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Forensic Psychology Intersection of psychology and the legal process.

+History of Forensic Psychology

1911 – 1st case where psychological data was allowed

1913 – determine if person was “feebleminded”

1916 – Louis Terman – 1st American to use mental tests

1921 – 1st time an American Psychologist qualified as an expert

1940 – set precedent for psychologist testifying as expert witness on competence and criminal responsibility

+Who employs Forensic Psychologists?

Federal, state and local governments Prisons, police departments, correction facilities, military

Treatment facilities Rehab centers, counseling centers, mental hospitals

Courts and attorneys

Private practices

Universities

+Difference between Forensic and Therapeutic Evaluation

+Forensic Psychologist

Jury selection

Consultation with lawyers

Expert witness

Competency assessment

Insanity assessment

Custody assessment

Sentencing/treatment recommendations

Creates profiles - newspapers/media

+Jury Selection

help select jurors

Generating a juror profile

Creating questionnaires Demographic Case specific

focus groups,

shadow juries

+Criminal Profiling

a psychological profile of an offender based on the state of the crime scene

behavioral and personality characteristic of suspect

Similarity and differences among victims

How they will react in different situations can be determined

Based on behaviors can work backwards to determine personality

+If the person is organized plans ahead

picks out the victims ahead of time Brings tools

meticulous with details

THEN…

tend to be high in the birth order of their family, usually an oldest child

very intelligent

usually have their lives together

a series of stressful situations caused them to act out

Most of them have a live-in partner, are socially adept, and will follow the coverage of their crimes in the media very carefully.

+If disorganized Spontaneous

depersonalize the victim, to make the crime less real

remain detached throughout the course of the crime

very little conversation, if any, between the offender and victim

crime scene - random and sloppy

THEN…

average or slightly below-average intelligence

They are younger children, live alone, and are not as socially mature as an organized offender

Often live or work near the scene of the crime

have a poor work history.

+If a mixture of organized and disorganized

harder to use criminal profiling for, but still possible.

For example, the offender may have provided his own tools, but picked a victim randomly.

+Profiling Steps Input - synopsis of crime, description of crime scene, weather, political and social

environment, background info on victim (domestic setting, employment, reputation, habits, fears, physical condition, personality, criminal history, family relationships, hobbies and social conduct), autopsy report, photos, sketches – just facts no opinion

Decision – organizing and arranging into meaningful patterns

Crime Assessment - reconstruction of the sequence of events and the behavior of both the offender and the victim – classification of the crime, strategies used by victim, sequence of crime, staging of crime, motivation of crime and crime scene dynamics

Criminal Profile – type of person who committed the crime and that person’s behavioral organization with relation to the crime

Investigation – written report is provided to requesting agency

Apprehension – once apprehended and admits guilt – conduct a detailed interview to check the total profiling process for validity

+Family Court

Child custody evaluations

Visitation assessments

Mediation of parental conflicts about children

Child abuse evaluations

Adoption readiness evaluations

Evaluations to assess termination of parental rights

+Civil Court

Personal injury evaluations

Assessment of emotional factors in sexual harassment and discrimination

Worker’s compensation evaluations

+Criminal Court

Juveniles Presentencing evaluations Probation evaluations

Evaluating the credibility of a child witness

Assessment of sex offenders

Competence and diminished capacity evaluations

+Insanity v. Competence

Insanity –the mental state at the time the offense occurred

Competence – the mental abilities at the time of the proceeding

+Insanity An insanity defense is based on the theory that most people

can choose to follow the law; but a few select persons cannot be held accountable because of mental disease or disability deprives them of the ability to make a rational/voluntary choice

To prove insanity – must prove by pre-ponderance of the evidence of the time of the crime because of a mental disorder, he lacked substantial capacity either to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law

Insanity – mental illness of such a severe nature that a person Can’t distinguish fantasy from reality Can’t conduct her/his affairs due to psychosis or Is subject to uncontrollable impulsive behavior

+Famous Insanity Cases

John Hinckley

Lorena Bobbitt

+Competency The mental state of the defendant at the time of trial

Psychologists make recommendations to court

If incompetent - treatment recommendations (psychiatric treatment) to restore competency