...Criminologist and forensic psychologists share many similarities although they have a few differences. This essay will attempt to explain these similarities and differences. Criminology is the scientific study of crime and criminals whereas forensic psychology is the interaction of the study of psychology and the law, it is also a branch of applied psychology which is concerned with the collection, examination and presentation of evidence for judicial purposes (Haward, 1953) furthermore they hold a doctorate degree in a field of psychology. The role of a criminologist is to investigate a variety of reasons to why criminals commit crimes. In order to investigate how these crimes are committed, they must consider psychological and social factors furthermore consider if any biological situations could have led the criminal to commit the crime. The role of a forensic psychologist is to provide the legal system with sound psychological information from a sound research base (Grisso, 1987). A forensic psychologist role is similar to a criminologist role to an extent that they also work with prisoners and offenders moreover they also apply the psychological theory to criminal behaviour to figure out what makes criminals commit these crimes. The premium goal of a forensic psychologist is to The first act of psychologist taking part in the justice court was in 1896 when Albert testified at the trial of Munich man accused of murdering three women. Within the United Kingdom the prison...
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...Discuss some of the contributions that psychology has made to our understanding of criminal behaviour. Francois Vidoq has been credited historically to have used questioning of criminals in custody to ascertain reasons for their crime, as far back as 1820. Vold and Bernard state that “it is the underlying theory of criminality that guides criminologists in their search for the facts that ultimately will have to be explained by theories of crime.” (Vold and Bernard 1986) Here, it shall be demonstrated that even if the evidence is empirically valid, it may not necessarily be used effectively. Historically, science has enquired as to what makes one person commit a series of criminal acts, whilst others with seemingly similar backgrounds, chose to live their lives within the bounds of legality. McGuire asserts that the psychologist is the best placed to delve into the individual behaviours of criminals and to understand the underlying reasoning to their behaviour, “criminal psychology is the study of behaviours, by analysing it, understanding and sometimes controlling it.” (McGuire 2004) The study of forensic and investigative psychology are devoted to an individual’s behaviour and to the effects that crime and individual criminals have upon the community, not that which involves the law and it’s process. (Popper 1968) James Cattell (1895) chose to experiment on the validity of giving, and the accuracy of testimony, which gave arguably the first empirical data. From...
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...The basic definition of the word criminal is someone who commits offending behaviour within society (Harrower, 2001). The crime may range from petty theft to murder. Criminals are born not made is the discussion of this essay, it will explore the theories that attempt to explain criminal behaviour. Psychologists have come up with various theories and reasons as to why individuals commit crimes. These theories represent part of the classic psychological debate, nature versus nurture. Are individuals predisposed to becoming a criminal or are they made through their environment. There are various theories within the biological explanation as to why individuals commit criminal behaviour, these include: genetic theory, hereditary theory, psychosis and brain injury theory. In the next few paragraphs examples of each will be shown. The first theory to be explored is the hereditary theory, which stems from Cesare Lombroso (1876) father of criminology, (Feldman, 1993) whose studies were carried out by morphology. Lombroso tried to show a relationship between criminal behaviour and physical characteristics. Lombrosco suggested that an individual was predisposed to becoming a criminal, as a result of internal or innate characteristics, rather than environmental factors. Lombroso observed both criminals and non- criminals by their physical abnormalities, such as physical measurements and examinations. He concluded that most prisoners show the same physical abnormalities, which...
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...Criminal Profiling: The Public Face of Forensic Psychology Jason Evans Brandman University Table of contents Abstract 3 Introduction 4 Literature review 4 Discussion 7 Personal interest in the topic 10 References 11 Abstract The utilisation of psychological concepts has been extended in many fields in seeking to enhance understanding of human behaviours. Forensic psychology is one of the various psychological filed which have developed out of the necessity to apply psychology in different fields. This article discusses the element of forensic psychology in relation to the various issues arising within the field. A discussion of the various issues highlights ethical aspects as the main causes of many challenges faced in the field. The complexity of the setting under which the psychological practice is conducted makes the topic become one of the interesting psychological segments that can be studied. Introduction Forensic psychology can be defined as the utilisation of psychological concepts, skills, and insights in seeking to enhance the understanding of various elements of legal and criminal justice systems. Within the context of the subject various psychological and legal aspects become combined in seeking to understand the functioning and operations of criminal systems (Davies & Beech, 2012). This approach to criminal justice involves various activities involved in the delivery of justice, ranging from the enforcement to treatment of suspects...
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...A2 Psychology: G543 Options Paper Exam Technique and Tips General Exam Information You will be assessed for this unit in a 1.5 hour examination. You will need to answer four questions; two questions from the topic of Forensic Psychology and two questions from the topic of Health and Clinical Psychology. This means you will have about 20 minutes of writing time per question, plus a little bit of thinking time. This is not a long time to maximise your marks, so there are some simple exam techniques to follow below. Each question will be worth 25 marks and be divided into two parts; part (a) and part (b). Part (a) asks you to demonstrate descriptive skills and is worth 10 marks, whilst part (b) asks you to display evaluative skills and is worth 15 marks. General Exam Technique/Advice * Choose the right questions A mistake made by some students is answering questions on a topic they haven’t studied! So ensure you firstly locate the two sections of the paper that you can answer questions on; Forensic and Health/Clinical. In each of these two sections, there will be a choice of four questions. You will only choose two questions per section, so pick which questions you are going to answer and cross out the others. Choosing which questions to answer may be difficult than it first appears because some questions may sound similar. You need to become familiar with the layout and wording of questions prior to your exam. * Know your timings For each question you...
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...Two theories of criminal behaviour and their factors Developmental theories of crime A study performed by a psychologist Terri Moffitt (1993), she described a dual taxonomy of offending behaviour, and she attempted to explain the developmental processes that can lead to a distinctive shape of the age crime curve. Her original views was that the theory is one of the more important articles in criminology and proposes that there are two types of anti-social behaviour offender’s display in society. Adolescent offender’s exhibit anti-social behaviour only during their adolescent stages these are called limited adolescent offenders, whereas life-course-persistent offenders behave like this early in the childhood stages and continue to behave this way as a part of life until it becomes more serious in adult life. This theory focuses more on the anti-social aspects of crime as there are different definitions of crime across cultures and due to the similar characteristics and trajectories this theory can then be applied to both of the sexes. There are recognised disorders than can contribute to crime and that form criminals, in some cases not because they want to but because of a disorder such as (ASPD) Anti-social Personality Disorder. It is recognised by the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders 4th edition) in most cases individual who display anti-social behaviour have been convicted and gone through court processes without being diagnosed. This disorder...
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...Themes and Practice in Psychology (Criminal Behaviour) “Criminal behaviour runs in families”. Discuss this statement in light of the nature-nurture debate and considering recent and relevant literature. For a number of years the dilemma of whether criminal behaviour is inherent in families or is triggered by various external factors in an individual’s environment has influenced and inspired an abundance of both criminological and psychological research. Many replicable studies have been conducted in an attempt to establish the core source of deviant and/or criminal actions , and whether such actions are to be attributed to genetics, or to one’s environment , nature or nurture. This paper shall seek to establish, where possible , the route to criminal behaviour and evaluate potential factors that could influence an individual to become delinquent . Gottfredson & Hirschi (1990) set forth a general theory of crime that identified low self-control as the main causal factor. Their theory also proposed the notion that parents play the decisive role in either nurturing or thwarting the development of self-control – dependant on the parent’s ability to monitor and supervise a child’s behaviour and respond appropriately to anti-social behaviour. They claim that parents are the sole contributors to the cause of low self-control and therefore they reject potential genetic contributions in their theory . Their theory illustrates that criminal behaviour is simply caused by one’s parental...
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...Psychology surrounds us in every aspect of lives wether it be in a direct or indirect way. My study of psychology has allowed me to discover my abilities and interests into criminal behaviour and what influences us to behaviour or act in the way we do. Could it be learnt as part of our upbringing? Or is our future already determined for us before were even born? Psychology has altered the way I interpret peoples actions and understand that there is much more to a simple act that what may be being portrayed on the surface. I am very passionate about psychology and criminology and as a result would like to study it at degree level with the view to become a criminal psychologist. My interests in understanding the mind and behaviour has been enhanced by studying psychology at A level. During the studies of my AS and A2 levels I have explored many psychological topics including social, cognitive, physiological, individual differences and development modules. Psychology is such a broad subject which is very appealing to me because I am interested in many Fields of Psychology and I know the course will provide me with the knowledge I seek to learn. Alongside psychology I also wish to study criminology at university as a joint honours degree. I am particularly interested in the social and upbringing concept of psychology and looking at why people turn to crime. I am also especially intrigued into child psychology, young and sex offenders, it excites me to learn about these areas because...
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...A2 Psychology: G543 Options Paper Exam Technique and Tips General Exam Information You will be assessed for this unit in a 1.5 hour examination. You will need to answer four questions; two questions from the topic of Forensic Psychology and two questions from the topic of Health and Clinical Psychology. This means you will have about 20 minutes of writing time per question, plus a little bit of thinking time. This is not a long time to maximise your marks, so there are some simple exam techniques to follow below. Each question will be worth 25 marks and be divided into two parts; part (a) and part (b). Part (a) asks you to demonstrate descriptive skills and is worth 10 marks, whilst part (b) asks you to display evaluative skills and is worth 15 marks. General Exam Information You will be assessed for this unit in a 1.5 hour examination. You will need to answer four questions; two questions from the topic of Forensic Psychology and two questions from the topic of Health and Clinical Psychology. This means you will have about 20 minutes of writing time per question, plus a little bit of thinking time. This is not a long time to maximise your marks, so there are some simple exam techniques to follow below. Each question will be worth 25 marks and be divided into two parts; part (a) and part (b). Part (a) asks you to demonstrate descriptive skills and is worth 10 marks, whilst part (b) asks you to display evaluative skills and is worth 15 marks. General Exam Technique/Advice ...
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...July, 2013) Word count of your essay (1,265) Internet is a fast developing technology and the popularity of video gaming had been growing in recent years as well. Many people or institutions therefore investigate the negative impacts of video gaming. Since video games often include violence or aggressive language, people often think that video games lead to violent crime such as robbing, bullying and so on. However, Video games do not have direct impact on teenagers’ criminal behaviour because it is not proven that it leads to any criminal activities. This essay will examine the relationship between video games and teenagers’ aggressive behaviour and argue that video games do not assist to any criminal activities. Furthermore, video games also influence teenagers in a positive way. In recent years, many researchers found that teenagers tent to be more violent in behaviour after playing video games which might lead to crime for instance. Bösche (2010) states that video games lead to both aggressive behaviours and positive cognitions simultaneously. One of the positive effects of video games is securing players' attention and it can be implemented in education. Ferguson (2010) suggests that the violence and excitement of video games can draw players' attention easily, therefore video games can be used as a medium for spreading positive information. For example, educational tasks can be included in a first-person shooter game which appears to be a life saving mission. Besides...
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...Monique McCloskey SHAY140 Criminology: Theory and Practice: Assessment 2 ESSAY Tutor: Patricia Aloi Student number: 9889000. 03 June 2013 A little girl was two when the physical and sexual abuse commenced at her day care centre in Victoria, Australia. The abuse carried on until she turned four and was perpetrated by a fellow female class mate several months older than her. The victim suffered beatings, being strangled and forced to undress during the yearlong abuse. Sexual assault was perpetrated which included being licked on her body and face as well as having objects used during her ordeal. Severe separation anxiety, nightmares, low self-esteem, difficulty learning and concentrating are regular emotions and reactions experienced by the victim as reported by her mother. A psychologist have examined the victim and found that she is experiencing extremely high anxiety levels. Due to the age of the alleged attacker the police did not commence an investigation. Research into peer to peer sexual violence has been deficient and there is no clear evidence to determine the prevalence of sexual assault in day care centres or schools. Child sexual abuse is defined as abuse that take place when an “adult, stronger child or adolescent uses his or her power or authority to involve a child in sexual activity. Sexual abuse can be physical, verbal or emotional”. It is clear by the description of events that sexual abuse occurred. Department of Communities, (2013), www.communities...
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...What is Psychology? Psychology is considered as a boring subject or something which would definitely make one a "psycho-case"...One of my freind gave a comment,"Psychology is the science of madness and it does not contribute any positive effort towards the society!" I think she was not wrong, just because she did not know what Psychology is..Let's read this article and we all will get to know about this boring subject. Definition of PSYCHOLOGY: Science is a complete body of knowledge arranged in a systematic order. Psychology is a biological science which deals with the behaviour and minds of animals and human beings, both. It was derived from two Greek words; psyche: 'soul' and logos which means to talk. So the literal meaning of Psychology is: to talk about soul. Historical background of PSYCHOLOGY: Earlier psychology was a part of Philosophy. It was never considered to be a science. Four hundred years ago, a Greek Philosopher PLATO, studied life. In his theories, life and soul are said to be the beginning of Psychology. Morgan, a Philosopher said, "Psychology is the scientific study of activites of an individual." Boring, another Philosopher said: "Psychology is the study of human nature." Then, Robbinson said: "Psychology is the science of human and animal behaviour." According to Aristotle: "Psychology is the science of soul." Titchner, rejecting this view said: "Psychology is the science of mind." Welhelm, then said: "Psychology is the science of consciousness. "J...
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...The Bega schoolgirl murders relate to the abduction, rape and murder of two New South Wales schoolgirls, sixteen year old Nichole Collins and fourteen year old Lauren Barry, that occurred in Bega, New South Wales on the sixth of October, 1997. The two girls were abducted by Leslie Camilleri and Lindsay Beckett, who subjected them to repeated sexual assaults and rapes on more than five separate occasions whilst they were being driven through New South Wales and Victoria. The two girls were both stabbed and killed in Fiddler's Green Creek in Victoria; the order from Camilleri that was carried out by Beckett (CrimeUncovered, 2013) The two men spotted the girls walking along a road near their camp site, and offered them a ride. According to Beckett, the girls agreed and willingly got in the car. The men then proceeded to each pull out a knife in order to scare the girls into cooperating. There were approximately five stops as they drove, each being an opportunity to sexual assault the two school girls. In total, the trip took just over twelve hours before they reached Fiddler's Green Creek. Camilleri ordered Beckett to kill both of them however Beckett protested in that it was unfair that he had to kill them both. He eventually complied when Camilleri threatened to stab him if he did not do what he was told. Beckett attempted to drown Lauren Barry, however he stabbed her in the neck after a struggle. He slashed Nichole Collins' throat several times, but when this did not work...
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...| Gb45| | | Assignment Number | 780 | | | Part 1. How are people influenced by the society they live in? Dictionary.reference.com defined Influence as the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behaviour, opinions, etc., of others while Oxford dictionary defined society as a community of people living in a particular country or region and having shared customs, laws and organisations. People can be influenced in the society they live in by the role of law that regulates adults as members of the society which includes how civil liability known as law of negligence and criminal liability such as theft could influence people. (The Open University 2013, Block 1, page 87). Civil law is used to settle dispute between individuals, the party at fault would have to pay compensation or comply with another suitable outcome. A judge would have to hear both party and make a final decision. On the other hand, criminal law is about creating laws for protection of all individuals within society and for the punishment of those individuals who break the law. Criminal law sets out types of behaviour that are forbidden, such as theft, and if such behaviour occurs then punishment follows. Negligence could occur as an act of omission which could foresee the injury of a neighbour. In other to guide against negligence, the ‘’neighbour principle’’ was in acted which state that ‘you must take reasonable care to avoid acts or omissions...
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...Lombrosian Theory, Positivist and Classical criminology, are discussed. Other disciplines namely Sociology, Psychology, and the Criminal Justice Sector are examined and applied to the broad subject of criminology, to show the network of how this subject came to be recognised as such a discipline. Exposed are main issues that occur for the likes of criminologists and other social scientists when challenged with defining criminology; and the problems that definition’s carry with themselves. This essay will look in to the birth of criminology as a new discipline and how it has evolved in what it is known today as an applied social science. Explanation of what an ‘applied social science’ will be detailed and collectively the answer to the meaning and validity of the label of ‘rendezvous discipline’ will be provided. Topics that criminology is weaved into for instance are Globalisation, Capital Punishment, Serial Killing, Media, and Genocide. Used to demonstrate the importance that this discipline provides, in a range of contexts Media is the focus later in the essay. Criminology can be studied on its own as a subject, and also applied and used in determining why certain acts of criminality occur in society, referring often to patterns in crime using Criminological Statistical Analysis. In the opinion of Maguire et al (2012) ‘the study of the various social practices associated with criminal justice is currently divided into two main areas marked by a combination of disciplinary tools and...
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