Forensic Psychology - Midterm 1

what do forensic psychologists do?

work with victim, offenders, police

members of emergency response teams

study motives, personalities, etc.

criminal rehabilitation

subdisciplines connects to forensic psychology

criminal psych

abnormal psych

clinical psych

social psych

personality

biology/genetics

neurology

lifespan/developmental psych

computer-mediated communication

the CSI effect

how watching CSI/similar shows impacts jurors at trials involving forensic evidence

→ 40% of what is in the shows is beyond the current level of science

impacts of CSI effects

lead juries to demand forensic evidence

juries place excessive trust in forensic evidence

potential for greater trust in expert witnesses

impacts on prosecution of CSI effects

advantage the prosecution

most evidence suggests this

Uncovered

online platform to help solve cold cases

crowdsourcing / online sleuths

true crimes discussion

examples of crowdsourcing and online sleuths

Elisa Lam killed in Cecil hotel (haunted) → thought to be murdered by Morbid (singer)

→ incorrectly listed as a major suspect when he wasn’t, conspiracy, online harassment

definition of forensic psychology

forensic = legal; legal psychology, Psychology and law

focus of forensic psychology

human behaviours in a legal context

research and scientific application

includes researchers and clinicians

issues arising at the intersection between psychology and law

biological theories

physical characteristics can be used to detect criminal type

can be ‘born’ a criminal

people who failed to evolve fully become criminal

Cesare Lombroso

crime resulted from person’s distinct mental and physical defects

Lombroso

father of modern criminology

shifted criminology from legal system focus to the individual

‘typology of the violent personality’

violent criminals look a certain way

Lombroso physical descriptions of violent/aggressive personality

sloping forehead

bumps on head

bushy eyebrows

tattoos

atavistic characteristics

born criminals

characteristics used to detect criminal type

not as evolutionarily advanced

certain facial features, stigmata

‘born criminal characteristics’

deviations in head size and shape

asymmetry of face

larger cheek and jaw bones

eye defects

unusually sized ears

upturned/twisted nose (thieves)

beak-like nose (murderers)

protruding lips

long arms

extra fingers or toes

Zamil Limon murder

murdered by roommate

asked ChatGPT specific questions to help with the murder - logistics of body in dumpster, survival of bullet to the head, changing VIN number on car

Florida State University shooting

student opened fire on campus in April 2025

killed 2 people and injured others

asked ChatGPT for advice before shooting

Attorney General opening criminal investigation into OpenAI and involvement and responsibility in shooting

Tumbler Ridge shooting

mass shooting

AI did not report the shooter

had concerning conversations with the AI before shooting

was banned but not reported to anyone (law enforcement)

AI psychosis

not official diagnosis

people develop delusions in association with excessive use of AI

AI increases delusions and mental health concerns

reinforcement of delusions and harmful ideas

can trigger issues in vulnerable people

involuntary care in BC

opening of facilities to provide involuntary care under the Mental Health Act to people with severe addictions or mental illness

announced by David Eby premier

including youth

treatment will occur at correctional facilities

beds being added and created in hospitals

involuntary care (concerns)

inappropriate use of restraints and isolation

coercive use of sedation

lack of trauma informed care → just more trauma caused

gender-based violence in facilities

lack of evidence that it is effective for substance use disorders → increased risk of death (drug poisoning after release)

no evidence of long-term success

Kora DeBeck

professor at SFU - school of public policy

says no evidence that involuntary care works

pros of involuntary care

short-term benefit

acute risk of psychosis

roles of forensic psychologists

work in prisons, hospitals, with police

clinical practice

expert testimony

research

academic

risk assessments

4 pillars of assessment (psychological opinion)

1. clinical interview

2. psychometric assessment

3. collateral information

4. scientific research

Nancy Crampton-Brophy

‘mesearch’ example

wrote novel about killing husband

killed her husband

values definition

beliefs of person or social group that they have an emotional investment in

can change over time

vary between cultures

values of society tend to clash with the courts

values of psychologists and the courts tend to differ

when was homosexuality removed from the DSM?

1973 the APA removed it as a diagnosis from the DSM (2nd edition)

Robert Roberson

innocent man wrongly convicted

involved shaken baby syndrome which is now debunked

no scientific evidence to support the SBS, unscientific evidence presented as true

daughter was chronically ill and became very sick after a fall from her bed

hospital staff did not know Roberson had autism → thought he was locking emotion

Nikki had pneumonia - case based on faulty scientific evidence and misunderstanding of autism

still on death row, but granted a stay again

autism spectrum disorder

impact communication and interactions with others

symptoms:

• avoiding eye contact

• unusual emotional reactions

• indifference

• fixation on ‘abnormal’ details

• difficulty expressing emotions

Brian Wharton opinion of death penalty

‘humans are too fallible to do this correctly’

incapable to truly producing fairness and justice

young people and involuntary treatment

inequalities with access to service impact the care of young people

rights and safeguards are not accessed equally

young people = less empowered, less socioeconomically secure

increased risk of less optimal care plans after involuntary treatment

autistic individuals vs non-autistic individuals in police interviews

autistic people:

• less details that proved their innocence,

• more anxiety,

• less understanding of post-interview questions,

• perceived interview as less supportive

• consistency = lower

• display some verbal deception cues when telling the truth

R v. Mohan

psychiatrist testimony excluded because acted outside of role, took role of determining guilt

was giving evidence that the accused did not meet the profile of child molester

requirements of expert evidence

relevence, ncessity, absence of any exclusionary rule, qualification of expert

necessity requirement in expert testimony

does the evidence beyond common sense?

beyond the knowledge of judge and juries

relevance requirement in expert testimony

directly address issues in the case

time must be comparable to the value it adds

usefulness must outweigh any risks it may impose to having a fair trial

must be very accurate, no overly emotionally compelling

expert witnesses in Canada

must be independent, impartial, and unbiased

acid test

would the expert’s opinion change based on whose side they’re on? (prosecution or defendent)

Jacob Hoggard trial

serious sexual assault

psychologist’s testimony was irrelevant, should not have been admitted → assumed guilt

gave ‘lesson’ about neurobiology in relation to trauma → assumed the existence of trauma in the victim → would assume Hoggard to be guilty

new trial has been requested

legal system’s criticisms of psychology

lacking ecological validity → jury research is only ever done with mock juries

can work beyond knowledge, impose own values

can be confusing

‘cherry picking’ expert testimonies, get lots of money, not legitimate

Murrie et al., 2013

looked at expert witnesses and biases

defence retained experts tended to have lower risk assessment scores for offender (lower assessed risk of reoffending)

prosecution retained experts tended to have higher risk assessment scores for offender

expert witnesses

differ from regular witnesses

experts in a field related to the case

do NOT recommend sentencing

do not have to be specifically related to case

do not say guilty or not

perjury

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

→ almost impossible to prosecute an expert witness with this

blind charging technique

charging decision is made without demographic information

→ trying to reduce pattern of racially biased charging decisions

Billy Joe Wardlow

on death row for 25+ years

committed crime (killing and stealing) at 18

had never committed a violent offence before

jury had to predict whether he was likely to commit another similar offence/be dangerous

→ cannot reliably predict this, brain is not fully developed until early 20s

became ‘caretaker,’ counsellor in prison, model prisoner

executed in 2020

death penalty for 18 and under?

Roper v. Simmons was landmark case - used scientific evidence of human brain development

CANNOT give death penalty to those 18 and under when they commit crime

→ individuals already in prison in such cases were not released (e.g. Billy Joe Wardlow)

vulnerable individuals

prisoners

patients

psychologists (revenge, cases involving risk assessment, child custody) → e.g. forensic psychiatrist in JonBenet Ramsey case killed

students (non-forensic context, consent to research participation?)

psychological dangers of forensic psychology

PTSD, alcoholism, suicidal ideation

Dr. John Bradford

expert in brutal case - Canadian Air Force colonel assaulting and killing 2 women

had to watch video of murder over and over again

took month away from work, careful about what evidence he views now

others susceptible to PTSD

nurses

Facebook moderators

Facebook moderators

expose to lots of brutal content - rape, torture, assault, murder

can experience mental trauma, PTSD

must make decisions about what content is appropriate vs not

must sign a disclaimer accepting risks of PTSD, etc. before starting work

compensated for risks, and more if diagnosed with PTSD

solutions for risks associated with online moderators’ work

technical, AI solutions/moderators - reduce number of human moderators needed with machine learning

Smith v. Jones (1999)

big case concerning confidentiality

convicted underwent psychiatric assessment (requested by defence)

client said they wanted to rape, kidnap, kill prostitutes

when to break psychiatrist/psychologist-patient confidentiality?

when public safety is at risk - but only if meets specific criteria

1. clear risk to an identifiable victim

2. risk of serious bodily harm or death

3. danger is imminent/immediate

still contested - impacts patient-psychologist trust, openness

*disclosure should only include information that is essential to the protection of the public

Christa Pike

sentenced to death row - first women in 200 years set to be executed

childhood trauma significantly impacted her development

challenges with online content moderation

moderator seriously impacted - difficulty trusting others, seen how ‘disgusting’ people can be

hard to label content

mistakes can be made, content missed

exposure of young children to violence online

more than a quarter (27%) of teenage children reported being exposed to (sexually) violent content or threats

content is getting more and more easily accessible (TikTok, social media, etc.)

same percentage of exposure for younger and older boys, lower for younger girls but then increases when older

children’s’ opinions on social media restriction

think social media should be restricted

majority (45%) thinkg social media should only be allowed at 13

Tarasoff v. Regents of the University of California

patient told psychotherapist that he wanted to kill a women (unnamed but easy to identify)

therapist told campus police

did not return to therapy

patient started stalking Tarasoff, moved in with her brother

shot and stabbed Tarasoff to death

huge case in relation to breaching confidentiality

established duty of therapists to warm victims directly

duty of therapists to warn potential victims?

YES!

psychotherapists, etc. have a duty to warn third parties if their is a threat of imminent danger

have to act on information given to them by family members as well

duty to protect the potential victim

Gene Colello

told father that he was going to kill individual

father warned his therapist

therapist advised to take him to the hospital - was released - killed individual

therapist did not warm third party

psychopaths and cats

questionnaire to determine if your cat is a psychopath

CAT-Tri+

46 statements about your cat

can be used to help improve cat’s behaviours

providing environmental enrichment can reduce unwanted behaviours

high psychopathy score

IS a psychopath

low psychopathy score

is NOT a psychopath

sentencing, age, and psychopathy

lower sentences for youth vs adults

higher sentences for psychopaths vs non-psychopaths

higher for adult males

gender and hospital care vs prison

hospital/psychiatric care more likely to be considered for women than men

what is a psychopath?

shallow affect

lack of emotion

lack of empathy

areas of deficits in psychopaths

affective - very telling

interpersonal

behaviours - deviant, dangerous

lifestyle

*can mask deficits

Anton Chigurh

character in ‘No Country for Old Men’ movies

most accurate/realistic movie of a psychopath

• classic psychopath

• inability to experience remorse

• normalcy when killing, lack of expected emotions

• chilling

Las Vegas shooting

mass shooting at music festival

in 2017

58 killed

Stephen Craig Paddock was shooter

son of ‘psychopathic bank robber’

nature vs nurture?

are people ‘born’ psychopaths or shaped by environment

born with potential predispositions but need environmental factors to become ‘activated’

backgrounds of psychopaths tend to be ‘normal,’ have no significant traumas

Columbine shooting

school shooting

1 psychopath + 1 non-psychopath

example of multi-perpetrator crime

percentage of psychopaths in the community

1.4% with PCL-R

in general adult population - 4.5%

limited studies, lack of confidence in ability to assess

many different ways to assess

Theophrastus’ personality types corresponding with psychopathy

“the man without moral feeling”

“the unscrupulous man”

Kulangeta

Alaskan Inuit term similar to psychopathy

repeated lies and cheating, take sexual advantage of women, does not pay attention to punishments

Hervey Cleckley

modern conceptualization of psychopathy

series of clinical cases in ‘The Mask of Insanity’

• complete lack of morality, amorality

proposed defining characteristics

Cleckley’s characteristics of psychopathy

outward normal appearance

unemotional callous internal life

deception

percentage of psychopaths in prison

provincial - ~15-20%

federal = ~20-30%

1 in 4 prisoners are psychopaths

kept separate from rest of prisoners

Robert Hare

worked to operationalize Cleckley’s criteria for a psychopath

made PCL-R

• created for research, research tool NOT clinical use

50+ years of studying psychopathy

PCL-R

made by Hare

editions in 1991 and 2003

psychopathy checklist

used in assessments 20 item scale - each item scored 0-2 (3-point scale), some items can be omitted

semi structured interview, case file review, specific scoring criteria

highest possible score = 40

30 = diagnostic cutoff for determining whether individual meets criteria for psychopathy

2 factor structure of PCL-R

factor 1 = interpersonal (facet 1) and affective (facet 2)

factor 2 = lifestyle (facet 3), antisocial (facet 4)

average PCL-R scores

male: 16.3

female: 12.57

important items on PCL-R

conning, manipulation (item 4)

pathological lying (item 5)

grandiose sense of self worth (item 2)

proneness to boredom (item 3)

shallow affect (absence of emotion/appropriate emotion)

low empathy (can completely lack)

versatility (item 20)

item 4 of PCL-R

conning

manipulation

item 5 of PCL-R

pathological lying

item 2 of PCL-R

grandiose sense of self worth

item 3 of PCL-R

proneness to boredom

item 20 of PCL-R

versatility

2 items of PCL-R that are suggested to be removed

1. promiscuous sexual behaviour

2. many short-term relationships

not on any of the 4 facets

4 facets of PCL-R

1. interpersonal

2. affective

3. lifestyle

4. antisocial

3 debated items on PCL-R

criminal versatility

juvenile delinquency

revocation of conditional release

Elemental Psychopathy Assessment (EPA)

suggested to be more effective for diagnosing psychpathy

178 questions

assess another dimension → boldness

boldness = lack of anxiety, sociability, social pervasiveness, leadership

adaptive qualities, can be beneficial in some aspects

ASPD and psychopathy

antisocial personality disorder - DSM-4 diagnosis

many/most psychopaths have ASPD

not all ASPD individuals are psychopaths (do not meet criteria)

borderline personality disorder (BPD)

disturbed emotional capacities

hostile reactivity

interferes with stable relationships and adaptive functioning

combination of official diagnoses in DSM-5 that most closely resemble psychopathy

Narcissistic personality disorder + ASPD (antisocial personality disorder) + BPD (borderline personality disorder)

aspects missing for psychopaths from DSM-5

shallow affect

failure to accept responsibility

glibness, superficial charm

ecological momentary assessment (EME)

report emotional and interpersonal experiences in daily life, real time

assessed psychopaths and non-psychopaths

more hostility, reduced affiliation, narrower emotional experiences

do NOT have fundamentally different emotionally moment to moment emotional experiences

similar moment to moment processes

more hostile affect

less evidence of broad dynamics of psychopaths

Vize et al., 2026

PCL-YV

modified youth version of PCL-R

Forth et al., 2003

for 12 to 19 year olds

big controversy

can children be psychopaths?

see psychopathic traits in children as young as 3

callous-unemotional traits

• 1/3 of children experience extreme behavioural problems

• higher manipulative, unrepentant

• less responsive to reward and punishment

neuroplasticity

can ‘rewire,’ change brain

argument for early intervention for children with psychopathic traits

ability to make new neuron pathways

‘nurture’ component in nature vs. nurture debate

cons of labelling psychopaths in children

• negative connotations

• score inflated by general adolescent characteristics

• can be seen as a ‘badge of honour’ → proud, excited if they know they are psychopaths