1. FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY

2. Definition:
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY is the application of psychology to the criminal justice system.

3. Forensic Psychology is used in:
treating mentally ill offenders
consulting with attorneys (e.g., on picking a jury)
analyzing a criminal's mind and intent
practicing within the civil arena

4. Jury Consulting
Work with attorneys in selecting jurors, analyzing the potential verdicts of juries, and explaining actual trial verdicts.

5. Criminal Profiling
work closely with local police and also federal agencies to create psychological profiles of defendants.

6. Some Important Terms in Forensic Psychology
Competency: The mental condition of the defendant at the time of trial.

7. Insanity: Was a defendant mentally capable at the time an offense was committed.

8. Murder: a definition
The unlawful killing of a human being with malice afterthought.
Express Malice: kills someone without provocation.
Implied Malice: results from negligent or unthinking behavior:
Innocent bystander killed
DWI deaths

9. 1st degree murder: premeditation and deliberation.
2nd degree murder: no premeditation or deliberation, but a disregard for the victim’s life and a desire to inflict harm that results in the loss of life.

10. Manslaughter: Without Malice
Involuntary: negligent behavior resulting in death.
Voluntary: heat of passion, provoked to produce violence, meant to harm but not kill.

11. Justifiable Homicide Done in self defense
Police officer shooting a felon
Must be proven unavoidable and justifiable because of a perceived threat.

12. Excusable Homicide Unintentional killing or accident
Behavior was NOT negligence
Anybody would have done the same thing

13. Robbery
Professional Robbers: long term commitment to crime as a means of making a living. They plan and organize their crimes.
Opportunistic Robbers: steal to obtain small amounts of money when it is accessible and a vulnerable target presents itself.
Alcoholic/ Addict Robber: steals to support drug habit. Picks a target with minimum risks.

14. Terrorism
A violent act or threat is used for the prime purpose of creating fear for coercive purposes.

15. Expert Witness
Forensic psychologists testify in court for both the defense and prosecuting attorneys about:
the sanity and competency of defendants
the accuracy of an eye witness
child custody cases

16. Family Court Examples: Child Custody Evaluations
Visitation Risk Assessments
Mediation of Parental Conflicts about Children
Child Abuse Evaluations
Adoption Readiness Evaluations

17. Civil Court Personal Injury Evaluations Second Opinion Evaluations
Assessment of Emotional Factors in Sexual Harassment and Discrimination
Worker's Compensation Evaluations
Civil Competency Evaluations

18. Criminal Court Evaluations of Juveniles accused of criminal acts
Evaluating the Credibility of Child Witnesses
Assessment of Juvenile and Adult Sexual Offenders
Competency and Diminished Capacity Evaluations
Adult Pre-sentencing Evaluations

19. Investigative Criminal Profiling
Six Stages:
Input
Decision process models
Crime assessment
Criminal Profile
Investigation
Apprehension

20. Uses:
to narrow the suspect list down to a workable size for the investigators
to prevent personal whims from causing tunnel vision and causing the exclusion of viable suspects

21. Input Collect as much info about the crime as possible: Photographs
History of victim
Autopsy and police reports
Interviews with witness/family/friends

22. Decision Process Models
Classify the type of crime:
Arson, burglary, homicide
Killing spree or serial murder
Isolated case or linked to others

23. Determining Motives
Perpetrator’s intent: financial? Sexually motivated? Emotional? Psychological disorder?

24. Risk Level Age, lifestyle, ability to resist, occupation of victim.
Was victim at high, medium, or low risk?

25. Crime Assessment
Complete a crime reconstruction based on the behaviors of the criminal and the victim.
Modus operandi
Signature

26. Criminal Profile Develop a description of the suspect
Race, sex, physical characteristics, habits, values, beliefs

27. Investigation
Add criminal profile information to info already gathered by investigators.
Evaluate suspects matching the profiler’s description.

28. Apprehension Interview and interrogate suspect
Suspect is arrested if evidence links him/her to crime or if they confess.

29. Typological offender profiling
Key ideas:
There are different types of offender
Behavioral evidence can tell us which type of offender committed a crime
Knowing an offender’s type allows us to predict other things about him
Generally used in cases of serial violence against strangers esp. sexual or ‘bizarre’

30. Types of crime scene Organised Disorganised General approach
Planned and controlled
Unplanned and chaotic
Weapons
Brought to the scene
Improvised
Evidence
Destroyed or removed
Left at scene
Victim
Attempts to control
Little attempt at control
Offender
Unknown to victim
Socially & sexually competent
Normal/high intelligence
Angry/depressed
Possibly known to victim
Socially & sexually inept
Low intelligence
Anxious/psychotic

31. Examples Serial Killer Profile: typically male
between the ages of 25-35
is often married, has children, and works

32. White
intellect ranges from below average to above average
doesn't know his victims or have any particular hatred for them most of the time

33. Serial Murder Some roam the country killing: Ted Bundy
Christopher Wilder
Some terrorize 1 area:
Green River killer
BTK

34. Geographical profiling
A set of techniques for making inferences about crime and criminals from the location and timing of offences.

35. Circle theory of environmental range
A circle drawn to encompass all the crimes in a series is likely to contain the offender’s base (Canter & Larkin, 1993).
Where should the police look for the offender responsible for the cluster between the underground line and Durnsford road?

36. Dragnet analysis

37. Routine activity theory
Crimes occur when three circumstances coincide:
A motivated offender
A suitable (and vulnerable) victim
Absence of a capable guardian
Criminal offences are an extension of the offender’s normal activities, so will occur in places the offender makes regular use of

38. Mass Murder Kill many victims in a single violent outburst.
Can be ordinary citizens driven to extreme acts.
Typically exhibit sociopathic personalities, devoid of guilt or conscious about their behavior.
1966 Charles Whitman (14 deaths)
1984 James Huberty (21 deaths)

40. Rape:
a desperate act that results when an emotionally weak and insecure individual is unable to handle the stresses and demands of his life.

41. Anger rape:
Sexuality becomes a means of expressing and discharging pent up anger and rages.
Usually a lot of brutality involved in attack.
Spontaneous, not usually planned.

42. Power Rape
Does not want to harm the victim as much a he wants to possess her sexually.
Not as brutal or physical
Usually done to reassure insecurities.

43. Roots of Violence Habitual aggressive behavior is learned
Individual traits + environment+ social conditions = anti-social behaviors
Physical and mental conditions predispose but do not cause some people to react violently.

45. Social Factors that can lead to violence include:
Family disruption
Relative deprivation
Learning from deviant peers
School failures
Weakened bonds to conventional groups and norms

46. Sub-culture of Violence:
Media
Films/TV
Non-violent reactors are often rejected by their peers
Lack of guilt/personal honor