Psychology 3313 Criminal Psychology
What we’ll do today How to approach the research for this presentation Appropriate resources American cases, Canadian cases Legal journals and criminology research Newspapers and other media Where to go for help Questions?
How to approach this assignment: 1. Dismantle your topic (see next slide) 2. Research by the location of your case 3. Understand that not all information you want will be available
1. Dismantle your topic Find the following information to make researching easy(er): Legal system/location of trial Parties involved Accused, victims, lawyers, judges Date of investigation Details of the case Case number? Official title?
Where to find this information? Lexis Nexis Academic - L Wikipedia Books on your topic
2. Research by location Many of the following resources organize information geographically (e.g. where did crime occur; where was accused arrested) Types of Information a) Case law b) Legal research c) Criminology research d) News and media coverage e) Government legislation
a) Case Law - Canadian Westlaw Canada Best resource - BUT! Only available on library computers, not through remote Off Campus login OR Wireless Canadian Legal Information Institute If you’re off campus
You could also try Supreme Court of Canada - Judgments Criminal Spectrum Access through catalogue Searching through Provincial Supreme Courts websites Asking the Law Library for assistance (contact information on later slide)
a) Case Law - American Westlaw Canada Best resource - BUT! Only available on library computers, not through remote Off Campus login OR Wirelss Supreme Court of the United States Search for State Supreme Courts E.g. Aileen Wuornos v. Supreme Court of Florida Cornell Legal Information Institute More links: *Note: some URL’s are outdated
International Westlaw Canada Best resource - BUT! Only available on library computers, not through remote Off Campus login OR Wirelss Search court websites Ask a librarian for assistance Questions to ask yourself: Will your case documents be in English? Are you sure case information will be available here in Canada?
b) Legal Journals and Databases Westlaw Canada Criminal Justice Abstracts Hein-On-Line Criminal Justice Collection Legal Trac To start:
c) Criminology Research Traditional academic databases PsycINFO Criminal Justice Abstracts Criminal Pleadings & Practice in Canada JSTOR Sociological Abstracts
d) Newspapers Summon To start: Summon set to automatically exclude newspapers Databases: Canadian Newsstand Major Dailies Lexis Nexis Factiva
d) Other Media YouTube Check TV channel news archives CBC Digital Archives CTV News Stox ABC News VideoSource NBCUniversal Archives
e) Legislation Canadian Department of Justice: Passed regulations LEGISInfo: Current bills American Thomas: Consider Provincial or State legislation where appropriate
3) It won’t all be available What will be hard to find? Police investigation/interrogation records Information not presented in trials
If you need more help… Law Library their reference desk: Beryl Ivey Library Phone: x28250 Blog:
Questions?
What we’ll do today How to approach the research for this presentation Appropriate resources American cases, Canadian cases Where to go for help Questions?