Week 5.5 Flashcards
What did police do New York Bomber?
By 1956, New York police asked a psychiatrist James Brussel to study all the crime scene photos, all crime scene evidence, all related police observations and the series of notes that the mad bomber had sent the police
Brussel’s profile
Brussel profiled the suspect:
- male
- unmarried
- immigrant
- self-educated
- paranoid
- with a vendetta toward the first target [an electric power company]
What did police then do based on this profile?
Police re-investigated the first case focusing on disgruntled employees, profile proved accurate, suspect arrested within a month and confessed immediately
What is the most accurate profiling method?
Behavioural Evidence Analysis
What is Behavioural Evidence Analysis? (2)
- Behavioural Evidence Analysis - deductive reasoning - focuses on the scientific investigation via the collection, interpretation and testing of crime scene evidence
- Uses conservative deductive logic and only when evidence suggests/indicates a particular characteristic will it be added to the profile [eg, while crime is predominately male, DNA can confirm gender and thus gender can be added to the profile]
How many steps does Behavioural Evidence Analysis involve?
4 steps
Four steps in Behavioural Evidence Analysis profiling:
1) Equivocal forensic analysis - examine all crime scene evidence
2) Victimology - determine victim life-style [demographics, family and social history/background] - a forensic autopsy
3) Crime scene characteristics - mainly focus on victim’s relationships with location and known associates
4) Characteristics of crime and criminal behaviour/skill
What must conclusions be based on?
[Deductive] conclusions must be based [limited to] good evidence
Legal issues that arise from the practice of psychology (2)
- Rarely do psychologists end up as litigants in court [more likely to be called as expert witnesses]
- [although rare], more likely to appear before Psychology Board of Australia complaints
Malpractice actions are devastating in terms of: (3)
1) Professional reputation
2) Financial - although requirement for liability insurance that spreads to cost
3) Personally - many psychologists give up practice when malpractice actions occurs
Important note about malpractice (2)
- Acting ethically minimizes but does not prevent malpractice
- Unethical behaviour only becomes malpractice if affected parties sue
When does unethical behaviour become a legal problem?
Unethical behaviour only becomes legal problem if drawn to attention to court
Past example of malpractice actions devastation
- Past example of Monash University Vice Chancellor Professor Robinson who, in 2002, resigned amid claims of plagiarism
- The Timesin London first revealed Professor Robinson had admitted to plagiarism in books published in 1979 and 1983. He claimed both incidents had been dealt with when they were uncovered in 1983.
- Then a week later, William Webster, a research psychologist at Monash, presented a new claim of plagiarism in the 1976 bookFrom Drinking to Alcoholism.
- In response Professor Robinson conceded he had not adequately acknowledged work he was drawing on, but claimed the mistakes were inadvertent and resulted from pressures to publish.
Did the Professor Robinson case lead to litigation (legal action)?
Unethical behaviour was costly but did not lead to litigation
Current example of malpractice actions devastation
Current example of University of Adelaide PhD graduate accused of plagiarism 17 years after submitting her thesis
Independent tribunal found unequivocal rejection of each and every claim, all of which were found to be unsubstantiated.
Litigation can be costly even if it is against someone who is innocent
