Forensic Psychology - Practice Questions with
verified answers
Are the police equip to deal with mental illness Ans✓✓✓ - 45% of
australians between 18-85 experience a mental disorder at some point
in their lives
- in police cells, 40% have a mood disorder, 7% have a psychotic
disorder, 26% have an anxiety disorder, 55% have a disorder without
SUD and 77% have a current disorder with SUD.
- essentially there is a significantly large prevalence of mental illness in
the criminal system, meaning police are dealing with mental illness
regularly.
- issue of training vs on the job experience
- study of video showing different levels of mental illness to police,
highlighted that police are not fully equipped to deal with mental
illness, and admitted they often feel under-resourced.
Compare and Contrast theories of crime Ans✓✓✓ Differential
Association Theory (Edwin Sutherland)
- states that people learn to engage in crime. This learning results from
interactions from others and often occurs in small intimate groups.
People learn criminal techniques, motives, attitudes and
rationalisations, and also learn to de-value conventional values and
morals. Differences in association with criminals and non-criminals
varies in duration, intensity, frequency and priority.
,- essentially criminal behaviour is learnt as anything else is. It is a
response to the same cultural needs and values as non-criminal
behaviour
Agnew General Strain Theory
- conceptualises how people respond to 'strain'. Strain causes negative
feelings (e.g. fear, despair, defeat). Because of this people become
angry and blame their circumstances on others. This anger leads to
lowered inhibitions and creates a desire for revenge.
- essentially those who are subjected to repeated 'strain' are more
likely to be antisocial and/or commit crimes
- anger is used to justify criminal and/or antisocial activities
- Increase in strain = increase in anger = increase in crime
- coping strategies can stop people under 'strain' becoming delinquent
Social Learning Theory (Albert Bandura)
- premise is simple - all behaviour, including criminal behaviour is
learned
- use of positive and negative reinforcement
- role of both social and individual factors
Early Criminological Theory (Lombroso)
- influenced by Darwinism
- criminals are born not made (atavism) --> started after an autopsy of a
convict --> identified several common physical characteristics between
criminals --> introduced idea of commonality and behavioural
determinism in criminals
, - made a checklist of physical features that were quantifiable by
measurement to determine criminals e.g. small slopping forehead,
large protruding ears, high
Define the term Doli Incapax Ans✓✓✓ Is the latin term of "incapable of
wrong" applied to children between ages of 7 - 14 years.
At common law, children younger than are not held criminally
responsible for a criminal act (10 years old in NSW, VIC, SA)
Shows the challenge of attributing adult value judgement to children.
It is the role of the prosecution to disprove the presumption of doli
incapax, to rebut the position that the child does not have the mental
capacity to understand what he or she was doing wrong
Describe psychological perspectives of offending behaviour Ans✓✓✓ -
It has a group and individual level focus
- sees offending as a type of behaviour
- knowledge of antisocial behaviour informs the study of crime
- interaction between individual and environment
Describe the Role of a Forensic Psychologist Ans✓✓✓ - forensic
psychology is psychology applied to the work of the courts
- it is the branch of psychology that interfaces with the legal and justice
systems (APA definition)
- the clinical practice of psychology within a legal system that embraces
both civil and criminal law
verified answers
Are the police equip to deal with mental illness Ans✓✓✓ - 45% of
australians between 18-85 experience a mental disorder at some point
in their lives
- in police cells, 40% have a mood disorder, 7% have a psychotic
disorder, 26% have an anxiety disorder, 55% have a disorder without
SUD and 77% have a current disorder with SUD.
- essentially there is a significantly large prevalence of mental illness in
the criminal system, meaning police are dealing with mental illness
regularly.
- issue of training vs on the job experience
- study of video showing different levels of mental illness to police,
highlighted that police are not fully equipped to deal with mental
illness, and admitted they often feel under-resourced.
Compare and Contrast theories of crime Ans✓✓✓ Differential
Association Theory (Edwin Sutherland)
- states that people learn to engage in crime. This learning results from
interactions from others and often occurs in small intimate groups.
People learn criminal techniques, motives, attitudes and
rationalisations, and also learn to de-value conventional values and
morals. Differences in association with criminals and non-criminals
varies in duration, intensity, frequency and priority.
,- essentially criminal behaviour is learnt as anything else is. It is a
response to the same cultural needs and values as non-criminal
behaviour
Agnew General Strain Theory
- conceptualises how people respond to 'strain'. Strain causes negative
feelings (e.g. fear, despair, defeat). Because of this people become
angry and blame their circumstances on others. This anger leads to
lowered inhibitions and creates a desire for revenge.
- essentially those who are subjected to repeated 'strain' are more
likely to be antisocial and/or commit crimes
- anger is used to justify criminal and/or antisocial activities
- Increase in strain = increase in anger = increase in crime
- coping strategies can stop people under 'strain' becoming delinquent
Social Learning Theory (Albert Bandura)
- premise is simple - all behaviour, including criminal behaviour is
learned
- use of positive and negative reinforcement
- role of both social and individual factors
Early Criminological Theory (Lombroso)
- influenced by Darwinism
- criminals are born not made (atavism) --> started after an autopsy of a
convict --> identified several common physical characteristics between
criminals --> introduced idea of commonality and behavioural
determinism in criminals
, - made a checklist of physical features that were quantifiable by
measurement to determine criminals e.g. small slopping forehead,
large protruding ears, high
Define the term Doli Incapax Ans✓✓✓ Is the latin term of "incapable of
wrong" applied to children between ages of 7 - 14 years.
At common law, children younger than are not held criminally
responsible for a criminal act (10 years old in NSW, VIC, SA)
Shows the challenge of attributing adult value judgement to children.
It is the role of the prosecution to disprove the presumption of doli
incapax, to rebut the position that the child does not have the mental
capacity to understand what he or she was doing wrong
Describe psychological perspectives of offending behaviour Ans✓✓✓ -
It has a group and individual level focus
- sees offending as a type of behaviour
- knowledge of antisocial behaviour informs the study of crime
- interaction between individual and environment
Describe the Role of a Forensic Psychologist Ans✓✓✓ - forensic
psychology is psychology applied to the work of the courts
- it is the branch of psychology that interfaces with the legal and justice
systems (APA definition)
- the clinical practice of psychology within a legal system that embraces
both civil and criminal law
