forensic psychology
TRANSCRIPT
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Forensic Psychology Intersection of psychology and the legal process.
+History of Forensic Psychology
1911 – 1st case where psychological data was allowed
1913 – determine if person was “feebleminded”
1916 – Louis Terman – 1st American to use mental tests
1921 – 1st time an American Psychologist qualified as an expert
1940 – set precedent for psychologist testifying as expert witness on competence and criminal responsibility
+Who employs Forensic Psychologists?
Federal, state and local governments Prisons, police departments, correction facilities, military
Treatment facilities Rehab centers, counseling centers, mental hospitals
Courts and attorneys
Private practices
Universities
+Difference between Forensic and Therapeutic Evaluation
+Forensic Psychologist
Jury selection
Consultation with lawyers
Expert witness
Competency assessment
Insanity assessment
Custody assessment
Sentencing/treatment recommendations
Creates profiles - newspapers/media
+Jury Selection
help select jurors
Generating a juror profile
Creating questionnaires Demographic Case specific
focus groups,
shadow juries
+Criminal Profiling
a psychological profile of an offender based on the state of the crime scene
behavioral and personality characteristic of suspect
Similarity and differences among victims
How they will react in different situations can be determined
Based on behaviors can work backwards to determine personality
+If the person is organized plans ahead
picks out the victims ahead of time Brings tools
meticulous with details
THEN…
tend to be high in the birth order of their family, usually an oldest child
very intelligent
usually have their lives together
a series of stressful situations caused them to act out
Most of them have a live-in partner, are socially adept, and will follow the coverage of their crimes in the media very carefully.
+If disorganized Spontaneous
depersonalize the victim, to make the crime less real
remain detached throughout the course of the crime
very little conversation, if any, between the offender and victim
crime scene - random and sloppy
THEN…
average or slightly below-average intelligence
They are younger children, live alone, and are not as socially mature as an organized offender
Often live or work near the scene of the crime
have a poor work history.
+If a mixture of organized and disorganized
harder to use criminal profiling for, but still possible.
For example, the offender may have provided his own tools, but picked a victim randomly.
+Profiling Steps Input - synopsis of crime, description of crime scene, weather, political and social
environment, background info on victim (domestic setting, employment, reputation, habits, fears, physical condition, personality, criminal history, family relationships, hobbies and social conduct), autopsy report, photos, sketches – just facts no opinion
Decision – organizing and arranging into meaningful patterns
Crime Assessment - reconstruction of the sequence of events and the behavior of both the offender and the victim – classification of the crime, strategies used by victim, sequence of crime, staging of crime, motivation of crime and crime scene dynamics
Criminal Profile – type of person who committed the crime and that person’s behavioral organization with relation to the crime
Investigation – written report is provided to requesting agency
Apprehension – once apprehended and admits guilt – conduct a detailed interview to check the total profiling process for validity
+Family Court
Child custody evaluations
Visitation assessments
Mediation of parental conflicts about children
Child abuse evaluations
Adoption readiness evaluations
Evaluations to assess termination of parental rights
+Civil Court
Personal injury evaluations
Assessment of emotional factors in sexual harassment and discrimination
Worker’s compensation evaluations
+Criminal Court
Juveniles Presentencing evaluations Probation evaluations
Evaluating the credibility of a child witness
Assessment of sex offenders
Competence and diminished capacity evaluations
+Insanity v. Competence
Insanity –the mental state at the time the offense occurred
Competence – the mental abilities at the time of the proceeding
+Insanity An insanity defense is based on the theory that most people
can choose to follow the law; but a few select persons cannot be held accountable because of mental disease or disability deprives them of the ability to make a rational/voluntary choice
To prove insanity – must prove by pre-ponderance of the evidence of the time of the crime because of a mental disorder, he lacked substantial capacity either to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law
Insanity – mental illness of such a severe nature that a person Can’t distinguish fantasy from reality Can’t conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis or Is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior
+Famous Insanity Cases
John Hinckley
Lorena Bobbitt
+Competency The mental state of the defendant at the time of trial
Psychologists make recommendations to court
If incompetent - treatment recommendations (psychiatric treatment) to restore competency