Forensic Psychology Overview Quiz

Course Information

• Course Title: CPS2822: Forensic Psychology and the Social Context of Crime
• Instructor: Dr. Berartiopi Megari
• Academic: Director of MSc in Clinical Psychology
• Institution: City College, University of York Europe Campus

Module Information

• Class code (Google Classroom): mpewyaq
• Assessment:
  • 1,500-word report, 40% weighting, due week 10.
  • Final Exam, 60% weighting, during exam period.

Ground Rules and Expectations for In-Class Discussions

• Be respectful.
• Assume positive intent, behavior, and motive.
• Listen to understand before responding.
• Embrace differing thoughts, perspectives, and comments.
• Acknowledge personal biases and work to grow past them.

Affiliations (Dr. Megari)

• Lecturer and program leader of postgraduate program in Clinical Psychology at University of York City College in Thessaloniki, Greece
• Postdoctoral researcher of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
• Head of the center of creative activities of children with disabilities, Municipality of Kalamaria, Thessaloniki, Greece
• Editor in Chief Journal of Psychiatry & Mental Health
• General Secretary of Board of directors & Ethics Committee; President Hellenic Neuropsychological Society
• Leader of Rehabilitation of COVID-19 patients working group of NeuroCOVID International; Neuropsychology Taskforce SIG
• PIAC Community Outreach Subcommittee of AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION Membership
• Engagement Committee of American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA).
• National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN) Ambassador of Leadership and Ambassador Development Program (LEAD)
• Global Membership Committee member of International Neuropsychological Society
• Lecturer at University of Ioannina, & University of Western Macedonia Greece
• Prison of Thessaloniki Diavata. School of second chance. Counseling psychologist
• Global Engagement Representative, International Neuropsychological Society, SLC
• University General Hospital of Thessaloniki AHEPA, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Outline

• Forensic psychology: definitions, forensic psychologists, knowledge and skills.
• Social context of crime: knowledge about crime, crime statistics, the extent of crime and criminality, international variations in justice systems.

What is Forensic Psychology?

• Applied psychology in criminal justice related settings.
• Anything where psychological principles are applied in a criminal justice context.
• Includes a wide range of topics, such as offender behavior, police investigations, court processes, and criminal behavior.
• Includes the application of psychological principles to all aspects of the criminal justice system.

Forensic Psychology Definitions

• Early (narrow) definition: applied psychology to collect, examine, and present evidence in a legal setting, facilitate legal decision-making.
• Broader (contemporary) definition: includes the psychological aspects of legal processes, applying theory to criminal investigations, understanding psychological problems associated with criminal behavior, and the treatment of criminals. Forensic psychologists apply their knowledge in assisting legal, contractual, and administrative legal matters.

Key Themes of the Module

• Contribution of psychology to the Criminal Justice System (CJS).
• Exploring why and how people commit crime.
• Understanding how psychology contributes to police investigations.
• Understanding how psychology can reveal how people behave in the CJS and the processes that shape that behavior.

The Role of Psychologists (Practitioners)

• Mediator employed by law firms to resolve legal disputes.
• Social psychologists dealing with civil cases, like commercial litigation.
• Counselling psychologists assessing potentially violent behaviors (e.g., for security services).
• Correctional psychologists assessing prisoners' competence to stand trial, and suggesting treatments.
• Clinical psychologists who consult with police departments.

Knowledge and Skills

• Understanding of the psychological and legal framework related to criminal behavior.
• Application of psychology to criminal investigations, legal and custodial proceedings, and treatment of victims and offenders.
• Understanding offender, victim, witness, and investigator psychology.
• Applying forensic psychology to assessment, investigation, prosecution, defense activities, and decision-making process.
• Extensive practical experience in at least one area of forensic psychology.

Criminal Psychology: Definition

• Focuses on all aspects of the psychology of the criminal.
• Criminality is not solely a characteristic of individuals but is connected to the social context, law, and justice system.
• Overlaps significantly with forensic psychology in terms of knowledge and skills.

Researcher-Practitioner Model

• Integrating research and practice in forensic psychology.
• Research-led approach is crucial for practical application.
• Practitioners should contribute to research, and also apply existing research in practice.
• Evidence-based practices should be promoted, and based upon research's findings.

Figure 1.1 Major Components of Forensic Psychology (Diagram)

• Major components and application areas of forensic psychology (including police psychology, clinical psychology, investigative psychology, prison psychology, biological psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology etc...).

The Social Context of Crime

• Introduction of the topic of studying crime.

Forensic Psychology in Pop Culture

• List of shows displaying forensic psychology concepts, plots, and characters. Examples include 'Major Crimes', 'SVU', 'NCIS', Criminal Minds', 'CSI', 'The Mentalist', 'Castle', 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'.

Introduction

• Personal experience with crime, and media portrayals (social media, conventional media).
• Media portrayals accuracy, and overrepresentation of sensational crime events, violent crime, (not always proportionate with actual frequency).

Crime Statistics

• Crime statistics are not always simple to understand or always accurate.
• Different perspectives can generate different reports.
• Cautious interpretation of crime statistic is mandatory.

The Extent of Crime

• Crime indices are composite measures of crime, usually focusing on serious crime types.

The Economic Cost of Crime

• US criminal justice system costs.
• Crime victim costs.
• Cost of a criminal career.
• Preventing crime, and cost-effectiveness.

The Extent of Criminality

• White-collar crime: crimes committed by respectable and high-status individuals in their professional capacity. Criminal activities such as fraud, embezzlement, etc.
• Extent of general population criminality: high (e.g., almost everyone has committed a trivial crime).

Biases in the Criminal Justice System

• Imprisonment rates often biased toward certain demographic groups, and racial/ethnic minorities.
• Important factors to be aware of regarding fairness and equity.

Crime Rates and Reporting

• Prevalence: rates of people who report being a victim of a specific. crime.
• Incidence: frequency of being victimised; number of crimes that occur.
• Comparing International crime rates: difficulty in comparing due to differing definitions of crimes between countries, difficulty in accurate statistical reporting and differences in reporting practices and laws.

International Variations in Justice Systems

• Vast variability in criminal justice systems globally.
• Importance of awareness of different structures and components in criminal justice systems.
• Cautiousness when generalizing findings based on one justice system.
• Importance of understanding different systems alongside each other.

Activity

• Practical tasks and assignment activities in the subject.
• Visiting databases and using the information to evaluate different aspects of crime statistics.

Resources:

• Videos (examples on YouTube related to forensic psychology)
• Websites (examples including UN data portal).