Psyc 2080 Ch 1-3

forensic

scientific activities pertaining to or potentially pertaining to law, civil and criminal

forensic psychology

The production of psychological knowledge and its application to the civil and criminal justice systems

forensic linguistics

in-depth evaluation of language-related characteristics of text (grammar, syntax, spelling, vocabulary, phraseology)

forensic anthropology

identification of skeletal, badly decomposed, or otherwise unidentified human remains

forensic pathology

branch of medicine; diseases and disorders of body that relate to questions that might come before court; what killed someone?

forensic nurses

often work in hospital emergency departments; special training in collection of evidence pertinent to a crime, such as sexual assault

forensic pharmacists

knowledgable about drugs and their interactions; teach courses, offer workshops, consult with lawyers preparing cases, often testify in both criminal and civil courts

forensic entomology

study of insect and arthropod activity as it relates to legal issues used to determine time of death (postmortem interval), location and manner of death

forensic document examination/questioned document analysis

analyzes handwriting, signatures, alterations in documents, damaged paper, inks and papers, photocopying processes, writing tools, and other elements of a document to establish authorship and authenticity

forensic document examiner (FDE)

examine writing on building walls, recover engraved or obliterated writing, determined brand or model of keyboards, printers, embossers, inks, printing processes

digital investigative analysis (DIA)

training to seize, search, analyze electronic media from a variety of operating systems in execution of a search warrant or subpoena; goal to recover data without modification

who is responsible for forensic laboratories?

governmental agencies

\____ prepare results and provide courtroom testimony on physical evidence if needed

scientists

\_____ provide services to governmental agencies on a contractual basis or employ scientists who conduct independent research

private labs

Bartol and Bartol's broad definition of forensic psychology

(1) the research endeavor that examines aspects of human behavior directly related to the legal process
(2) the professional practice of psychology within, or in consultation with, a legal system that embraces both criminal and civil law

Roesch's narrow definition of forensic psychology

clinical psychologists who are engaged in clinical practice within the legal system

five subspecialties of forensic psychology

police and public safety psychology, legal psychology, psychology of crime and delinquency, victimology and victim service, correctional psychology

Cattell's experiment (end of 19th century)

testing psychology of testimony; asked psyc students 4 questions, had them rate their confidence; surprisingly low level of accuracy

Lewis Terman (20th century, by WW2)

brought intelligence and aptitude testing to the military and some civilian law enforcement agencies

psychiatrists

medical doctors who specialize in prevention, diagnosis, treatment of mental, addictive, emotional disorders

psychologists

do not hold a medical degree, but maybe a related degree such as a master of public health (MPH)

forensic psychiatrists

psychiatrists closely associated with the law; some judges prefer a medical model approach to mental disorders

forensic neuropsychologists

expertise in brain research, assessments, and law; frequently consulted in both criminal and civil matters

forensic social workers

counsel victims of crimes and families of victims and offenders, substance abuse and sex offender treatment, part of treatment team in many correctional facilities, child custody evaluations, termination of parental rights, spousal abuse cases, juvenile justice, adult corrections

pragmatic and ethical issues with forensic psychologists

prescription authority, dual relationships between psychologist and client, psychologists participating in military interrogations, making recommendations in child custody cases, conducting violence risk assessments in death penalty cases, labeling juveniles as psychopathic

dissertation

substantial paper based on PhD candidate's original research, should make a significant contribution to research literature

PsyD

graduate degree designed primarily for students who wish to become practitioners or clinicians rather than researchers

joint degree training

both a PhD and Juris Doctor degree in law

DeMatteo's recommendations for doctoral level training in forensic psychology (7 components)

- substantive psychology
- research design/methodology and statistics
- conducting research, in preparation for doctoral dissertation or thesis
- legal knowledge
- law-psychology knowledge (scientific testimony, assessment measures, treatment of offenders)
- ethics and professional issues
- clinical-forensic training in specialized practice settings

police and public safety psychology (PPSP)

research and application of psychological principles and clinical skills to law enforcement and public safety

goal of PPSP

assist law enforcement and public safety personnel, agencies in carrying out their mission and societal function with effectiveness and safety

four areas of psychologists who work in law enforcement and public safety

- assessment- screening and selection of personnel, FFDEs, and special unit evaluations
- clinical intervention- post-shooting incidents, line of duty deaths counseling, deep undercover stress reactions
- operational support- hostage negotiation, criminal activity analysis
- organizational consultation- gender and racial issues, excessive force concerns, corruption problems, workplace stressors

examples of excessive force used against civilians

- March 2020 Breonna Taylor fatally shot in her home by police executing a no-knock search warrant; she was not the subject
- May 2020 George Floyd died after Derek Chauvin put his knee on Floyd's neck for 9 minutes, ignoring Floyd's cried that he couldn't breathe; Floyd was using a counterfeit bill

cop docs

provide support services to officers and their families

best plan for focus on police and public safety psychology

doctorate in psychology, work with forensic psychologist in graduate school; internship with police organization; understanding of police work, policies/procedures, culture

legal psychology

scientific study of topics reflecting close relationship between psychology and law, particularly but not exclusively courts

topics of legal psychology

comprehension of legal rights, criminal responsibility and insanity defense, civil commitment, jury and judicial decision making, child custody, family law issues, eyewitness identification

Why would someone confess to a crime they didn't commit?

fear, coercion, protecting actual perpetrator, fear of not being believed, notoriety, truly believe they are guilty, skillful manipulation by LEO

family forensic psychology

specialize in family law

family forensic psychologists are concerned with

adoption, families in forms, child support, divorce, abuse, elder law, family business, guardianship, juvenile justice, paternity, reproductive and genetic technologies, termination of parental rights

psychology of crime and delinquency

science of behavioral and mental processes of adult and juvenile offenders; primarily concerned with how antisocial behavior is acquired, evoked, maintained, and modified

forensic school psychology

intersection of psychology, education system, and legal system

victimology

study of people who have experienced either actual or threatened physical, psychological, social, or financial harm as. result of crime; may be direct/primary or indirect/secondary

correctional psychology

US imprisons a greater proportion of its population than any other country on earth; in 2021, imprisoned 639 of 10000 people; prison system generates $74b/year

despite decreases in crime, \# of people in correctional supervision

is not decreasing comparably

topic of the psychological effects of correctional systems on prison behavior include

general effect of imprisonment on special populations of offenders, affects of crowding and isolation, outcome of various rehabilitative programs

partnership between law enforcement and psychology

first given by Louis Terman in 1917; early contributions included cognitive and aptitude testing of applicants

Martin Reiser

First full-time police psychologist; developed psychological profiles in high-profile cases such as Hillside Strangler; founded institute to teach about using hypnosis to get crime info, reliability challenged

PSPP first recognized as a specialty by APA

2013

common activities and tasks of police and public safety psychologists

assessment, intervention, operational support, consulting and research

preemployment psychological screening

Evaluate a person's psychological suitability for police work prior to being hired; mandated by law in at least 38 states; about 100,000 every eyar

fitness-for-duty evaluations (FFDEs)

evaluate an employed LEO's ability to continue performing job, at least for time being; often after stressful experience personally or professionally

police culture

rules, attitudes, beliefs, and practices thought to be accepted among law enforcement officers as an occupational group

occupational culture that values

control, authority, solidarity, and isolation

Law enforcement often characterized as

highly structured, paramilitary, tight knit, and bureaucratic; dependent on one another much more than in other occupations

job analysis

process of identifying and analyzing how, where, why a particular job is done; identifying skills, abilities, knowledge, psychological characteristics needed

a comprehensive job analysis of a particular law enforcement agency should reveal

the essential functions of the personnel, the working conditions unique to their respective ranks and assignments, the common and novel stressors inherent in public safety work, the normal and abnormal adaptation to occupational stress and trauma, and the research pertinent to resilience and recovery in public safety

desirable characteristics for police officers

good judgment and common sense, appropriate decision-making skills, interpersonal skills, a solid memory, good observation talents, communication skills, integrity and trustworthiness, emotional stability, ability to remain steady under stress

psychological evaluations usually include

personality measures and interviews

intelligence tests as measures of fitness

not effective, often used in mid-20th century; college education can help with communication

Most common reasons candidates are screened out

poor judgment, lack of common sense, poor stress tolerance, unwillingness to follow rules, difficulty following chain-of-command, lack of basic ability and mental acuity

validity

The ability of a test to measure what it is intended to measure

inventory

self-administered; list of items (questions or statements) that describe behaviors, interests, attitudes

test

standardized set of items used to evaluate knowledge or skills

concurrent validity

does measure identify someone's current performance?; looks at current officers compared to candidates

drawback of concurrent validity

would not include officers who were hired but dropped out, could miss some characteristics that made those officers unsuited for the job

predictive validity

how well does measure predict someone's future performance?

face/content validity

does measure appear relevant to what it claims to measure on its face?, job applicants are more likely to take measure seriously, judges and jurors more likely to have faith in measure

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

most commonly used personality measure in screening and selecting LEOS, originally designed to measure psychopathy and behavioral disorders

MMPI-2-RF

somewhat stronger measure than MMPI-2 for predicting LEO performance, but the police psychologists still prefer MMPI-2

An FFDE may also be required if the officer has exhibited concerning behavior such as

mood swings, talking about suicide, harassing citizens, unreliability in completing tasks, changes in on the job behavior

In FFDE evaluations, psychologists must balance

the agency's need for assessment with the officer's confidentiality

FFDE report usually includes

psychological measures used, conclusion regarding FFD, description of functional limitations of officer

special unit evaluations used for units such as

special weapons and tactics teams (SWATS), tactical response teams (TRTs), undercover agents, narcotics, internal affairs, crisis and hostage negotiation teams

psychological evaluations for police special assignments (PEPSA)

special unit evaluations

Aspects of police work that can lead to stress

physical danger; shift work; exposure to violence, suffering, tragedy, etc; greater levels of public scrutiny; policing communities who have very low levels of trust in law enforcement

four major categories of occupational stressors of police officers

organizational, task related, external, personal

organizational stress

the emotional and stressful effects that the policies and practices of the police department have on the individual officer

examples of organizational stress

poor pay, excessive paperwork, insufficient training, inadequate equipment, weekend duty, shift work, inconsistent discipline or rigid enforcement of rules and policies, limited promotional opportunities, poor supervision and administrative support, poor relationships with supervisors or colleagues

excessive shift work

contributes to more errors in judgment and greater increases in stress than any other factor in police environment; interfere with sleep and eating habits, family life and responsibilities

organizational structure

office politics, lack of effective consultation, nonparticipation in decision-making, restrictions on behavior; most prevalent/frustrating source of stress for LEOs

emotional labor

expected to keep their emotions under control; display facial and physical expression that is neutral, solid, and controlled

surface acting/emotional dissonance

suppressing emotion that is actually felt and faking appropriate emotion that situation responds

role conflict

the tension caused by competing demands between two or more roles (law enforcement, social work, counselor, public servant)

community-oriented policing (COP)

police/citizens work more closely together in positive endeavors; new pressures, but supporters see it as a better approach than "law and order" policing

critical incidents

emergencies and disasters that are nonroutine and unanticipated

critical incidents can produce a number of psychological, neurological, and physical symptoms in responding officers, including

confusion, disorientation, chest pain, sweating, rapid heart rate, loss of memory

Delayed post-incident stress symptoms may include

restlessness, chronic fatigue, sleep disturbances, nightmares, irritability, depression, concentration problems, substance abuse issues

pre-incident education

psychologically immunize LEO's by teaching them to anticipate and understand how traumatic events may affect them; desensitization process

external stress

ongoing frustration with courts, prosecutors office, criminal justice process, correctional system, media or public attitudes

for every 100 felony arrests,

43 are typically dismissed or not prosecuted

most common sources of spousal stress

shift work and overtime; officer's cynicism, need for control, inability to express feelings; fear that an officer will be hurt or killed; officer's high expectations of children; harassment of children because of parent's job; presence of a gun in the home

post-shooting traumatic reaction (PSTR)

emotions, psychological responses that may occur after LEO shoots a person in the line of duty

\___ of officers involved in shooting demonstrate moderate to severe psychological problems after the shooting, and about \____ leave the force within 7 years after the incident

2/3; 70%

companion officer

trusted colleague who experienced officer involved shooting

critical incident stress debriefings (CISDs)

usually within 24-72 hours; may be harmful

cognitive rigidity

inability to switch from thinking about things one way to another way

hostage situation

holding victims; material gain, sociopolitical message, or personal advantage

barricade situation

individual is fortified or barricaded in a structure and threatens violence to self or others; may or may not have hostages

80% of hostage situations are relationship driven

perceived relationship difficulties or resentment seem to be precipitating factor