Forensic Psychology Flashcards
Define forensic psychology
Forensic psychology is a specialised area of psychology that uses the psychological theory and skills to the understanding and functioning of the criminal justice system
Where do forensic psychologist work?
- Police and mental health units
- correction institutes
- domestic violence programs
- universities
- research organisations -> Aic
- magistrates and law courts
What are the 6 types of stalkers?
- resentful stalker
- erotomaniac stalker
- rejected stalker
- Intimacy seeker
- Predatory stalker
- Incompetent suitor
How do intimacy stalkers stalk their victims?
Through inappropriate ways to respond to their loneliness by trying to establish a close relationship with someone.
They see the punishment as “a price I must pay for true love”
How do rejected stalkers stalk their victim?
Using a variety of behaviour such as repeatedly approaching, telephoning and writing letters to their victim.
How do erotomaniac stalkers stalk their victims?
The person they stalk is usually a person of higher status.
The other person doesn’t usually communicate back but the stalker will put in efforts to contact them.
What is erotomania?
Erotomania is a type of delusion disorder, in which a person has a false belief that another person is in love with them.
How does a predatory stalker stalks its victims?
Through maintaining surveillance of them but rarely approaches them.
How does an incompetent stalker stalks its victims?
Bumping accidentally and frequently to them in different places
usually stalks a person after an social encounter
How does a resentful stalker stalks its victims?
They stalk to get even with their victim. They can become a target after a decision or action they have made and the stalker disagrees with.
What is criminal profiling?
Criminal profiling is a technique used to assist in the identification and apprehension of a likely criminal offender.
What does a criminal profile consist of?
A vague picture of the likely offender
- psychological and physiological characteristics of that person from evidence
- type of car etc….
What are the three different types of criminal profiling
Behavioural Evidence Analysis (BEA)
American (top down) approach
British (down up) approach
Explain the 5 steps of the BEA approach
- Analyse the equivocal forensic evidence
- Analyse the victim’a characteristics
- Analyse the crime scene characteristics
- Develop a criminal profile
- Apprehend the convicted criminal
Explain the British bottom up approach
Working with detailed information gathered form the crime scene and information about the crime. The picture of the criminal is then suggested.
Explain the American top down approach
Builds a classification system form information gathered from interviews from known criminals, together with the Behavioural analysis of the crime scene and information from victims and witnesses.
Which type of stalker has been rejected by their ex-lover and refuses to believe their relationship is over and so stalks their victim because of this?
Rejected Stalker
What type of stalker stalks their victim wanting to become friends or lovers but lacks the skills?
Incompetent suitor
What are the strengths of the British approach?
That it is based on identifying associations between existing evidence and the aim being to identity associations between offences and offender characteristics.
What are the limitations of the British approach?
That if there is not enough evidence no conclusions can be drawn from it
What are the strength of the American approach?
That subjective conclusions are drawn from both experience of crimes and interviews with criminals
What is a limitation of the American approach?
That it is not appropriate to rely on information from criminals such as serial killers as they can be manipulative and could be seeking attention.
What is a strength of the BEA approach?
That investigators can take the forensic evidence in May different interpretations
What are the limitations of the BEA approach?
That the conviction of the criminal happens only in 50% of cases
What are the two aspects of Signature aspects?
Corpus delicti
Modus operandi
What is Corpus Delicti?
‘Body of the crime’
Facts, evidence that show a crime has taken place
Eg. Fingerprints, broken glass, blood, etc…
What is Modus Operandi?
‘Method of operation used by criminal’
The actions and behaviours that were needed to commit the crime
What is the difference between Modus Operandi and Corpus Delicti?
Modus Operandi is how the crime was committed and Corpus Delicti is the facts and evidence that the crime happened.
Define Serial Killer
Someone who murdered on at least 3 occasions with an ‘emotional cooling off period’
What are the 4 types of serial killers?
Power/Control
Hedonistic
Mission-orientation
Visionary
Why draws the visionary serial killer to kill?
👼 or 👹
They are driven to kill by a voice or vision in their head (usually God and the Angel or Satan and the devil)
What draws the mission orientated killer to kill?
👬 👭
Driven to kill in order to eliminate a certain sub-population
Eg. Homosexuals, prostitutes or Catholics
What drives the hedonistic killer to kill?
💸💸💸💸💸💸💰💰💰💰💵💵💴💴💶💶💶💷💷💷💷💶💶💶💶💴💵💵
😄😄😄😅😅
They are driven to kill because of the pleasure they get from it or because it enhance their social or personal status (financial or material gain)
What drives a Power/control killer to kill?
👑👑👑👑👑
They pleasure they get from having complete control and dominance over the victim
Which approach takes into account all the physical evidence left behind at the crime scene and then uses 5 steps to develop a criminal profile?
BEA (Behavioural Evidence Analysis)
Which approach uses the information gathered from the crime scene and information about the crime, to get a picture of the criminal?
British (bottom up) approach
Which approach uses information from known convicted criminals together with behavioural analysis of the crime scene and information from victims and witnesses?
American (top down) approach
What type of stalker stalks their victim thinking they are in love with them usually a celebrity?
Erotomaniac stalker
What type of stalker stalks their victim after they have ‘injured or insulted’ them?
Resentful stalker
What type of stalker stalks to pursue their desires for sexual gratification and control of others through stalking?
Predatory stalker
What type of stalker stalks a person to establish a close relationship with them in repose to their loneliness?
“Punishment is just a price I must pay for the pursuit for true love!”
Intimacy seeker
