Forensic Flashcards
Offender profiling
It is used to identify the characteristics of a criminal and narrow down the list of possible suspects
top down approach
starts with pre-defined criminals, based on experience, works out which of these profile the criminal fits into. This approach is commonly used in America and is based on the profile of 36 serial sex offenders
Bottom up approach
starts with the criminals characteristics and develops the profile based on that. This approach was deviced by canter and is typically used by the British
Investigative psychology
Use of scientific psychology and psychological theory to solve crimes and identify criminals
Interpersonal coherence
the way a criminal behaves when they are commiting a crime will be consistent with how they behave in everyday life
geographical profiling
the use of statistical analysis to make inferences about the offenders geographical location (known as crime mapping)
circle hypothesis
serial offenders carry out their crimes within a geographical circle. Predicts that the offenders home will be within this circle
atavistic form
when an ancestral genetic trait that has disappeared reappears. This is coined by lombroso who proposed that criminals are biologically different from modern human as they have more in common with prehuman species than normal humans do.
MAOA-L gene
linked with aggressive behaviour which is in turn linked with criminal behaviour. The MAOA-L gene affects how neurotransmitters such as serotonin are processed.
diathesis stress model
A tendency towards criminal behaviour may come through the combination of genetic predisposition and biological or psychological trigger
anti social personality disorder
reduced emotional responses and a lack of empathy for the feelings of others
mirror neurons
criminals with APD can experience empathy but do so more sporadically than the rest of us. Keyers found that when criminals were asked to emphasis their empathy reaction activated which suggests APD are not totally without empathy but have a neural switch that can be turned on and off, unlike the normal brain which has the empathy switch permanently on
Eysenck’s theory of criminal personality
criminal personality is biologically based and personality traits including dimensions of extraversion and neuroticism can be measured using a personality questionnaire
highly extroverted person
more likely to commit crime because they are more likely to take risks and act impulsively.
highly neurotic person
feels negative emotions more strongly which increases the likelihood of them commiting a criminal act in the heat of the moment
highly psychotic person
more likely to commit crimes because they are not put off by the feelings of guilt or empathy for potential victim
kohlberg’s cognitive explanation
proposed that moral development- I.e. the ability to think about what is right or wrong occurs in 3 stages. pre-conventional, conventional, post conventional morality
pre-conventional morality
actions are chosen according to self interest
(e.g if i don’t get caught/punished it’s ok to steal)
conventional morality
actions are chosen according to wider societal interest (I shouldn’t steal because its against the law to steal and my family would look down on me)
post conventional morality
actions are chosen according to abstract moral principles
Even though its against the law, its OK to steal in situations where stealing results in a greater good
cognitive distortions
consistent deviations from rational thought that cause people to perceive things inaccurately
hostile attribution bias
tending to misinterpret people’s actions as in some way hostile or negative
minimilisation
a person downplays how bad their criminal behaviour really is. This may involve justifications that reduce the offenders sense of guilt
differential association theory
we learn criminal behaviour through associating with other criminals (operant and classical conditioning) and being exposed to pro-criminal attitudes and adopting these values as our own
observational learning in differential association theory
the normal and values demonstrated by influential role models can affect aspirations and expectations of those who identify with them and are a powerful influence on behaviour as is vicarious reinforcement especially within a peer group
psychodynamic explanations
explains criminal behaviour as the result of unconscious conflicts with different parts of the mind. Behaviour is the result of past experiences
id
the unconscious mind which drives instinctively and primal behaviour (aggression and sexual behaviours)
superego
both unconscious and conscious parts of the mind. Involves moral reasoning and is what makes us feel guilty
weak superego
develop if the same sex parent is absent during the phallic stage of psycho-sexual development. This would mean that we would fail to internalise the moral values of the same sex parents
deviant superego
develops if the child internalises the morals of a criminal or deviant same sex parent
overharsh superego
May develop if the same sex parent is overly harsh. This may mean an individual is crippled by guilt and anxiety and commits a crime in order to satisfy the superegos need for punishment
bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis
maternal deprivation causes difficulties in forming attachments in life as well as a negative view of the world. this manifests in emotional problems such as aggression and depression which increases the likelihood of criminal behaviour
custodial sentencing
sentencing an offender to spend time in prison
recidivism
a convicted criminal who reoffends usually repeatedly
retribution
about justice and fairness. a sense that the offender should be punished and suffer for the harm they’ve caused the victim
rehabilitation
a person trying to transform their life
deterrence
seeing that the criminal behaviour results in prison time deters the general public too as they will want to avoid going to prison
incapacitation
imprisoning an offender protects the public from them commiting further crimes
institutionalism
adapted to prison life, offenders are no longer able to function on the outside.
Increases the likelihood of recidivism because the offender may commit crimes in order to return to normal life
stress and depression
the stress of the prison experience also increases the risk of psychological disturbance following release
prisonisation
behaviour that may be considered unacceptable in the outside world may be encouraged and rewarded in the institution
the problem of recidivism
Ministry of justice 2013- 57% of UK offenders will reoffend within a year of release.
The UK alongside the US has some of the highest rates in the world
behaviour modification
uses the behaviourist principles of operant conditioning to encourage good behaviour and discourage criminal behaviour while in prison
token economy
a system of rewards based on the principles of operant conditioning. The concept is to modify behaviour and promote good behaviour by providing tokens
secondary reinforcer
derive their value from their association with a reward
cognitive behavioural therapy
teaches offenders to recognise the thoughts that make them lose control, and then encourage them to develop techniques which bring about conflict resolution without the need for violence
cognitive preparation
the therapist will help the offender reflect back on the times when they have been angry in the past and identity potential triggers that make them angry
skill acquisition
the therapist teaches the offender skills to help manage anger in anger-inducing situations
application practice
the therapist and the offender practice using the newly learned skills in situations that may require them
restorative justice
a process of managed collaboration between offender and victim based on the related principles of healing and empowerment
They are about getting the offender to recognise the consequences of their actions and make amends to their victim
