Semester 1

Question 1

Forensic psychology

Answer 1

Forensic psychologists apply psychological knowledge, theory and skills to the understanding and functioning of legal and criminal justice systems

Question 2

5 principles of the Classical School of Thought

Answer 2

Rationalism 
Hedonism
Punishment
Human Rights
Due Process

Question 3

Rationalism

Answer 3

Human beings are fundamentally rational, and most human behaviour is the result of free will coupled with rational choice

Question 4

Hedonism

Answer 4

Pain and pleasure are the two central determinants of human behaviour

Question 5

Punishment

Answer 5

A necessary evil, is sometimes required to stop law violators and to serve as an example to others who would also violate the law

Question 6

Human Rights

Answer 6

Root principles of right and wrong are inherent in the nature of things, and cannot be denied

Question 7

Due Process

Answer 7

People accused of a crime are considered innocent until proven guilty, and they have the chance to go to trial and face the judicial system

Question 8

What is the basic underlying principle of the Peelian principles of policing? Describe briefly what impact the Peelian principles had on modern police forces

Answer 8

The key principle is that the power of the police comes from common consent as opposed to the power of the state. The police force has changed from being known as ‘forces’ and now serve as more a service industry to the public

Question 9

What is police bias and how might it develop? Outline one way in which we might overcome police bias in the community

Answer 9

Officers are at risk of developing negative stereotypes of groups of people with whom they interact with during police work. For example, African Americans are approximately four times more likely than white people to be killed in encounters with the police in the united states. More foot patrols by officers who stay in the same neighbourhood is a way to overcome police bias.

Question 10

What are some of the main features of the FBI-style of criminal profiling which bring into question its validity?

Answer 10

A willingness to encompass experience and intuition as a component of profiling

A relatively weak empirical database

A concentration on the more serious, bizarre, and extreme crimes

Extensive contact with the investigating team of police officers at all levels

Question 11

Behavioural Evidence Analysis (BEA)

Answer 11

A form of criminal profiling, BEA is primarily a deductive approach and consists of the testing of physical evidence

Question 12

Stages of BEA

Answer 12

Equivocal forensic analysis - analysing physical evidence
Victimology - examines all aspects of the victim
Crime scene characteristics - profiler determines factors of crime scene
Offender characteristics (criminal profile)

Question 13

Describe four key differences between organised and disorganised serial killers

Answer 13

Organised:
Psychopathic
Plan crime ahead
Charming, intelligent
Cleans up crime scene

Disorganised:
Psychotic
Does not plan crime 
Socially incompetent
Doesn't clean up crime scene

Question 14

Voluntary

Answer 14

Personally motivated in the absence of external pressures

eg. Desire to cleanse guilty feelings

Question 15

Coerced - compliant

Answer 15

Occurs in response to instances where the suspect reacts to the demands and pressures

Question 16

Coerced - internalised

Answer 16

Occurs when suspects believe that they have actually committed the crime

eg. This can be due to amnesia, drugs or alcohol

Question 17

What are the six major tactics which police use when interrogating suspects of serious crimes?

Answer 17

Appeals
Intimidation
Manipulation
Leading questions
Robust challenge (direct challenges that the suspect is lying)
Soft challenge (soft, friendlier tone)

Question 18

What is the cognitive load theory of lying and how can we use this to catch liars?

Answer 18

It is cognitively more demanding to invent a lie than to merely report the truth. We can determine lying with slower response times and a decrease in movements

Question 19

The Hare Psychopathy Checklist lists 20 personality traits which are characteristic of psychopaths. These traits are grouped under four factors. List each of the four factors and give an example of a trait which falls under each

Answer 19

Interpersonal characteristics - Grandiose view of self-worth

Affective characteristics - Lack of empathy

Lifestyle characteristics - Irresponsibility

Antisocial characteristics - Delinquency as a juvenile

Question 20

What are the three types of Hedonistic killers. List and briefly describe each of these

Answer 20

Lust - The primary motive is exclusively sex, even if the victim is already dead.

Thrill - Primarily motivated to induce pain or a terrified reaction from the victim.

Comfort (Gain) - The motive is to acquire activities or objects that provide a comfortable and luxurious lifestyle.

Question 21

three key issues that affect the investigation of the link between mental illness and crime.

Answer 21

1. Definitions of mental illness - Mental illnesses are largely defined in terms of a number of diagnostic categories. If one of these diagnostic features is violence, then there will be an association between mental disorder and violent crime.
2. The confounding effects of medication - Psychiatric drugs are often prescribed to the mentally ill to control the symptoms of their illness. These drugs may have side effects leading to violent behaviour
3. Misclassification of the mentally ill and violent - The use of hospital and crime records to classify people as mentally ill and violent may depend on a flawed classification system. For example, the general public may be more likely to report violence or threats of violence by people who show signs of mental illness.

Question 22

Name two factors which can affect the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. Describe how these factors affect accuracy (in your answer, identify whether the factor is affecting encoding, storage or retrieval).

Answer 22

Post-event information can affect the process of storage (known as the misinformation effect) -

When someone presents misleading information, it can affect your memory of the event

Arousal levels can affect the encoding of information -

When tired, we are less able to code information

When excessively stressed, we are less able to code information

Question 23

List and briefly describe the five steps in the Cognitive Interview.

Answer 23

1. Introduction: Building rapport with interviewee
2. Open-ended narration: Recreation of the context of the crime - Ask witness to recall event
3. Probing: Obtain open-ended narrative account of witnessed events
4. Review evidence
5. Closing the interview

Question 24

Identify the main expert witness arguments used by the defence, and the main arguments used by the prosecution, in the case of Jeffrey Dahmer. What was the verdict?

Answer 24

Defence: argued he suffered from necrophilia and was psychotic

Prosecution: Dahmer’s capacity to exert methodical control was an indicator of his sanity and premeditation.

Question 25

Describe the three factors which need to be taken into consideration when a judge orders for forcible administration of psychotropic medication.

Answer 25

Is the treatment medically appropriate?

Is the treatment unlikely to have negative side effects?

Is the treatment necessary to further government trial-related interests?

Question 26

List and briefly describe the five Australian rules of expert evidence testimony.

Answer 26

The Expertise Rule 
The Field of Expertise Rule  
The Common Knowledge Rule
The Basis Rule
The Ultimate Issue Rule

Question 27

The Expertise Rule

Answer 27

Must be an expert in their field (not necessarily the leading authority)

Question 28

The Field of Expertise Rule

Answer 28

Experts cannot testify on areas that are not part of their formal sphere of knowledge or profession

Question 29

The Common Knowledge Rule

Answer 29

Experts may not give evidence about matters of common knowledge

Question 30

The Basis Rule

Answer 30

The bases of expert opinion must be provided by admissible evidence

Question 31

The Ultimate Issue Rule

Answer 31

Experts may not give evidence on the ultimate issue (ie. whether the accused is innocent or guilty)

Question 32

List and briefly describe three factors which can impact the perceived credibility of expert witness testimony.

Answer 32

Confidence - Expert witness confidence has a significant effect on ratings of credibility

Gender - Male experts are perceived as more persuasive than female experts

“Hired Gun” effect - Experts who are highly paid for their testimony and testify frequently are perceived as “hired guns”, and they are neither liked nor believed

Question 33

Name two extra-legal factors that affect jury decision making and explain how they influence decisions made by juries.

Answer 33

Attractiveness - Studies have demonstrated that attractive defendants are perceived of as more positive than unattractive defendants.

Race - Black defendants are typically perceived of as being more guilty.

Question 34

Define two cognitive biases and describe how they might impact the decision making process of a jury.

Answer 34

The Fundamental Attribution Error - is our tendency to explain someone’s behaviour based on internal factors, such as personality or disposition, and to underestimate the influence of external factors

Confirmation Bias - is the tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or hypotheses

Question 35

Describe one strategy a lawyer can use to increase the persuasiveness of their argument, and one strategy a lawyer can use to manipulate the perceived credibility of the witness.

Answer 35

Vivid Language - Enhances the impact of testimony

Making witnesses appear incompetent by providing expert testimony that causes serious doubt

Question 36

Describe two key features of the adversarial legal system, and two key features of the inquisitorial legal system

Answer 36

Adversarial legal system
In this system, the judge plays little role as far as deciding guilt

The lawyers or advocates are one-sided and act for opposed parties

Inquisitorial legal system
Legal experts work with lay people to decide on matters such as guilt

The police may be called on to investigate matters related to the defence and not just the prosecution

Question 37

Two key theories have been proposed in an attempt to explain violence in a prison context. Compare the key features of deprivation theory and importation theory.

Answer 37

Deprivation theory - assumes that prison violence is the consequence of degrading and stigmatising prison conditions

Importation theory - assumes that prison is an open system in which adaptations to prison life are shaped by the prisoner’s experience and socialisation prior to imprisonment.

Question 38

Describe the four main aims of an anger management program?

Answer 38

Heighten awareness of the process of becoming angry in the individual.

Increase awareness of self-monitoring of one’s own behaviour.

Learn the benefits of controlling anger.

Enhance participant’s knowledge and skill at managing their anger

Question 39

What are the three main ways in which our perception of crime may be influenced?

Answer 39

Direct knowledge - Could include personal victimisation, seeing or hearing about others being victimised.

Mass media - Selective information presented, and people also choose to read only some of the crime news.

Individual differences - Aspects of our personality or social styles make us more or less afraid of crime.

Question 40

According to cognitive theory, what is the cause of our fear of crime?

Answer 40

This theory proposes that the fear of crime is influenced by two distinct components of emotional vulnerability.

Subjective victimisation risk - subjective belief about the likelihood or risk of an event

Perceived negative impact - belief about the seriousness of the consequences of experiencing those events.