Forensics M1

What is the CSI effect

the influence that watching csi and similar shows has upon jurors at trials involving forensic evidenct

How does csi effect impact

1. leading jurors to demand forensic evidence

2. leading juries to place excessive trust in forensic evidendence 

Positives: juries more likley to have greater trust in expert witnesses 

Elisa Lam

An example of public overstepping 

was a 21-year-old woman who was caught by elevator camera acting in a bizarre manner moments before her death 

internet tried to solve her murder and said Morbid killed her during his stay at the hotel and related some of his songs to him confessing about the murder 

• cause serious online harrasment

• listed him incorrectly as a major suspect 

• conspiracy and cover ups flourished 

• morbid attempted suicide 

What is forensic psychology definition

issues that arise at the intersection between psychology and law 

focus on human behavior in legal contexts 

who is Lombrosso

father of modern criminology (1885-1909)

shifted interest in criminology from the legal system to the individual, “How and why do people commit crimes?” 

came up with a typology of the violent personality 

An aggressive personality is inborn 

What did violent criminals look like according to lombrosso 

sloping forehead, bumps on head, bushy eyebrows , tattoos on body 

crime results not from what criminals had in common with others in society but from their _______________

distinctive physical or mental defects 

born criminal had certain characteristics which were ______ 

atavistic 

not as evolutionarily advanced as other humans 

display facial features or sigmata 

Sexual intrest in amputation case

NHS vascular surgeon had his legs removed , arrested for insurance fraud and extreme pornography of people mutilating their bodies (men willingly having their genitals removed )

• used ice and dry ice to freeze his legs so they had to be removed 

• motivation according to the judge: obsession with removing parts of his own body and a sexual intrest

What do forensic psychologists believe about people in society

everyone benefits when the court system has acess to relevant information that helps it function more fairly

what are the roles of a forensic psychologist

work in prison/hospital, expert testimony, conduct research, academic, risk assesment, work with police, private clinincal practice 

how may psychologists who have non forensic practices find themselves unintentionally in the field 

client with drinking issues, domestic violence 

What did Premier David Eby announce about facilities 

that BC will open secure facilities to provide involuntary care under the Mental health act forthose with severe addictions or who are mentally ill

• he said people including youth can and should recieve care when they can’t seek it themselves 

• and people with addiction challenges, brain injuries, and mental health issues need commpassionate care and direct and assertive intervention to help them stabalize and rebuild a meanigful life 

Why did premeir Eby belive in the facilities

because a man in van was arrested for attacks that left a man dead and another with a severed hand and the polics suspected he had a history of mental illness

Is involuntary care in BC working 

over the last two decades there has been a dramatic increase in reliance on involuntary services while voluntary services have not kept up with demand 

Why has there been a concerning accounts out of psychiatric wards across the province 

• innappropriate uso of restraints and seclusion room 

• the coercive use of sedation 

• lack of trauma-informed care that has led to further trauma 

What is the fastest growing population being detained under BC’s mental health act

people with substance use disorder

there is a lack of evidence to support the effectivness of ivoluntary treatment for people with substunce use disorder

• evidence actully suggests involuntary treatment leads to an increased risk of death due to drug poisonig upon release

what ehtnicity does a disportionate number of those needing addiction and mental treatment come from

Indigenous people 

Case of Nancy Crampton Brophy 

• was a published author wrote books about murder like “ How to murder your husband” and “the wrong husband” 

• charged with murder and the unlawful use of a weapon 

• husband was shot in a kitchen 

• married for 26 years 

what are values 

beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment either for or against something

• changes over time and varies between people and cultures 

in 1973 did the APA remove or add the diagnosis of homosexuality from the second edition of DSM 

remove

R.v. Francois

accused of repeatedly sexually assulting a 13 yearold girl and only evidence was blocked out memories that came back in a flashback years later

• Experts who study memory could help 

Case of Robert Roberson

had an ill daughter was sick with high fever and suffered a short fall from bed, roberson had autism and he was accused of shaken baby syndrome 

evidence now shows she died from accidental and natural causes 

is on the death penalty wrongfully convicted 

32 caregivers have been exonerated after being wrongfully convicted under SBS

Brian Wharton convicted him of it but is now trying to get him free doesnt think death penalty is a good idea 

When do you bring in an expert witness

for issues that are beyond the experience and knowledge of the judge and juries

when can relevance by excluded (expert testiomony) 

• if its probative value is overbone by its prejudical effect 

• if the time required is not commensurate with its value 

• it can influence the trier of fact out of proportion to its reliability 

what is the acid test

whether the exeperts opinion would not change regardless of which party retained him or her 

case of Jacob Hoggard

case is an example of when an expert witness was not needed

had allegations of sexual assult but he denied and said it was consensual but jury found him guilty 

a clinical psychologist (Lori Haskell) gave jury a science lesson on neurobiology or trauma and wasn’t allowed to link the evidence to the complainants but this testimony assumed existence of the traumatic event at issue in the trial her testimony was irrelevant and shouldnt have been admitted and they are asking for a new trial 

what are the legal systems specific criticisms of psychology

lack of ecologcal validity

venturing beyond their expertise/imposing their own values 

confusing 

not always legitamte 

Murrie, Boccaccini, Guarnera and Rufino examine expert evaluations for the courts + issues with bias. What did they find

defense retained evaluators tended to assign lower risk scores 

prosecution-retained evaluators tended to assign higher risk scores 

How is an expert witness diffrent than a regular witness

other witness can only testify about what they haver directly observered (a.k.a fact witness)

• its nearly impossibe to persecute an expert witness for perjury 

what do you have to prove to persecute an expert witness for perjury

deliberate, willful giving of false misleading or incomplete testimony under oath

what are the strategies in San francisco to reduce the problematic pattern of racially biased charging decisions 

prosecutors are utilizing blind charging technique 

• decision regarding whether to charge a defendant is made without the avalibility of demographic information 

death row example to illuminate various forensic psychology roles Billy Joe Wardwow

billy joe is asking the supreme court to consider the clinical if not compassionate possibility of redemption

• man on death row in texas since he was 20 

• at 18 he shot and killed an 82 yr old while stealing his truck 

• never commited crime before 

• jury had to decide that he would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society to sentence him to death (had to predict he would be dangerous in the future

• argument was that a persons brain continues to develop intil he is in his early 20s and so does his character bc young adults brain has not fully evolved the capacity to manage emotions which can make an individual act impulsivley about risks and consequences 

• in jail he became a caretaker

what did the court barr 15 years ago in the landmark case roper v. simmons

barred the death penalty for anyone who was under 18 when they commited the crime

who are legally vulnerable when it comes to consent

prisoners, patients

• psychologists are also vulnerable because of people maybe wanting revenge 

What happened to the forensic psychiatrist who consulted on JonBenet Ramsey case 

• 59 yr old psychiatrist who had 2 children was killed outside his office 

Dr Richard Martinez said that the role of forensic psychiatrist and forensics psychologists in temrs of evaluating individuals and testifying as an expert is primarily as an _____________________________

• educator to the crimnal justice system 

• not about taking sides 

what issue did facebook face regarding content moderators

a lawsuit claimed facebook failed to protect moderators from mental tramua caused by viewing disturbing and graphic content 

what type of content do facebook moderators often have to review 

videos and images of child sexual abuse, rape, torture, bestiality, beheadings, suicide, and murder.

what disclaimer are facebook moderators required to sign before starting work

They acknowledge that viewing graphic content could cause PTSD and that wellness coaching may not be enough to prevent it.

what compensation did facebook agree to pay moderators in 2020

52 mil total - 1000 per moderater and 50000 for those diagnosed with PTSD

what technical solution does faceboook plan to implement in the future

use machine learning to reduce number of human moderators

what document outlines ethical standards for psycholgists working in legal settings

the specialty guidlines for forensic psychologists

in forencis psychology what is a major concern regarding info revealed during assesments 

when, how and to whom troubling info is diclosed esp in relation to confidentiality 

• confidentiality doesn not extend to 3rd parties 

What is the Smith V. JOnes case about and what ethical dilemma did it raise 

• a convicted person undergoing psychiatric assement (requested by the defense for sentencing) revealed plans to kidnap, rape and kill prostitutes 

• dilemma was that they didnt know wheter solicitor-client confidentiality should be broken to protect potential victims

• supreme court ruled that lawyer-client privelage is limited when public saftey is a risk 

Under what three conditions can solicitor-client privilege be broken for public safety

1. clear risk to an identifiable class of victims (threat must be directed at a specific identifiable person or group, general threats to public are tooo vague) 

2. risk of serious bodily harm or death (must involve potential death or serious bodily harm)

3. danger is immennent (threat must create a sense of urgenecy even if the harm may occur in the future) 

privelage set aside when the threat to public saftey outweights the need to preserve solicitor-client privilege and when set aside only include the minimum necessary info

Why is applying the conditions to break client patient confidentiality not so clear

because each case requires interpretation - the seriousness, clarity and immincence of athreat vary by situation 

what is tarasoff v. regents of the university of california known for

established the duty of psychotherapists to warn third parties when a client poses an imminent threat of serious harm

What happend in the Tarasoff v. Regents of the university of california case 

A patient told his psychotherapist he intended to kill an identifiable woman (Tatiana Tarasoff). The therapist told campus police, but no warning was given to Tarasoff. The patient later stalked and murdered her. 

what legal principle did Tarasoff establish

the duty to warn potential victims when a therapist believes a client poses a serious and imminent threat 

what concern did justice clark raise in his dissent in the Tarasoff case 

that the ruling would make patients reluctant to speak freely in therapy due to fear of being reported 

what case in 2001 further extended the Tarasoff principles

• Gene Collelo case, he told his father he wanted to kill his ex gf’s new bf, and his father told his son’s therapist 

• therapist said he should be taken to the hospital, but was released the next day and killed her 

How was the tarasodd ruling expanded in 2005

expanded to include situations where therapists are informed by family members about a clients potential threat

What was a common misconception in the tarasoff decision

Therapists have a duty to warn potential victims; instead, they need to warn and also protect potential victims 

how do you check whether your cat is a psychopath

if the cat torments it’s prey, meows loudly, and going into overdrive

• psychologists 

what did psychologists come up with when they studied relationships between thousands of cats and their owners

a questionaire to analyse your pet and see if its a psycopaht called CAT-Tri+

• hopes it will improve cat owner rls aand reduce the number of pets that end up in shelters or being put down 

what are the 4 main dimensions of psychopathy 

Affective - lack of remorse or empathy 

Interpersonal - superficial charm, manipulation 

Behavioural - antisocial or impulsive actions 

Lifestyle - very parasitic, using others 

Which film character was seen the most realistic portrayls of a psychopath and what traits where shown

Anton Chigurh playing Javier Bardem in no country for old man

traits : utter lack of remorse or empathy, treats murder as a routine act

What is the Stephen craig paddock case and what is unique about it

• 64 year old man who killed 58 people in lass vegas mass shooting and then killed himself 

• he had no prior contact with law enforcement or criminal record before the attack 

• his father was. a psychopathic bank robber so it brings up the discussion of genetic underpinnigs, NATURE VS NURTURE

• FBI explained he wanted to die in infamy inspired by his fathers reputation 

what is the estimated prevalance or psychopathy in the general adult pop. 

about 4.5% when a study in 2021 was conducted, 1.4% when PCL-R was used

How does psychopathy prevalaence vary across groups

higher in males, higher in organizationsal samples (workplaces) than in community or university samples ,

How long has psychopathic traits been the focus of much clinical and scientific attention

over 200 years

Which ancient philosophers student had personality types correspont to modern psyhopathy

Theophrastus (Aristotle student )

personality traits:

1. man without moral feeling

2. the unscrupulous man

What does the Inuit term Kulangeta mean

someone who reatedly lies and cheats and steals things and does not go hunting and, when the other men are out of the village, takes sexual advantage of many women-someone who does not pay attention to reprimands and who is always brought to the elders for punishment

• describes psychopathic behgavior

Who developed the modern conceptulization of psychopathy

Hervey Cleckley

• proposed there are a number of defining characteristics of the disorder both affective/interpersonal and behavioural in nature 

What does “Mask of Sanity” mean 

psychopaths have an outward appearance of normalcy masking an unemotional callous internal life and propensity toward deception

• a high level of dangerousness masked by an adept social artistry

what is the estimated rate of psychopathy in provincial prisons

15-20%

what is the estimated rate of psychopathy in federal prisons

20% + up to 30%

Who is Robert Hare and what is he known for

a leading psychologist who operationalized Cleckley’s criteria for psychopathy and developed the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) (created it for the purpose of research not to be used in clinical settings ) 

What is the PCL-R

standardized forensic assessment tool to measure psychopathy

• psychometric properties are well established 

• 20-item scale  

What does the PCL-R require for assesment 

• semi-structured interview 

• case history information (extensive file review) 

• reliance on specific scoring criteria (20 items each rated 0-2) 

What is the diagnostic cutoff score for psychopathy on the PCL-R

score of 30 or higher

What are the two main factors on the PCL-R

factor 1 : interpersonal/affective traits

factor 2: Antisocial/Behavioral traits 

WHat are the four facets of the PCL-R

facet 1 : interpersonal (superficial charm, manipulation) 

facet 2: affective (lack of empathy, shallow affect) 

facet 3: lifestyle ( impulsivity, irresponsibility) 

facet 4: antisocial ( poor behavioral controls, criminal behavior) 

Which of the four facets on the PCL-R are debated for removal

• promiscuous sexual behaviour

• many short-term relationships 

• criminal versatility

• juvenile delinquency 

• revocation of conditional release 

What recent criticism by Berkley news has been made about the PCL-R

its based on 1970s research and may be outdated

What new tool was proposed as a more effective way to asses psychopathy and how is it diffrerent 

Elemental Psychopathy Assessment (EPA) a 178-question measure 

• added another dimension BOLDNESS representing low anxiety, sociability, social persasuivness and leadership capacity 

Is psychopathy viewed as continous or dichotomous

most believe that it is continous (on a spectrum)

Who was Dr. Semrau and what was notable about his case

man convicted of killing 11 children who scored a 38/40 on the PCL-R the highest score ever recorded and his manipulative nature led to one of the most controversial deals in legal history after the crown oaid his family 100,000 in exchage for the location of the victims bodies

How does psychopathy differ from anitsocial personality disorder (ASPD)

ASPD mostly focuses on behavioural indicators (criminal acts, rule breaking), neglecting the affective-interpersonal features (callousness, munipulation, lack of empathy) 

• Many psychopaths can be diagnosed with ASPD, but most ppl with ASPD don’t meet the criteria for psychopathy 

what is borderline personality disorder 

Disturbed emotional capacities may often manifest in hostile reactivity that interferes with stable relationships and adaptive functioning 

Which personality disorders are closley related to psychopathy 

Narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder 

What traits are missing from the DSM-v

shallow effect, failure to accept responsibility, gibness/superficial charm

What did mr Jon Ronson argue about in his work

british journalist who argues that they psychopath checklist and DSM-V-TR can be dangerous tools if misused 

what did Fowler, Lilienfield and patrick study

they studied first impressions of psychopathy using 5,10, and 20 sec video/audio clips of inmates

• 5 sec: partiticpants could accurately detect psychopathic traits 

• 10 sec: accuracy still high, especially for interpersonal traits 

• 20 sec: initial misgivings may be charmed away - judgements are less accurate 

PCL-YV

psycopathy checklist: youth version developed by Forth, Kosson and Hare

• asesse psychopathic traits in youth 12-18

• pros: early identification of risk behaviors and targeted intervention

• cons: risk of labelling or stigmatizing adolescents who are still developing emotionally and socially

Callous unemotional traits 

a persistent pattern of behavior characterized by a lack of empathy, remorse, and shallow emotions, often linked to severe conduct problems and antisocial behavior

children as young as age 3 

roughly 1/3 of children with severe behavioral problems 

what is the fledging psychopathy hypothesis 

youth who manifest oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) conduct disorder (CD) and ADHD display many behaviors that are consistent with psychopathy seen among adults 

more career arrest charges 

significantly earlier starting extensive and more violent criminal careers than other clients 

544% increase odds of being in the 90th percentile for career arrest charges 

What is ODD

defining characteristic is a fight against being controlled

What is CD

pattern of violating the rights of others (works best in psychopathy cocktail … get help) 

Black, hispanic and american Indian/Alaska native children referred to as racially minoritized children are more likley to be diagnosed with _____ than white children

ODD

What did one of the most recent examinations reveal about emotion recognition in individuals studied

It confirmed pervasive deficits in emotion recognition, especially with distress emotions like fear. This deficit was seen across all types of emotion presentation and all emotional stimuli used

What was the focus of Hatchel et al. (2025) study?

They examined the long-term stability of self-reported psychopathic traits in former at-risk adolescents from youth welfare and juvenile justice institutions over 10 years.

Over how many years did Hatchel et al. (2025) track psychopathic traits

10 years

What did Hatchel et al. (2025) find about changes in psychopathic traits

About one-third of adolescents showed a substantial decrease in psychopathic trait symptoms over time

What did the study suggest about the long-term stability of psychopathic traits

Psychopathic traits are less stable over 10 years than previously assumed in institutionalized youth over shorter periods

how do individulas with psychopathic traits talk ( language )

they are less able to compensate for more automatic language processes

twice as many terms related to eating 

58% more reresnces to money 

more refrences to clothing and drinking 

less 1st person 

use more past tense terms to describe the murders 

more disfluencies 

linguistic production and attributes for psychopaths

speech patterns may indicate difficulty in elaborating on the deeper meaning and context of emotional words 

instrumental nature 

peripheral details are similar 

SRP III

self report psychopthy 

if you score highly least likley to refrence other people 

• less readable

• less referals to pther person

• more swears

• more anger

• more psychological distance

in business settinge we see a ______ percentage of individulas who score _____ on psychopathy

higher; high

• in high up orginizations