokros and Allison (2002) looked at stranger rapists and found that a similarity between offenders crime scene behaviour did not mean a similarity in characteristics of the offender. Woodhams and Toye (2007) also attempted to find homology in a group of 80 serial commercial robbers. The offenders where grouped into three different groups, based on their offence behaviour (similar to how FBI profiling works). These three groups were: (1) violent opportunists; (2) organised risk-takers; and (3) bladed nocturnal planners. There were no significant differences between any of the groups, suggesting the homology assumption is not correct, and sheds doubt on the practise of offender profiling.