psychology > Forensics✅ > Flashcards

Forensics✅ Flashcards

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1
Q

who created the top down approach and where did it originate

A

ressler et al
FBI
america

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2
Q

how did they create the top down approach

A

examined and interviewed 36 people who had committed heinous crimes to find a general description of the offenders

categorised offenders into organised and disorganised

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3
Q

traits of an organised criminal

A

intelligent
intellectually and sexually competent
planned attacks
clean crime scene

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4
Q

traits of a disorganised criminal

A

not intelligent
sexually and intellectually incompetent
spontaneous attack
unclean

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5
Q

strengths of the creation of the top down approach

A

fbi investigators were able to use the info from the interviews on new crime scenes with insight into behaviour

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6
Q

limitations of the creation of the top down approach

A

the crimes had been self reported so may not be valid

only 36 convicted felons interviewed so cant be generalised to whole population

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7
Q

who created the bottom up approach and where did it originate from

A

david canter
uk

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8
Q

what does the bottom up approach focus on

A

geographical profiling
individual focus

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9
Q

what are the 4 stages of the top down approach

A
  1. collecting info from crime scene and victim
  2. classifying the crime
  3. reconstructing the crime (how’d both parties behave)
  4. creating a profile (disorganised or organised? determine physical and lifestyle characteristics)
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10
Q

what are the 5 stages of bottom up approach

A
  1. personal characteristics
  2. criminal history
  3. residential location (circle theory)
  4. domestic and social characteristics
  5. occupational and educational history

tries to find a routine

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11
Q

what is the circle theory

A

if u can draw a circle around all locations of crime scenes, the offender is likely to live in the middle

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12
Q

limitation of offender profiling- effectiveness

A

HOLMES
found that only 88 out of 192 cases offender profiling was resulted in an arrest= 46% effectiveness
and only 15 of them arrests were due to the profile=17% effectiveness

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13
Q

limitation of offender profiling- specific crimes

A

works well for small amount of violent crimes like rape or murder, but not smaller ones such as theft as it is material gains and therefore hard to create a profile

however it can be used for stalking and arson

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14
Q

limitation of offender profiling- did it help?

A

COPSON
found only 14% of senior police officers believed that offender profiling aided them in solving the case

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15
Q

limitations of offender profiling- rachel nickell

A

offender profiling was misused and ineffective

rachel nickell was murdered in front of 2yo son and britton released a profile on TV, gaining a suspect called stagg with no forensic evidence

sting operation where female befriended stagg in attempt to get him to confess

wrong person

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16
Q

when was offender profiling successful

A

JOHN DUFFY- railway rapist
-27 criminal acts of sexual assault and murder
-details of crimes developed a profile that matched closely with john duffy (13/17)

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17
Q

what were the 5 stages of the profile for john duffy and they’d relate to him

A

personal characteristics:
-person would know alot about british railways= john duffy worked there

residential location:
-he would live close to first 3 crimes=he did

criminal history:
would have criminal history= JD raped his wife at gunpoint

domestic and social traits:
-would fantasise about sex and violence=hardcore porn

occupation:
skilled or semi skilled=he was a carpenter

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18
Q

what does positivist criminology say about committing a crime and who

A

no free will
LOMBROSO

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19
Q

what does lombroso say about the atavistic form

A

criminals share physical characteristics

eg. strong jaw, heavy brows, flat nose

atavistic features are likely to lead to atavistic instincts due to a genetic throwback as they survived evolutionary natural selection

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20
Q

strengths of lombroso on the atavistic form

A

introduced the idea that criminals could be studied scientifically, focusing on evolution and biological factors rather than just free will or inherent evil.

he challenged the idea that criminals were simply wicked, suggesting biological predispositions, which was a significant departure.

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21
Q

limitations of lombroso’s atavistic theory

A

no control group- may not be unique just to criminals

lack of tech- could only focus on physical features not genes

scientific racism- traits were targeted towards african descent

deterministic

labelling from others and self fulfilling prophecy

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22
Q

genetic explanation of crime- adoption studies

A

concordance measured between adopted child and adoptive parents/genetic parents

higher concordance with genetic parents

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23
Q

mendick et al’s adoption study on genetic reasoning for crime

A

14,427 danish adopted children studied

14.7% of adopted children had a conviction with at least one adoptive parent who had a criminal conviction.
20% of adopted children had a conviction with at least one biological parent who had a criminal conviction.

there is a genetic link but concordance rate is low so must be other factors

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24
Q

strengths of mendicks adoption study

A

large sample size- increases validity

supports nature vs nurture debate

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25
weaknesses of mednick adoption study
people could have committed crimes and not been convicted so won't be showing all true results age of adoption is important problems with finding info
26
genetic influences on aggression- christiansen
link between crime and aggression using twin studies male identical twins= 35% non identical twins=12% female identical twins=21% non identical twins=8&
27
genetic explanation to crime- y chromosomes (jacobs et al)
examined prison population, found there was a higher percentage of unusual chromosome pattern (XYY) compared to non prisoner population extra Y chromosome could link to increased testosterone which would increase violent behaviour
28
what did later studies find out that an extra Y chromosome also links to
-hyperactivity -increased impulsivity -lower IQ all could increase criminal behaviour
29
neural explanation for crime- RAINE et al
used PET scans which can detect differences in glucose metabolism (important for neuron conduction) scanned 41 murderers (plead not guilty from insanity) and 41 control reduced glucose metabolism in prefrontal cortex, superior parietal gyrus and corpus callosum for murderers supports brain dysfunction and criminal behaviour
30
strengths of raine et als neural explanation
strong internal validity- control group matched on age and sex objective data and standardised procedures- PET scan
31
limitations of raine et als neural explanation
small specific sample- californian murderers pleading insanity- lacks generalisability reductionist focus on biology and not nurture
32
how did andrews and bonta contradict mendicks adoption studies
concordance rates may not be due to genetics but to inherited emotional instability or mental illness
33
cognitive explanations of crime- eysenck
developed three scales of personality- neuroticism, extraversion, psychoticism each individual is genetically predisposed to personality type but also environmental factors- this combo relates to crime
34
what is neuroticism in eysenck's personality theory
anxiousness and restlessness
35
what is extraversion in eysenck's personality theory
Outgoing, sociable, need more stimulation (due to low cortical arousal).
36
what is psychoticism in eysenck's personality theory
how close someone is to a psychotic breakdown hostile, aggressive, uncaring people are more prone to them hard to distinguish between real and fantasy
37
limitations of eysenck's personality theory
oversimplification of personality into just 3 factors personality types are self reported so may not be reliable due to social desirability bias
38
strengths of eysenck's personality theory
holistic view as it blends biology, social and psychological approaches predictive validity- Studies, including Eysenck's own research and others, found correlations between high P, E, and N scores and criminal populations, suggesting some predictive power.
39
cognitive explanation- yochelson and samenow attempt to determine a common criminal thinking patterns
longitudinal study- 255 male offenders from diff backgrounds over 14yrs 3 types of thinking patterns found: -criminal thinking -automatic thinking errors -crime related thinking errors
40
criminal thinking (yochelson and samenow)
fear and need for dominance
41
automatic thinking errors (yochelson and samenow)
lack of empathy and trust, manipulativeness and impulsiveness
42
crime related thinking errors (yochelson and samenow)
offenders fantasising about criminal activity and behaviour
43
criticisms of yochelson and samenow thinking patterns
no control group- less valid beta bias- only males used so can't be generalised to all population challenging, long and expensive to replicate- limits reliability
44
strengths of yochelson and samenow thinking patterns
ecological validity as studied on real prisoners representative across males as from many different backgrounds
45
who studied 4 cognitive distortions that were correlated to crime
gibbs et al
46
what were the 4 cognitive distortions found by gibbs et al
self centered minimisation blaming others hostile attribution bias- people believe others are out to get them
47
who compared cognitive distortions between 52 male delinquents and a control group and what did they find
liau et al cognitive distortions were higher amongst delinquents
48
limitations of cognitive distortions linking to criminal behaviour
lack of research do cognitive distortions lead to crime or does crime lead to cognitive distortions
49
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Reasoning and Criminal Behaviour
people develop morals as they grow older and improved with age he studied this by presenting 72 boys (10,13,16) with moral dilemmas and asked to give reasonings for their answers
50
what was the moral dilemma kohlberg used in his study
heinz dilemma should heinz steal life saving medicine to save his dying wife
51
what were the 3 types of kohlberg's levels of moral reasoning
1. preconventional reasoning- rewards self and avoids punishments 2. conventional reasoning- obeying rules and norms and seeking approval 3. post conventional- internalised ethics and individual rights
52
limitations of kohlberg's morality reasoning theory
beta bias- only men yet applied to whole population androcentric allen et al- criminals have lower level of moral reasoning especially serious offenders
53
who talked about the psychodynamic approach to crime
freud
54
what did freud's psychodynamic explanation for crime state?
the id is what drives people towards criminal behaviour and the superego keeps the id in check. However, if there is abnormal development in the id, superego or ego in early childhood development, criminal behaviour could be the result.
55
blackburns psychodynamic explanation to crime
dysfunctional superego (morals) 3 types of superego- weak, deviant and strong
56
blackburn's definition of the weak superego
unable to keep id in line so criminal behaviour is likely often in children without same sex parent in family as they can't internalise moral code of parent
57
blackburn's definition of the deviant superego
less responsive- not standard moral reasoning happens when same sex parent is immoral so child will develop same immoral beliefs
58
blackburn's definition of the strong superego
even if a person just thinks about acting out a crime they feel they should be punished as its over harsh so they commit crimes to get the punishment
59
what did englanders psychodynamic explanation to crime state
it relates to freud's 3 defense mechanisms- displacement- repression, denial If there is some sort of triggering event (bullying, theft, car accident), then there could be enough stimulus for them to be no longer able to repress their feelings. The anger and aggression could come boiling out and cause criminal behaviour.
60
limitations of psychodynamic explanations to crime
inability to scientifically test unfalsifiable so, invalid and unreliable most research done from case studies, so qualitative data which cannot be generalised to wider public
61
what is the differential association theory and who suggested it
criminal behaviour is learnt through interacting with other criminals could learn methods or motivations sutherland
62
sutherland came up with 5 general principles from the differential association theory
1) crime is learnt from social interaction and especially in a small group 2) Motivation and intent are learned alongside the actual techniques and methods of the crime its 3) The more a person is exposed to criminal behaviour, the more likely they are to commit criminal behaviour. 4) intensity, frequency, priority and duration of these interactions between criminals and the learner affects how likely the learner will develop criminal behaviour 5) People learn behaviour by association (operant and classical conditioning)
63
strengths of sutherland's differentiation association theory
-can explain recidivism- more likely to keep committing crime when spent with other criminals in prison and learn about more serious crimes --generalisable as all types of people commit crime, not just youth and working class -research support from SHORT- 176 schoolers and found high correlation between delinquent behaviour and association with delinquents
64
limitations of sutherland's differential association theory
-individual differences not taken into account eg why some siblings do crimes but rasied in same 'criminal learning' environment -crime is difficult to define so theory is hard to examine
65
denunciation
once someone commits a crime then justice systems want to show general public that actions are wrong
66
specific deterrence
stopping future crime by committed by the criminal themselves
67
general deterrence
stopping general public from committing same crime by showing how they are punished
68
incapacitation
public needs to be protected from offender
69
who conveyed a study to find effects of prison on mental health
dooley
70
what was dooley's study on the effect of prison
-found prisoners are more vulnerable to depression and suicide, studying 295/300 suicides -those who were serving life sentences or who committed sexual or violent crimes are most likely for suicide -to reduce suicide, there needs to be better communication between staff and prisoners
71
limitations of dooleys study on the effects of prison
- selected sample- may be bias -he study analyzed data from a specific, past period (1972–1987), which may not fully reflect current prison conditions, psychiatric care, or demographics. -research limitations- prisoners may have had former mental illnesses
72
strengths of dooleys study on the effects of prison
-supporting evidence- zimbardo SPE showed participants dealt with high levels of emotional stress -large sample size- increases reliability -high ecco validity- used real prison documents so they reflect genuine events
73
how is institutionalisation an effect of prison
hen prisoners develop deficiencies or abnormal behaviour as a result of being in prison. Prisoners often have little to no autonomy or independence and so can struggle to become independent once released. eg in zimbardo's SPE it demonstrates how quickly prisoners become institutionalised
74
how is reinforcement of criminal behaviour an effect of prison
spend more time with other criminals (sutherland's differential association theory) so learn more crime and techniques leading to recidivism
75
how is labelling an effect of prison
after spending time in prison u are labelled as a criminal for the rest of your life makes it difficult to live life eg finding employment, relationships etc
76
positives of imprisonment
remorse and rehabilitation
77
token economy
desirable behaviour can be rewarded with tokens that can be exchanged fro a reward programme must be clear about how to get them, rewards etc
78
what is a primary reinforcer in token economy
desirable materials, activities or services
79
what is a negative reinforcer of token economy
taking away restrictions
80
what is a secondary reinforcer of token economy
tokens received for target behaviour, value is derived from primary reinforcers
81
what is the key research for token economy
hobbs and holt
82
how does token economy change behaviour in 4 steps
1) identify desirable behaviour 2) breakdown behaviour (selective reinforcement) 3) reinforce behaviour 4) ignore disobedient behaviour (vicarious reinforcement)
83
83
what was hobbs and holts research on token economy
studied 3 juvenile delinquent centres and control group staff were trained to give tokens for obeying rules, chores, social interaction etc desirable behaviour increased by 30% in each prison
84
strength of token economy
easy to implement- no training needed, cost effective and easy to follow all staff need to implement same thing
85
limitations of token economy
little rehabilitative behaviour- blackburn states once prisoners are free, token economy has little value and make it harder for prisoners to adjust ethical issues- moya and achtenberg- manipulative and dehumanising and treats them like children, it is obligatory to participate but your choice to break it, may lead to long lasting negative behavior
86
who introduced anger management to prisoners
navaco
87
what are the 3 stages of anger management
1. cognitive preparation 2.skill acquisition 3. application practice
88
what is cognitive preparation in anger management
reflect on past experiences and identify what provokes anger, so offenders can learn when response is irrational they will learn that the situation is not threatening so neither should their response
89
what is skills aquisation in anger management
offenders are introduced to techniques to deal with anger eg -cognitive- positive self talk -behavioural- trained to communicate effectively -psychological- methods of relaxation
90
what is application practice in anger management
role play where offenders can enact their skills and act out past scenarios with therapist and if goes well will be met with positive reinforcement
91
what did keene et al find about anger management
-anger management was trialled in england and wales with people 17-21 -initial issues- not taken seriously and routines forgotten but overall success -offenders reported high levels of control and increased awareness afterwards
92
strengths of anger management
-unlike behaviour mod, it addresses thought processes that underlie in offending behaviour and give them insight so they can control it- leads to long term change and reduce recidivism
93
limitations of anger management
-blackburn- little evidence that it reduces recidivism long term as it relies heavily on role play and won't reflect real life triggers -loza and loza fanous- used range of psychometric tests and found no difference in levels of anger between those who are violent and non violent -anger management may justify behavior -many crimes are not motivated by anger eg fraud
94
Definition of modus operandi
how criminals commit their crimes. they tend to follow patterns that reflect their personality
95
who came up with the 7 aspects that need to be taken into account when creating a criminal profile
Ressler et al
96
7 aspects that ressler et al created
1. murder type 2. primary intent 3. victim risk 4. offender risk 5. escalation 6.time factors 7.location factors
97
What is meant by murder type in ressler et als criminal profiling
Serial killer (3 murders in a month) Spree killer (multiple kills at same time) Mass murder
98
What is meant by victim risk in ressler et als criminal profiling
Low risk= children elderly or prostitutes are less likely to fight back and resist
99
What is meant by offender risk in ressler et als criminal profiling
Day or night? How much risk of getting caught are they willing to take
100
What is meant by escalation in ressler et als criminal profiling
Are they getting worst?
101
What is meant by location factors in ressler et als criminal profiling
Preferred location? Transport? Near house? Marauder?
102
What real life murder case was successfully solved using top down approach
Ted Bundt
103
Actus reas
Guilty act
104
Men’s rea
The guilty mind (intention)
105
what is restorative justice
dealing with criminal behaviour through rehabilitation via reconciliation with victim/victim family so they learn what harm they caused
106
what are the aims of restorative justice
- opportunity for survivor to explain the impact and hurt they've caused -can ask questions -accept responsibility -active involvement
107
how does restorative justice take place
must involve mediator and outside of the courtroom with no element of punishment
108
what can restorative justice programme include
can include financial restitution for physical or psychological damage offender will sometimes fix physical damage as a part of community service
109
strengths of restorative justice- diversity of programmes
-custodial sentencing tends to be 'one size fits all' but RJS has a degree of flexibility and can work in many institutions, by being tailored to certain person -however, this makes it difficult to know overall effectiveness of RJS
110
limitation of restorative justice- relies on offenders remorse
some offenders may sign up to reduce prison time, not genuine willingness to make amends, same with victim but for revenge this will not lead to positive outcomes
111
strength/limitation of restorative justice- expenses
-SHAPLAND concluded every 1£ spent on restorative justice would save CJS 8£ through reduced reoffending -however, meeting between offender and victim may be an emotionally charged crime, professional mediators are expensive, -also, it has high dropout rates as offender or victim may 'lose their nerve' prior and withdraw
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