Forensic Flashcards
Top Down Approach
A01
Developed by FBI in 1970s based on interviews with 36 sexually motivated murderers
Designates offenders as organised or disorganised
Signature of MO correlates with characteristics of offender
Top Down Approach
Steps
A01
- Data assimilation
- Classification of crime scene
- Crime reconstruction
- Profile generation
Top Down Approach
Organised
A01
Crime scene
* planned
* victim type
* self control
Offender
* above average IQ
* skilled profession
* married
Top Down Approach
Disorganised
A01
Crime scene
* spontaneous
* leaves clues
* no self control
Offender
* below average IQ
* unskilled profession
* lives alone
Top Down Approach
A03
- Effectiveness stats (mixed support)
- Development issues
- Application
- Organised and Disorganised
Bottom Up Approach
Developed in the UK in the 80s and builds a picture of offender through analysis of the evidence
Geographic profiling
Investigative psychology
Bottom Up Approach
Geographic Profiling
A01
Uses information about the location of linked crimes to make inferences about:
* location
* employment status
* mode of transport
Marauders commit crime in a circle around their base
Commuters commute
Bottom Up Approach
Investigative Psychology
A01
Uses a statistical database to link crimes and to determine possible traits of offender based on the traits of similar offenders
* interpersonal coherance
* forensic awareness
Bottom Up Approach
A03
- Marauders (data analysis)
- Scientific
- Issues with data base (data from police, unsolved crimes)
Atavistic Form
A01
Lombroso
Criminals are genetic throwbacks and cannot adapt to civilisation. Criminals are biologically different
Tested this with his Italian Offender research and found 40% had atavistic characteristics
Atavistic Form
Traits of Criminals and Murders
A01
Criminals
* asymmetrical face
* extra digits or nipples
* dark skin
Murderers
* bloodshot eyes
* curly hair
* long ears
Atavistic Form
A03
- Positive contributions
- Negative contributions
- Issues with Italian Offender research
- Can’t replicate
Biological Explanation
Genetics
A01
Twin studies - 35% concordance
* MAOA gene regulates serotonin
* CDH13 makes you more impulsive
Diathesis stress
Biological Explanations
Neural
A01
Raine
* 11% reduction in grey matter in prefrontal cortex for APD group
* Reduced autonomic response in stressful condition for APD
Low serotonin linked to low levels of self control and impulsivity
Biological Explanation
A03
- Twin studies aren’t proof, adoption are
- Types of crime
- RWA SSRIs for rehabilitation
- Support for role of prefrontal cortex
Eysenck
A01
Personality is biological and due to nervous system
I-E: extraverts are naturally less aroused so seek stimulation
N-S: neurotics have more reactive SNS so are more reactive
P-S: psychotics have high levels of testosterone and low empathy
E and N children are difficult to condition and socialise
Eyesenck
A03
- Supporting research
- Issues with research (EPQ)
- Changing personality
- Refuting meta-analysis
Cognitive Approaches
A01
Cognitive Disortions
Kohlberg
Cognitive Distortions
A01
Hostile Attribution Bias (HAB)
* tendency to judge ambiguous situations as aggressive
* aggressive response
Minimalisation
* attempt to deny or downplay seriousness of behaviour
* reduces guilt
Cognitive Distortions
A03
- RWA - CBT
- Minimalisation - doesn’t explain
- HAB - only violent crimes
- Supporting evidence - HAB
Kohlberg
A01
Morals develop in stages
Offenders are more likely to be at the pre-conventional level
Commit crime to get rewards if they think they will get away with it
Kohlberg
A03
- Gender bias - girls may be different
- Supporting research
Differential Association Theory
A01
Attitudes and techniques are learnt from those we associate with.
Learn through frequency, duration and intensity of exposure and through the reinforcement of attitudes.
People have different levels of association with people who have different values
Differential Association Theory
A03
- Useful - applies to all
- Demographics (young v old, girl v boy)
- RWA changes to prisons
- Not very scientific
Psychodynamic Explanations
A01
Superego
Bowlby
Psychodynamic
Superego
A01
Rewards or punishes ego for thoughts and actions
Weak superego
* doesn’t learn superego from same sex parent
* too weak to stand against id, so no punishment
Deviant superego
* develops same deviant values as parent
Over-harsh Superego
* strict parenting leads to strong superego
* offend to justify constant guilt
Psychodynamic
Superego
A03
- Gender bias (girls don’t offend more)
- Positive contributions
Psychodynamic
Bowlby
A01
Maternal deprivation leads to affectionless psychopathy
44 theives study to support
Psychodynamic
Bowlby
A03
- Issues with 44 thieves
- Third variable causes both
Custodial Sentencing
A01
Convicted offender spending time in a closed institution for:
* deterence
* incapacitation
* retribution
* rehabilitation
Recidivism higher in USA than UK than Norway due to emphasis on rehabilitation
Psychological effects include stress, intitutionalisation, prisonation etc
Custodial Sentencing
A03
- Differential association theory
- Effects - psychological
- Rehabilitation
- Length of sentence
Token Economy
A01
Operationalise behaviour with tokens (secondary reinforcers) to be traded for rewards (primary reinforcers)
Standardised training
Relies on conditioning
Token Economy
A03
- Effectiveness (only if staff are consistent)
- Short term
- Application (easy)
- Ethics (dehumanising?)
Anger Management
A01
Treats faulty thinking with CBT
* diagnoses faults and triggers
* changes response
- cognitive preparation
- skill aquisition
- application practice
Anger Management
A03
- Long term
- research against long term (artificial)
- effectiveness (only for some)
- expensive
Restorative Justice
A01
Reparation
- offender meets with victim and a mediator
- victim confronts the offender
- offender sees consequences
- decide on some restitution which reflects psychological or physical damage
Restorative Justice
A03
- Victim (85% satisfied, 2% worse)
- Abuse of system
- Effectiveness
- Cost benefit (£8 saved per £1 spent)
