FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY NOTES
DEFINING CRIME AO1
- CRIME- an act or omission that constitutes an offence and is punishable by law
- Crime is deliberate and cause psychological or physical harm/ damage of a property and is
against the law
CULTURAL ISSUES WHEN DEFINING CRIME
- Laws and therefore what is considered a crime varies from each country
- Eg: having multiple wives is illegal in UK but legal in India
HISTORICAL ISSUES WHEN DEFINING CRIME
- Laws have changed over time meaning acts have been legal and others becoming illegal
- Eg: homosexuality was illegal, but is now legal in UK
WAYS OF MEASURING CRIME (OFFICIAL STATISTICS) AO1
- OFFICIAL STATISTICS- government records on the total number of rimes reported to the
police and recorded, which is published annually
- Provide an overall snapshot of crim level in the country as well as showing specific crime
rates in areas
- Helps to develop new policies and crime prevention strategies
- They rely on the public reporting crime and the police recording them
WAYS OF MEASURING CRRIME (OFFICIAL STATISTICS) AO3
LIMITATION
- Massively underestimate the true extent of crime
- Argued that at least 75% of crimes go unreported especially sexual assaults
- Official stats rely on the crimes being reported which in many circumstances they don't
- Farrington & Dowds found that Nottinghamshire police were more likely than others to
report thefts under £10
- This means that the statistics are unreliable as there are crimes happening which aren't
being recorded so not a true measure
WAYS OF MEASURING CRRIME (VICTIM SURVEYS) AO1
- VICTIM SURVEY- ask people whether they have been crime victims and the details of the
crime
- Crime Survey for England and Wales
- Randomly selects 50,000 households
- As of 2009 there is a separate survey for 15-19 year old's
WAYS OF MEASURING CRIME (VICTIM SURVEYS) AO3
- Provide a more realistic view than official statistics
- Victim surveys record many crimes that have gone unreported
- More realistic view on crime rates
- 2006/2007 official statistic stated 2% drop in crime, but victim survey reported 3% increase
- More likely to be a truer measure of crime
, WAYS OF MEASURING CRIME (OFFENDER SURVEYS) AO1
- OFFENDER SURRVEY- finding people to volunteer the details of their crime
- Given to groups of likely offenders based on risk factors eg: social background
- Offender surveys provide indicators of repeat offending
WAYS OF MEASURING CRIME (OFFENDER SURVEYS) AO3
- High risk of social desirability bias
- Offenders may lie o be unwilling to share details of their crime
- Offenders may overrepresent the characteristic they have become rather than criminal
behaviour
- Validity is lowered as high chance of lies
2 ways of profiling an offender
- Top down approach
- Bottom up approach
TOP-DOWN APPROACH TO MEASURING CRIME- OFFENDER PROFILING AO1
- OFFENDER PROFILING- a behavioural analysis tool that aims to help investigations narrow
down/ identify a suspect
- Achieved through the development of a profile which predicts the likely character
background of this crime
- Age, profession and chilhood are usually the main characteristics that are profiled
- TOP-DOWN APPROACH- identified three behavioural choices made by the offender
- Top-down approach developed in 70s in the USA by the FBI
Behavioural choice Definition
MODUS OPERANDI Method of operation that was used by the offender eg: the way of killing
(MO) his victims
VICTIMOLOGY Choice of victim eg: wealthy family or prostitutes
SIGNATURE Other unnecessary action taken by offender eg: postmortem mutilation
- Two other factors to consider are:
ORGANISED OFFENDER DISORGANISED OFFENDER
-Evidence of planning -Little evidence of planning
-Weapon and other materials -Spontaneous and opportunistic
-Deliberate target -Chaotic crime scene
-Forensic counter measures -Low IQ
-Above average intelligence -Dysfunction socially or sexually
-Unskilled work
TOP-DOWN APPROACH TO MEASURING CRIME- OFFENDER PROFILING AO3
LIMITATION
- Only applies to particular crimes
DEFINING CRIME AO1
- CRIME- an act or omission that constitutes an offence and is punishable by law
- Crime is deliberate and cause psychological or physical harm/ damage of a property and is
against the law
CULTURAL ISSUES WHEN DEFINING CRIME
- Laws and therefore what is considered a crime varies from each country
- Eg: having multiple wives is illegal in UK but legal in India
HISTORICAL ISSUES WHEN DEFINING CRIME
- Laws have changed over time meaning acts have been legal and others becoming illegal
- Eg: homosexuality was illegal, but is now legal in UK
WAYS OF MEASURING CRIME (OFFICIAL STATISTICS) AO1
- OFFICIAL STATISTICS- government records on the total number of rimes reported to the
police and recorded, which is published annually
- Provide an overall snapshot of crim level in the country as well as showing specific crime
rates in areas
- Helps to develop new policies and crime prevention strategies
- They rely on the public reporting crime and the police recording them
WAYS OF MEASURING CRRIME (OFFICIAL STATISTICS) AO3
LIMITATION
- Massively underestimate the true extent of crime
- Argued that at least 75% of crimes go unreported especially sexual assaults
- Official stats rely on the crimes being reported which in many circumstances they don't
- Farrington & Dowds found that Nottinghamshire police were more likely than others to
report thefts under £10
- This means that the statistics are unreliable as there are crimes happening which aren't
being recorded so not a true measure
WAYS OF MEASURING CRRIME (VICTIM SURVEYS) AO1
- VICTIM SURVEY- ask people whether they have been crime victims and the details of the
crime
- Crime Survey for England and Wales
- Randomly selects 50,000 households
- As of 2009 there is a separate survey for 15-19 year old's
WAYS OF MEASURING CRIME (VICTIM SURVEYS) AO3
- Provide a more realistic view than official statistics
- Victim surveys record many crimes that have gone unreported
- More realistic view on crime rates
- 2006/2007 official statistic stated 2% drop in crime, but victim survey reported 3% increase
- More likely to be a truer measure of crime
, WAYS OF MEASURING CRIME (OFFENDER SURVEYS) AO1
- OFFENDER SURRVEY- finding people to volunteer the details of their crime
- Given to groups of likely offenders based on risk factors eg: social background
- Offender surveys provide indicators of repeat offending
WAYS OF MEASURING CRIME (OFFENDER SURVEYS) AO3
- High risk of social desirability bias
- Offenders may lie o be unwilling to share details of their crime
- Offenders may overrepresent the characteristic they have become rather than criminal
behaviour
- Validity is lowered as high chance of lies
2 ways of profiling an offender
- Top down approach
- Bottom up approach
TOP-DOWN APPROACH TO MEASURING CRIME- OFFENDER PROFILING AO1
- OFFENDER PROFILING- a behavioural analysis tool that aims to help investigations narrow
down/ identify a suspect
- Achieved through the development of a profile which predicts the likely character
background of this crime
- Age, profession and chilhood are usually the main characteristics that are profiled
- TOP-DOWN APPROACH- identified three behavioural choices made by the offender
- Top-down approach developed in 70s in the USA by the FBI
Behavioural choice Definition
MODUS OPERANDI Method of operation that was used by the offender eg: the way of killing
(MO) his victims
VICTIMOLOGY Choice of victim eg: wealthy family or prostitutes
SIGNATURE Other unnecessary action taken by offender eg: postmortem mutilation
- Two other factors to consider are:
ORGANISED OFFENDER DISORGANISED OFFENDER
-Evidence of planning -Little evidence of planning
-Weapon and other materials -Spontaneous and opportunistic
-Deliberate target -Chaotic crime scene
-Forensic counter measures -Low IQ
-Above average intelligence -Dysfunction socially or sexually
-Unskilled work
TOP-DOWN APPROACH TO MEASURING CRIME- OFFENDER PROFILING AO3
LIMITATION
- Only applies to particular crimes
