Foundations in Forensic Psychology

Key studies and theories/ models

Moffitt’s taxonomy

distinguishes LCP offenders from AL offenders

LCP offenders

antisocial behaviour in childhood, which persists for life due to neuropsychological and environmental factors

LCP offender crimes

make up a small percentage of offenders but commit the more significant crimes

AL offender crimes

crimes are not deep-seated and only short-term, temporary and situational

Canter’s circle theory

offenders are usually either ‘marauders’ or ‘commuters’ and this informs predictable spatial patterns of crime

marauders - circle theory

offend near home

commuters - circle theory

travel elsewhere to offend

barnum effect

profiles often seem accurate because they use vague, general statements that fit many people

4 step profiling process

1. data assimilation

2. classification

3. reconstruction

4. profile generation

data assimilation in profiling process

gather background info and evidence

classification in profiling process

organise the data in type of crime etc.

reconstruction in profiling process

hypothesise how the crime unfolded

profile generation in profiling process

infer likely characteristics of offender

modus operandi

a criminal’s characteristic pattern/ method of committing an offence

geographical profiling

analyses spatial crime patterns to infer an offender’s likely base of operations

VICAP (violent criminal apprehension program)

a system for classifying crimes based on modus operandi, signature behaviours and motivations

signature behaviours in crime

the psychological/ emotional aspect of the crime that reflects the offender’s personal needs/ fantasies

YJCEA act 1999

ensures vulnerable of intimidated victims and witnesses can give their best evidence in criminal proceedings by providing a range of ‘special measures’

4 examples of special measures

1. screens

2. live-links

3. intermediary

4. removal of wigs

intermediary - special measure

a communication specialist who translates, rephrases and facilitates understanding between the witness and court

finklehor’s precondition model

outlines 4 steps offenders must overcome for child sexual abuse to occur

4 precondition steps finklehor

1. motivation

2. inhibitors

3. opportunity

4. child resistance

motivation - child sexual abuse

sexual interest in a child

inhibitors - child sexual abuse

neutralisation of guilt/ fear through justification and denial

opportunity - child sexual abuse

gain access to a child and bypass supervision/ exploit trust

child resistance - child sexual abuse

grooming, coercion/ manipulation to ensure compliance

reid technique

a confrontational, guilt presumptive interrogation method that increases the risk of false confessions

aichorn psychodynamics theory

crime arises from unconscious conflicts and weak ego control, leading to impulsive and antisocial behaviour

bandura behavioural theory

crime is learned through observation, imitation and reinforcement

Cognitive developmental theory of crime

offenders have immature moral reasoning, cognitive distortions and poor perspective-taking

personality theory of crime

impulsivity and hostile attribution bias predispose individuals to offend

SES theory of crime

structural disadvantage increases crime via limited opportunities and strain

therapeutic jurisprudence

study of how law and legal processes affect psychological well-being and aim to design and apply them in ways that promote mental health positive outcomes

Cattel - confidence /= accuracy

people have confidence in EWT but are often wrong in recall, so confidence is not a reliable indicator

Stern staged revolver incident ( stress- induced memory impairment)

ppts recalled fewer correct details under stress

Screnck- notzing PTP effects

media coverage contaminates witness recall

psychopathy

callous-unemotional personality subtype of ASPD

CU (callous-unemotional) traits

reduced empathy, guilt and emotional expression

ASPD

long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting or violating the rights of others, often without remorse

4 links to psychopathy

1. strong links to crime and recidivism

2. poor parenting and child maltreatment

3. limbic/ amygdala dysfunction

4. emotional deficits and difficulty recognising emotions

Farringdon maltreatment and psychopathy

found childhood abuse increases risk for psychopathic traits, emphasising environmental contributions to antisocial development

birmingham 90% prisoners MH

high prevalence of disorders suggests sytemic failure rather than mental illness directly causing crime

peterson et al 4% psychosis in crime

only a small proportion of criminal behaviour is directly attributable to psychosis, there are mediating factors

leistico et al psychopathy predicts recividism

meta-analysis shows psychopathy strongly predicts reoffending, highlights it as a key criminogenic risk factor

doherty live-link vs ftf

found no major reduction in evidence quality via live-link testimony

applegate live-link reduction of distress

showed live-link testimony lessens emotional strain on vulnerable witnesses and improves participation

ellison special measures impact

while they increase inclusivity, the wider confines of the system limit tailoring solutions for vulnerable individuals

punitive incarceration

system of imprisonment focused on punishment for crimes rather than rehabiliation or restorative justice

retribution

punishment proportionate to harm caused by the offence

neurorehabilitation

set of measures to assist individuals with complex neurological conditions affecting the brain/ spinal cord

CHAT framework

structured framework used to evaluate an individual’s physical, mental, and social health needs to guide care planning and improve health outcomes within those specific environments

competence to stand trial

mental capacity at time of the trial

criminal responsibility

mental state at the time of the offence

McNaughten rule

states a defendant us legally insane if, due to a defect of reason from a disease of the mind, they did not know the nature and quality of their act or did not know what they were doing was wrong

barkley emotional regulation and aggression

deficits in emotional regulation and impulse control underlie risk-taking and aggression

4

causes of deficits in emotional regulation and impulse control

1. prefrontal cortex dysfunction

2. ACE and trauma

3. inconsistent parenting

4. neurotransmitter imbalances

candidacy theory dixon-woods et al

explains how access to health/ support services depends on 3 factors

3 factors influencing access to health/ support services - candidacy theory

1. system negotiation

2. system permeability

3. perceived deservingness

how might neurodevelopmental conditions relate to CJS involvement

impaired EFS and social judgement increase vulnerability to CJS when unsupported

60% TBI in young offenders

shows TBI is vastly overrepresented in offenders and suggests neuropsychological vulnerabilities contribute

30% ADHD in youth custody

several times more common than the community so highlights failures in diagnosis and support

CHAT assessment

structured health screening in custody to identify unmet clinical and developmental needs

MacCAT-CA competence tool

assesses a defendant’s competence to stand trial by measuring understanding, reasoning, and appreciation of legal proceedings through structured interview questions

loftus and palmer misinformation effect

post-event info such as leading q’s can distort eyewtiness recall - proves memory is reconstructive

fawcett et al weapons focus effect

confirmed attention narrows to weapons during threar, reducing peripheral detaill in memory and overwhelms cognitive resource

cognitive interview

a structured, psychology-based interviewing method designed to maximise accurate recall through context reinstatement and open q’s

context reinstatement

mental recreation of original environment to aid memory recall

bartlett reconstructive memory

memories are rebuilt rather than replayed, making them vulnerable to schhemas, expectations and repeated questioning

tuckey and brewer schema distortion in witnesses

showed witnesses fill memory gaps with schema-consistent info, illustrating reconstructive memory

wells et al EWT and DNA exoneration cases

found EWT misidenitifcation was present in the majority of these cases

tulving and thompson encoding specificity

recall is improved when retrieval context matches encoding context

retroactive interference

new info replaces old

proactive interference

old memories distort new recall

yerkes-dodson law of encoding in memory

optimal performance occurs at moderate arousal, and too low/ high impairs it

easterbrook hypothesis

emotional arousal narrows attention to central details while reducing memory for peripheral details

2 aspects impacting memory encoding

1. intoxication (impairs)

2. exposure (improves accuracy and detail)

4 things a cognitive interview uses to maximise accurate retrieval

1. free recall

2. context reinstatement

3. change order

4. focused recall

hippocampus role in memory

episodic encoding

amygdala role in memory

emotional tagging of memories

sleeps role in memory

consolidation

cognitive distortions and sexual harm

beliefs such as rape myths/ entitlement schemas justify offending and distort perceptions of harm/ consent

marshall and barbaree integrated theory

sexual offending arises from biological predispositions interacting with developmental experiences and situational factors, leading to poor self-regulation

burt rape myth acceptance

endorsement of false beliefs that justify sexual aggression and blame victims, reducing perceived responsibility of offenders

goodman delahunty and graham jury decisions and rape myths

rape myths impact decisions to prosecute based on victim credibility and offender guilt, sometimes blaming the victims and excusing the offenders

gottfredson and hirschi general theory of crime

distinguishes generalist vs specialist offenders based on motivation to commit a crime

general theory - generalist offender

commit a wide range of crimes and is driven by low self-control

general theory - specialist offenders

crime-specific motivation

rapist vs child sexual offenders (generalist vs specialist)

generalist = rapist (88% involved in other crimes)

specialist = child sex offenders (40% involved in other crimes)

thornhill and palmer evolutionary theory of sexual harm

suggests that rape can be understood as an adaptive strategy for reproductive success

4 step conditions to sexual offending - marshall and barbaree integrated theory

1. early vulnerabilities

2. emotional/ cognitive dysregulation

3. distorted sexual scripts

4. situational stressors = OFFENDING BEHAVIOUR

infantophiles

under 5

paedophiles

pre-pubescent

hebephiles

post-pubescent but under 18

PEACE model

a non-coercive, investigative interviewing model focused on gathering accurate information ethically

3 types of false confession

1. voluntary

2. coerced-compliant

3. coerced-internalised

coerced-compliant confession

confess to escape stress and have short-term benefits

coerced-internalised confession

false guilt due to pressure and misinformation, they come to believe they did it

kassin - false confessions and jury weight

demonstrated that juries heavily favour confession evidence even when it is coerced

hilgendorff and irving - suspect decision making

proposed suspects weigh ST relief with LT consequences

gudjonsson - compliant confession

showed some individuals confess to escape pressure due to high suggestibility or compliant tendencies