Critical Evaluation of the Homology Assumption in Offender Profiling
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Keywords
homology assumption, offender profiling, distance decay, situational influences, behavioral variability
Abstract
This study aims to critically assess the homology assumption in offender profiling, which posits that offenders who display similar criminal behaviors tend to share similar psychological or socio-demographic traits. Even though offender profiling is commonly used in investigations, there are still exist debates. Previous research has shown a link between how offenders behave and their personal characteristics, but this still be questioned because of the way studies are conducted and how different situations can affect criminal behavior. These differences suggest that assuming that offenders with similar traits might oversimplify things, and it does not take into account how individual traits and their environment really work together.The paper suggests that future research should move past fixed ideas about traits and use more flexible methods, like big behavioral data or computer models, to make predictions better and help with understanding more effectively.
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