Forensic Psych Flashcards
What is restorative justice
A system for dealing w offending behav which focuses on rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims
Key features of RJ
Trained mediator
Non courtroom setting
Face to face meeting
Victim confront offender and explain impact
Active involvement whenever possible
Sentencing and RJ
Acts as an incentive to reduce sentence length
Restitution
Financial - money towards psych damage or physical damage
Practical- repair it themselves
Emotional- support in healing process
Anger management
A programme that involves identifying signs that trigger anger as well as learning techniques to calm themselves down
Anger management stages
Cognitive prep
Skill acquisition
Application practice
Calm People Should Always Avoid Angry People
Stage 1 AM
Requires offenders to reflect on past experience and identify triggers
Therapist points out irrational thought
Stage 2 - AM
Skill acquisition
Positive self talk
How to communicate more effectively
Methods of relaxation
Stage 3 - AM
Application practice
Offenders practice new skills within controlled environment re-enacting scenarios
AM and young offenders (Keen et al)
Offenders between 17-21
Findings = increased awareness and increased capacity to self control
Behavioural modification
Treatment using operant conditioning
Replace undesirable behav w more desirable using token economy (positive economy)
Token economy system
Desirable behaviour eg avoiding confrontation is reward with token - secondary reinforcers
Positive reinforcers = privilege eg extra exercise time
Designing TES
Operationalised behaviour- specific criteria eg speaking politely
Scoring system - worth of specific behav
Token:punish 4:1
Train staff to standardise procedure and record
Custodial sentencing
A decision made by court that punishment of crime should involve time in prison
Aims of CS
Deterrence
Incapacitation
Retribution
Rehabilitation
Deterrence CS
Unpleasant prison is designed to put off from engaging in offending behav
General= broad message no tolerate
Individual= prevent themselves from repeat
Vicarious punishment
Incapacitation CS
Offender is taken out of society to prevent reoffending- protect public
Retribution
Society is revenging the offence by making offender suffer
Rehabilitating
Reform- prison should provide opportunities as well as criminal reflect on offence
Effects of custodial sentencing
Stress - suicide and self harm highest in prison than anywhere else risk of trigger psych disorder
Institutionalisation- inmates adapt to norms of prison cannot function on outside
Prisonisation - inmate code not suitable for outside world
Psychodynamic explanation to offending
Weak superego - if parent is absent in phallic stage cannot internalise and no identification
Deviant superego - superego of a child internalise criminal parent
Overharsh superego- firm parent superego is crippled by guilt superego crimes for need of punishment
Maternal deprivation
Failure to establish a relationship in first few years a child is likely to experience damaging consequences
44 thieves 14 affectionless psychopaths 12/14 maternal deprivation
Differential association theory
Explanation of offending which proposes that through interaction of others
Learn values and techniques for offending behaviour
Frequency + intensity+ duration = likelihood of offending
Learning attitudes DAT
Exposed to values and attitudes towards the law when socialising in group
If number of pro criminal attitudes outweighs then they will offend
Learning techniques DAT
Offender exposed to offending techniques eg how to pick a lock
Reoffending DAT
Whilst in prison inmates learn techniques from one another - observational learning or even tuition
Level of moral reasoning
The higher the level the more that behaviour is driven by a sense of what is right and lower level is driven by just avoiding punishment
Kohlbergs three levels
Pre conventional morality
Conventional morality
Post conventional morality
Pre conventional morality
Stage 1 = rules are obeyed to avoid punishment
Stage 2= rules obeyed for personal gain
Conventional morality
Stage 4= rules obeyed for approval
Stage 5= rules obeyed to maintain social order
Postconventional morality
Stage 5 = rules are challenged if infringe on rights of others
Stage 6= personal set of ethical principles
Cognitive distortions
Faulty and irrational way of thinking that mean we perceive the world inaccurately- negatively
Hostile attribution bias (cog dis)
Those who are violent are more likely to misinterpret actions of others seeing them as confrontational
55 violent criminals shown images of expressions violent offenders more perecieve as angry and hostile
Minimisation
Downplaying significance of an event
54% deny rape 40% minimised harm
35% kiddy fiddlers non sexual 36% consensual
Eysenks theory of criminal personality
An individual who scores high on extraversion neuroticism and psychotic idm and cannot be conditioned
Biological basis of criminal personality EPQ
All traits origin come through in our biology - nervous system
Extraverts =underactive nervous system seek excitement
Neurotic= high activity in sympathetic system - difficult to predict
Psychotic= higher levels of testosterone prone to aggression
Socialisation criminal personality
Offenders = immature instant gratification
Difficult to condition so less likely to learn anxiety response so become antisocial in presenting situations
EPQ
A test for e and n to determine personality type
Prisoners scored higher on scale
Genetic explanation of offending
Twin studies - 35% of mz twins 13% dz twins
Biological criminal mother 50% chance of criminal record by 18
MAOA gene build up of serotonin and linked to aggressive behav
CDH13 gene attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Neural explanations for offending
Antisocial personality disorder studies
Pre frontal cortex regulates emotions
11% reduction in psychos
Mirror neurons “feel their pain” when ask neurons trigger - APD have neural switch turned on and off in comparison to always on
Atavistic form
Lack evolutionary development primitive species ill suited to conforming to modern society
Narrow sloping brow, Strong jaw
Facial asymmetry ,Dark skin
Insensitive to pain and use slang
Lombrosos resarch
40% of criminal acts committed by people w atavistic characteristics
Offender types
Murderers - blood shot eyes and curly hair
Sexual deviants - glinting eyes fleshy lips projecting ears
Fraudsters- reedy lips
Bottom up approach
Profilers work up from evidence to develop hypothesis about offender
Investigative psychology
Matching details from the crime scene with statistical analysis of typical offender behaviour patterns
Interpersonal coherence- the way an offender behaves and interacts w victim
Time and place
Forensic awareness repeat offenders covering tracks
Geographical profiling
Based on spatial consistency operational base and future offences
Canters circle theory - offending circle around home
Marauder = close proximity
Commuter = travel fair distance
Figure out mental maps transport age employment etc
Top down approach
Profilers start w pre established type and work down to lower levels and details based on evidence from scene and witnesses
Types of offender
Organised - planned crime high degree of control during crime little clues intelligent and competent
Disorganised - spur of the moment body at scene very little control low iq sexually dysfunctional live alone
Constructing fbi profile
Data assimilation - evidence
Crime scene classification- organ/disor
Crime reconstruction- hypothesis events
Profile generation - likely offender profile eg background etc
