Waypoint sequencing: simplifying behaviour sequence analysis for criminal cases

Abstract

Purpose While behaviour sequence analysis (BSA) is popular, it is not without limitations, namely, the level of detail required and time taken to run analyses; therefore, this paper aims to outline a novel method, using 30 serial homicide cases as a worked example. Design/methodology/approach Temporal analysis methods are becoming increasingly popular in applied forensic and criminological research. In recent years, BSA has become a widely used approach. Findings Waypoint sequencing provides a streamlined version of the traditional BSA approach, allowing for fewer behaviours to be included and providing a clearer overview of the main behaviours of interest. Practical implications Waypoint sequencing is shown in the current paper through serial killer research to show how to conduct the analyses and how it is effective in current investigations by expediting the process and allowing quicker analysis to facilitate current investigations. Originality/value The current research provides a novel approach to sequence analysis that is more useful in applied settings as it requires fewer behaviours or events than traditional BSA.

Prevalence scores: an addition to behaviour sequence analysis

“…This is where SRs became the analytical score of choice for BSA. An SR provides a measure of whether a transition is occurring more than would be expected by chance and is the most popular form of analytical approach for BSA (Keatley, 2020; Keatley and Clarke, 2020c, 2021; Townsend et al , 2016).…”

A sequence analysis of behaviors in immersive virtual reality for indoor earthquake and post-earthquake evacuation

“…BSA can generate a map showing the progression of behaviors within a particular event or a timespan [41,74]. BSA has been applied in various domains to understand behaviors and social interactions, such as criminal cases [75], nonverbal communication [41], martial interaction [76], and fire evacuation [48]. BSA echoes the concept of Markov models, which focuses on the transitions between behavior pairs [77].…”

“…For instance, Marono et al [41] produced state transition diagrams of behaviors to exhibit the behavioral sequence of individuals when answering questions. Similarly, Keatley and Clarke [75] proposed a waypoint sequencing diagram to illustrate the key events of criminals in their case histories, providing a simplified sequence of the main behaviors of interest. Also, Nguyen et al [82] demonstrated a visual analytics approach to indicate the behavioral sequence of internet users.…”