forensic psych 10-11

Forensic psychologist role (victims)

Assess victims, consult attorneys, give expert testimony, evaluate harm, help with victim impact statements

Multiculturalism

Respecting differences (race, gender, culture, disability, etc.) in victim experiences

Barriers for diverse victims

Language, fear of deportation, lack of knowledge, cultural mistrust

Key issue with diverse victims

Psychology theories may not fit all cultures (Euro-American bias)

Disability victimization

Higher risk than general population; highest in cognitive disabilities

ADA

Protects people with disabilities from discrimination (15+ employees)

Victims’ rights

Protection, notification, participation in court, restitution, fairness

Restitution

Money paid to victims for losses

Criminal vs civil court

Criminal = punishment + victim speaks; Civil = victim sues for damages

Victim challenges

System focuses more on defendant rights; stress, time, media exposure

Notification

Informing victims about court events or offender status

Allocution

Victim speaks at sentencing

Victim impact statement

Describes emotional, physical, financial harm

Son of Sam laws

Prevent criminals from profiting from crimes

Psychological trauma

Often worse than physical harm

Polyvictimization

Experiencing multiple types of victimization

Mild vs severe reactions

Mild = stress/sleep issues; Severe = depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts

PTSD

Trauma disorder after exposure to death, injury, or sexual violence

PTSD symptoms

Flashbacks, anxiety, nightmares, emotional distress

Homicide impact

Small % but huge effect on families

Common offenders (children)

Family members, often parents

Death notification

Telling family about death (must be done carefully)

Co-victim reactions

Grief, anger, activism, withdrawal

Types of abuse (IPV)

Sexual (forced acts), Physical (violence), Psychological (control/manipulation)

Repeated abuse

More damaging than single incidents

Child sexual abuse

Usually known offender, often family

Forensic interview

Structured, non-leading questioning of child

Key interview rules

Open-ended, simple language, no suggestive questions

NICHD interview phases

Rapport → abuse discussion → closure

CSAAS

Children may hide/deny abuse due to shame/fear (but controversial)

Sexual assault effects

PTSD, self-blame, depression, fear, social withdrawal

Survivor term

Preferred over “victim”

Suicide ideation

Thinking about suicide

Sextortion

Threatening to release sexual images to control victim

Online exploitation

Internet used for abuse and trafficking

Human trafficking

Exploitation for sex or labor (~20.9 million victims globally)

Most common type

Sexual exploitation

Child sex trafficking

Commercial sexual exploitation of minors

Safe harbor laws

Treat minors as victims, not criminals

CSEC

Child prostitution and pornography

Complex PTSD

Long-term trauma from repeated abuse

Survival sex

Trading sex for basic needs

Trafficking assessment

1) Trafficking experience 2) Social/personal environment

Key need for traffic assessment

Culturally sensitive treatment

Family violence

Violence within family

IPV

Violence between intimate partners

Key fact about IPV

Occurs across all groups; severe cases often male → female

IPV cycle (pattern)

Love/control → abuse → apology → repeat

Stages of control

Obsession → control → isolation → blame → escalation

Why victims stay

Fear, dependence, isolation, hope for change

Leaving risk

Higher chance of being killed

Battering

Repeated severe abuse

Batterer traits

Deny/minimize, blame victim, often exposed to violence as children

Types of batterers

Family-only (least severe), Dysphoric (emotional/unstable), Antisocial (most violent)

BWS (Battered Woman Syndrome)

Trauma similar to PTSD from repeated abuse

Cycle of battery

Tension → abuse → honeymoon

Risk assessment tools

ODARA (recidivism), SARA (threat level), DVRAG, Danger Assessment

things to use for risk assessment

Predict future violence and safety risk

Child maltreatment

Abuse or neglect of a child

Types of child maltreatment

Neglect, Physical, Sexual, Emotional

Key fact of child maltreatment

Many children experience multiple types

Infanticide

Killing infant

Neonaticide

Killing within 24 hours

Filicide

Killing one’s child

Postpartum conditions

Blues (mild), Depression (serious), Psychosis (severe/dangerous)

Medical child abuse

Parent fakes or causes illness in child

Common sign of medical child abuse

Unexplained repeated medical symptoms

Abusive head trauma

Shaking baby → brain injury or death

Memory process

Acquisition → storage → retrieval

Key limits of memory process

Memory is imperfect and can change over time

Repression/Dissociative amnesia

Forgetting traumatic events

False memories

Can be created through suggestion

Iatrogenic effect

Therapist unintentionally creates false memory

Child abduction types

Parental, acquaintance, stranger

Most dangerous child abduction types

Stranger (often fatal)

Critical window for child abduction

First 3 hours

Elder abuse

Harm to older adults (often unreported)

Types of elder abuse

Neglect, physical, emotional, financial, sexual

Common abuser to elders

Adult children

Why is elder abuse underreported

Fear, shame, dependence, isolation