Forensic Psychology

• What is crime defined as?

  Any illegal act punishable by law
• What historical issue complicates the definition of crime?

  Historical standards of what constitutes a crime
• When was homosexuality legalized in the UK?

  1967
• How do cultural issues affect the perception of crime?

  Different cultures have varying definitions of acceptable behavior
• What is the 2004 Child’s Protection Act related to?

  Smacking a child leaving a mark
• What are the three main methods of measuring crime?

  • Official Statistics
  • Victim Surveys
  • Offender Surveys
• What do Official Statistics describe?

  Crimes reported and recorded by police
• How many households are involved in Victim Surveys?

  50,000 randomly selected households
• What is the purpose of Offender Surveys?

  To gather details from criminals about their crimes
• What is the 'dark figure' of crime?

  Crimes that go unreported
• What percentage of crime goes unreported?

  75%
• What did Farrington and Dowds (1985) find about theft incidence rates?

  Changes in police recording policies affected rates
• How do Victim Surveys reduce the 'dark figure' of crime?

  Through self-reporting, reducing fear of repercussions
• What is a methodological problem associated with Victim Surveys?

  Telescoping may distort crime reporting
• What is the practical application of Offender Surveys?

  Informing crime prevention and management strategies
• What bias may affect data from Offender Surveys?

  Offenders may exaggerate or minimize their crimes
• What does the top-down approach in offender profiling use?

  A pre-established typology
• What are the two categories of offenders in the top-down approach?

  Organised and disorganised offenders

  
• What are the four steps of profile generation in the top-down approach?

  1. Crime scene classification
  2. Crime reconstruction
  3. Data assimilation
  4. Profile generation
• What characteristics define organised offenders?

  Socially competent and evidence of planning

  
• How do disorganised offenders typically behave?

  Show no evidence of planning and leave clues
• What is the aim of offender profiling?

  Narrowing the list of suspects for investigation
• What is a limitation of the top-down approach?

  Only effective for crimes with visible characteristics
• What do Keppel and Walter (1999) suggest about offender classification?

  Study motives rather than oversimplifying categories
• What did Canter et al (2004) find about disorganised offenders?

  They cannot be distinctly identified from organised offenders
• What are the two hallmarks of the bottom-up approach?

  • Investigative psychology
  • Geographical profiling
• What is the process of investigative psychology?

  Recording crimes onto a database for analysis
• What does 'interpersonal coherence' suggest?

  The offender's treatment of victims reflects real-life behavior
• What does geographical profiling infer about offenders?

  They have an operational base inferred from crime locations
• What is the 'modus operandi' in the context of the bottom-up approach?

  Consistent way and signature of committing crimes
• What did Copson (1995) find about offender profiling success?

  Only 3% led to successful identification
• What is a key advantage of the bottom-up approach?

  Reliance on scientific methods and statistical analysis
• What did Lundrigan and Canter (2001) find in their study?

  Identified traits of spatial consistency in serial murders
• Who proposed the atavistic form in offender profiling?

  Lombroso
• What are atavistic characteristics according to Lombroso?

  Specific facial and cranial features of criminals
• What atavistic characteristics are associated with murderers?

  Bloodshot eyes
• What percentage of crime could Lombroso explain with his theory?

  Approximately 40%
• What criticism do modern researchers have of Lombroso's theory?

  It is considered racist and unscientific
• What is a major methodological issue with Lombroso's studies?

  No control group from another culture
• Why is Lombroso considered the father of criminology?

  His methods laid the foundation for modern profiling