Forensic Psychology

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  • Created by: Annagc
  • Created on: 16-04-19 10:04
What is offender profiling?
A method of working out the characteristics of an offender by examining a crime scene
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What is the top down approach?
Starts with classification of the crime scene and then the investigator uses the information to make judgements about the likely offender
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What are the characteristics of a organsied offender?
High intelligence, socially competent, uses restraints, hides weapon , moves body, hides evidence
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What are the characteristics of an disoragnised offender?
Low intelligence, socially incompetent, sexual acts on the body, doesn't hide the body, doesn't conceal evidence, no restraints
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What did Tuvey say about offender categories?
They categories are more of a continum and can overlap
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What did David Canter say about offender categories?
There is a distinct organised type but not disorganised
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What is the bottom up approach?
Data is recieved and profiling is based on scientific theory
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The Railway Rapists case
24 sexual attacks and 3 murders, Canter analysed geographical information and details of similar attacks to find the offender
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What is investigative psychology?
Applies statistical procedures and psychological theory to analyse a crime scene, this creates a data base so details of an offence can be matched to reveal information about an offender
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What is interpersonal coherence?
The way an offender behaves with the victim
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What is forensic awareness?
Behaviours at a crime scene reveal awareness of polcie techniques e.g. rapists who conceal fingerprints are often burgalars
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What is small space analysis?
Data about a crime scene and offender are analysed to produce underlying themes
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What is geographical profiling?
analysis of spatial relationship between crime scenes to reveal offenders place of residence
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What is circle theory?
Offenders commit crimes in an imaged theory around their base
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Positive evaluation of the top down approach?
184 US police forces, 90% would use it again
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Weakness of the top down approach?
Small sample size, based on opinion not science, can lead to wrong convictions, based on extreme cases
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Positive evaluation of the bottom up approach?
75% of UK police forces said it was useful, scientific so it's reliable
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Weakness of the bottom up approach?
3% of police forces said it helped to catch the offender, most offenders are marauders and the crimes aren't always in a circle, doesn't consider personality
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David Canter and Rupert Heritage use of investigative psychology?
66 sexual assault case, used small space analysis, identified the use of impersonal language and lack of reaction to victim
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David Canter and Samantha Ludrigan use of geographical profiling?
120 murder cases, small space analysis revealed spatial consistency, body disposal sight was in a different direction to the previous
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What is the atavistic form?
Criminals are a sub species of genetic throwbacks with specific facial and cranial characteristics
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Physical characteristics of criminals based on atavistic form?
strong jaw, high cheekbones, dark skin
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Physical characteristics of murderers based on atavistic form?
Bloodshot eyes, curly hair, long ears
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Physical characteristics of sexual deviants based on atavistic form?
glinting eyes, swollen lips
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Characteristics of fraudsters based on atavistic form?
thin and reedy lips
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Non physical characteristics of criminals based on the atavistic form?
unemployed, tattoos, use of slang
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What are eugenics?
When genetically unfit people are sterilised
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Contradicting evidence to the atavistic form?
Charles Goring compared 3000 criminals to 3000 non criminals and found no evidence of distinct facial characteristics
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What did De Lisi say about the atavistic form?
It is scientific racism
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What was the Mobley Defence?
Stephen Mobley who murdered a man argued in his appeal that he was genetically predisposed to violence
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What were the results of Christiansen's twin study?
There was a 33% concordance rate for MZ twins regarding criminality compared to 12% for DZ twins
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What were the issues with Christiansen's twin study?
Poorly controlled and small sample size, zygosity was based on appaearance not DNA so lacks validity
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Medrick's study of diathesis stress and criminality?
Studied 13,000 Danish adoptees and found that when biological and adopted parents had convictions children were ore likely to offend than if just biological parents were criminals
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Tihonen's research into candidate gene's
Studied 900 Finish offenders and found they were 13x more likel yo commit violent crimes with a combination of MAOA gene and CDH13 gene
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What does the MAOA gene control?
Dopamine and serotonin
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What does the CDH13 gene control?
Substance abuse and ADHD
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What did Raine's study into the pre-frontal cortex show?
There was an 11% reduction on grey matter in people with antisocial personlaity disorder
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What did Keysers study into mirror neurons show?
Only when asked to empathise did criminals empathy reactions activate
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What are the problems with the biological explanations of criminlaity?
Biological reductionism - the environment isn't considered, Biological determinism - creates problems for the legal system
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What is Lawrence Kohlberg's cognitive explanation for offending?
Criminals don't progress from the pre-conventional level of moral reasoning, they try to avoid punishment to gain reward
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What are cognitive distortions?
Faulty, biased or irrational ways of thinking
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What is hostile artibution bias ?
Judging ambiguous actions as aggressive
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Dodge and Frame's reserach into H.A.B.
Showed children an ambiguous prococation aggressive children were more likelt to view it as hostile
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What is minimalisation?
Downplaying the significance of an event to deal with the guilt
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Barbaree's research into minimalisation?
Out of 25 rapists 54% denied the crima and 40% minimised the harm
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Pollock and Hshmall's research into minimalisation?
35% of child molestors said the crime was non-sexual and 36% said the child consented
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Gibs's criticism of Kohlbergs theory?
The post conventional stage has a western cultural bias
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Palmer and Hollin's research into moral reasoning?
210 female non offenders, 112 male non offenders and 126 offenders were compared, offenders showed less mature moral reasoning
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Blackburn's reserach into moral reasoning?
Offenders are less mature due to a lack of childhood moral role play
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Thornton and Reid's reserach into moral reasoning?
Pre conventional reasoning was associated with robbery and crimes with a good chance of not being caught, impulsive crimes weren't associated with any kind of moral reasoning
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Eynsenck's theory of personlaity and criminal behaviour
Personality is genetic, criminals have a certain personlaity so criminlaity has a psychological basis
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How did Eysenck conduct his research?
A psychological test based on extrovertedness and neuroticism
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What were the issues with Eynsenck's theory?
Self-report is unreliable and it is hard to prove personality is biological
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What is psychotism?
a personality pattern typified by aggressiveness and inter-personal hostility
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What is extrovertedness?
a need for stimulation and excitement, bored easily
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What is neuroticism?
people with a biological predisposition to respond physiologically to stressful situations
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What is the biological explanation for neuroticism?
The sympathetic system activates quickly but the parasympathetic is slow to respond
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What are the biological causes of psychoticism?
High levels of testosterone and serotonin
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How does a lack of conditioning lead to criminality?
Don't learn to associate wrongful behaviour with punishment so it doesn't evoke guilt and fear
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Weaknesses of extraversion as an explanation for criminality?
It can lead to extreme sports rather then criminality, Farrington et al found that offenders scored higher on P but not E and N, sILVA, Martorell and Clemente found that non offenders scored higher on E
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Supporting evidence for the PEN personality?
Berman and Paisley - assaulive offenders scored higher on PEN
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What is Differential Association theory?
If the sum of all anti-social influences outweighs the sum of pro-social then you will learn to be a criminal
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What does DAS say that criminality depends on?
Timing, frequency, duration and intensity of association with pro-social attitudes
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How does DAS explain criminality breeding in certain social groups?
From a young age people spend a lot of time with these role models who influence them if they are successfuk at their crimes
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How does operant conditioning explain re-offending?
If they are reinforced for their crimes through, praise, money or status then they will re-offend
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How does DAT explain reoffending?
When in prison they learn new techniques for offending which they put into practice on release
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Positive evaluation of DAT?
Shifts blame from biological to social factors, explains wide range of crimes, Farrington et al - delinquent juveniles report having delinquent friends, marjuana smoking related to the no. of marjuana smoking friends
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Negative evaluation of DAT?
Lacks scientific credibility as they were unable to produce a mathematicl formula, hard to quantify pro/anto social attitudes, doesn't consider individual differences and free will
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What is deterrence?
conditioning through punishment
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What is incapacitation?
Taking criminals out of society to stop reoffending and protect the public
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What is retribution?
Society enacting revenge by making the offender suffer
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What is rehabilitation?
Reforming criminals by teaching them skills so they are better adjusted
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How is custodial sentencing related to stress and depression?
Higher suicide rates, self harm and self mutilation
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What is institutionalisation in prison?
Adapting to the routines of prison life
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What is prisonisation?
When prisoners are socialised into adapting an inmate code, unacceptable behaviour in the outside world may be encouraged in prison
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What is the UK reoffending rate?
57%
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Where has the lowest reoffending rate?
Norway
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What did Curt Bartol say the psychological effects of prison were?
It is "brutal, demeaning and generally devastating"
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How do individual differences affect recidivism?
Personality, different regimes, different length and reason for sentence
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How can prison experience affect recidivism?
Hardened criminals can pass knowledge onto younger inmates
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How can training effect recidivism?
Anger management and education reduce it, many prisons lack resources
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What is a token economy?
Good behaviour is rewarded with a token which can be exchanged for a reward, tokens are removed for disobedience
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What is a conjual visit?
An inmate is allowed to spend several hours or days in private with a visitor, may reduce sexual/physical violence
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What is anger management?
A theraputic program which helps to identify triggers and allows people to deal with the situation in a calm manner
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Stage 1 of anger management
Cognitive preparation - refelct on past experiences to idetify triggers, therapist identifies if the response is irrational and aims to break it in the future
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Stage 2 of anger management
Skill acquisition - cognitive e.g. positive self talk, behavioural e.g. assertiveness training, physiological e.g. relaxation techniques
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Stage 3 of anger management
Application practice - practice skills using role play, successful response is met with positive reinforcement
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What is restorative justice?
Both parties voluntarily discuss the impact of the crime in a respectful way, it is rehabilitation through retribution, offender can see the impact of the crime and it empowers the victim, offender may give financial restitution or community service
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Sherman and Strang's research into restorative justice
Meta analysis of 36 crimes comparing those with RJ to those without,RJ reduced recidivism in violent and property crime, most effective with personal victim, reduced victim's PTSD
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Ways of measuring crime - official statistics
government records of all recorded crimes, lack validity, not all crimes reported, lack reliability as police differ in which are recorded, record no. of crimes not criminals so a few criminals could be responsible for majority of crimes
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Ways of measuring crime - victim surveys
Selects 50,000 households randomly and asks to document any crimes they've experienced in the past year, telescoping is an issue (report crimes from wrong year), may be unaware of crime e.g. theft, higher validity more likely to report trivial crimes
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Ways of measuring crimes - offender surveys
Offenders voluntter number and type of crimes they committed, lack validity as they may not be truthful or accurate
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Card 2

Front

What is the top down approach?

Back

Starts with classification of the crime scene and then the investigator uses the information to make judgements about the likely offender

Card 3

Front

What are the characteristics of a organsied offender?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What are the characteristics of an disoragnised offender?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What did Tuvey say about offender categories?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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