Forensic Psychology
Index
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................. 4
History..................................................................................................................................................................4
Current situation..................................................................................................................................................5
Practice of forensic psychology............................................................................................................................5
Three main activities for forensic psychologists..............................................................................................5
Psychology and law........................................................................................................................................ 8
Relationship between law and psychology..........................................................................................................8
(Un)accountability................................................................................................................................................8
Internment...........................................................................................................................................................9
Expert witness....................................................................................................................................................10
Development of antisocial behavior............................................................................................................. 11
Description of antisocial behavior......................................................................................................................11
Legal perspective................................................................................................................................................11
Developmental theories (etiology).....................................................................................................................13
Life Course perspective..................................................................................................................................13
Developmental perspective...........................................................................................................................14
Treatment and outcomes..................................................................................................................................17
Domestic violence........................................................................................................................................ 18
Child maltreatment............................................................................................................................................18
Numbers........................................................................................................................................................18
Consequences................................................................................................................................................18
Neuropsychological consequences...............................................................................................................19
Risk and protective factors............................................................................................................................20
Intervening.....................................................................................................................................................21
Intimate partner violence (IPV)..........................................................................................................................21
Intro...............................................................................................................................................................21
Numbers........................................................................................................................................................22
Consequences................................................................................................................................................24
Risk factors.....................................................................................................................................................24
Risk assessment.............................................................................................................................................25
The role of the government...........................................................................................................................26
Escalation of IPV............................................................................................................................................26
Stalking...............................................................................................................................................................27
Intro...............................................................................................................................................................27
Numbers........................................................................................................................................................27
Stalking behaviors..........................................................................................................................................28
Consequences................................................................................................................................................28
Typology.........................................................................................................................................................28
Risk factors.....................................................................................................................................................29
Psychopathy................................................................................................................................................ 30
1
, Psychopathy from a historical perspective........................................................................................................30
The history.....................................................................................................................................................30
Different views on psychopathy....................................................................................................................30
Assessment of psychopathic traits.....................................................................................................................32
DSM-5 Section II: Antisocial Personality Disorder.........................................................................................32
DSM-5 Section III: Antisocial Personality Disorder........................................................................................32
The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised...............................................................................................................33
Other observational methods.......................................................................................................................34
Self-report measures.....................................................................................................................................35
Prevalence rates............................................................................................................................................35
The etiology of psychopathy: risk factors & theory...........................................................................................36
Risk factors.....................................................................................................................................................36
Theoretical framework: Fearlessness model.................................................................................................37
Psychopathy and antisocial behavior.................................................................................................................37
Psychopathy and (violent) criminal behavior: What?...................................................................................37
Psychopathy and (violent) criminal behavior: Why?.....................................................................................38
Treatment of psychopathy.................................................................................................................................38
Clinical pessimism..........................................................................................................................................38
Clinical optimism............................................................................................................................................39
Sexual offending.......................................................................................................................................... 39
Intro....................................................................................................................................................................39
Sexual normativity vs. sexual deviance.........................................................................................................39
Paraphilia and paraphilic disorder.....................................................................................................................39
Paraphilic preferences...................................................................................................................................40
Example: exhibitionism..................................................................................................................................40
Pedophilia and pedophilic disorder....................................................................................................................42
Intro...............................................................................................................................................................42
Pedophiles and therapy.................................................................................................................................43
Age attraction ranges.....................................................................................................................................43
Prevalence off child sexual abuse victims.....................................................................................................44
(Age) Appropriate –Transgressive – Abusive.................................................................................................44
Typologies......................................................................................................................................................44
Adult sexual abuse.............................................................................................................................................47
Youth gangs and drug wars.......................................................................................................................... 49
Youth gangs........................................................................................................................................................49
Intro...............................................................................................................................................................49
Defining gangs...............................................................................................................................................50
Risk factors.....................................................................................................................................................51
Gang violence................................................................................................................................................52
Other crimes..................................................................................................................................................53
Drug wars...........................................................................................................................................................53
Drug related violence....................................................................................................................................53
Risk assessment........................................................................................................................................... 54
What is risk assessment?...................................................................................................................................54
Types of risk assessment....................................................................................................................................55
Unstructured clinical judgement approach...................................................................................................55
Actuarial approach.........................................................................................................................................55
Structured clinical judgement approach.......................................................................................................56
2
, A few instruments.........................................................................................................................................57
Risk factors.........................................................................................................................................................57
Static, dynamic, acute....................................................................................................................................57
Central eight..................................................................................................................................................58
Sensitivity and specificity...............................................................................................................................58
Case study..........................................................................................................................................................59
STATIC-99R.....................................................................................................................................................59
STABLE-2007..................................................................................................................................................60
Combining scores...........................................................................................................................................60
Considerations....................................................................................................................................................60
Treatment................................................................................................................................................... 61
Forensic Treatment............................................................................................................................................61
Regular vs forensic treatment.......................................................................................................................61
Brief history of offender rehabilitation.........................................................................................................61
Risk-Need-Responsivity Model (RNR).................................................................................................................62
Risk principle..................................................................................................................................................62
Need principle................................................................................................................................................63
Responsivity principle....................................................................................................................................65
Effectiveness and criticism of the RNR model...............................................................................................65
Good Lives Model (GLM)....................................................................................................................................66
Primary goods................................................................................................................................................66
Secondary goods............................................................................................................................................66
GLM Goals of treatment................................................................................................................................67
RNR vs GLM........................................................................................................................................................67
Effectiveness of GLM vs RNR.........................................................................................................................67
3
, Introduction
Forensic psychology ≠ forensic science or law enforcement (no blood spatter analyst)
A (forensic) psychologist studies human behavior & tries to apply psychological principles to
assist legal system.
Forensic = “related to the law” (criminology & ?)
Intro (Ed Camber)
History
- Middle Ages and earlier: good and wrong related to religion, demons, witches,
sinners ...
- However: individual liability = you are responsible for your deeds
- End of Middle Ages: first use of ‘insanity’ (a person that’s not fully aware of his
deeds)
- 19th century: Lombroso: criminal atavism - Criminals → physical anomalies ex.
Thieves have expressive faces etc. it’s valuable, it’s a strange theory but by doing
this people can criticize this, that’s how science grows
- 19th century: development of theories around insanity and criminal behavior
- 1879: First laboratory for experimental psychology (W. Wundt)
- 1908: a book: ‘On the witness stand’ (Münsterberg) a series of essays to describe
research on eyewitness testimony, false confessions and uses of psychology in legal
problems
- 20th century: psychologists were more and more called upon to apply their
(rudimentary) knowledge to the legal system as expert (e.g., testifying as expert
witness) Psychology = a tool in arriving at fair and just legal outcomes
- Jenkins v. United States (1962): court ruled that psychological testimony could be
admitted to determine criminal responsibility (i.e., insanity) → Forensic psychologists
now routinely testify in insanity cases after evaluating defendants (being recognized
as an expert)
- Stanley Milgram Experiments (1961) the influence of a charismatic person or
someone with power
- Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) (the lucifer effect)
4
Index
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................. 4
History..................................................................................................................................................................4
Current situation..................................................................................................................................................5
Practice of forensic psychology............................................................................................................................5
Three main activities for forensic psychologists..............................................................................................5
Psychology and law........................................................................................................................................ 8
Relationship between law and psychology..........................................................................................................8
(Un)accountability................................................................................................................................................8
Internment...........................................................................................................................................................9
Expert witness....................................................................................................................................................10
Development of antisocial behavior............................................................................................................. 11
Description of antisocial behavior......................................................................................................................11
Legal perspective................................................................................................................................................11
Developmental theories (etiology).....................................................................................................................13
Life Course perspective..................................................................................................................................13
Developmental perspective...........................................................................................................................14
Treatment and outcomes..................................................................................................................................17
Domestic violence........................................................................................................................................ 18
Child maltreatment............................................................................................................................................18
Numbers........................................................................................................................................................18
Consequences................................................................................................................................................18
Neuropsychological consequences...............................................................................................................19
Risk and protective factors............................................................................................................................20
Intervening.....................................................................................................................................................21
Intimate partner violence (IPV)..........................................................................................................................21
Intro...............................................................................................................................................................21
Numbers........................................................................................................................................................22
Consequences................................................................................................................................................24
Risk factors.....................................................................................................................................................24
Risk assessment.............................................................................................................................................25
The role of the government...........................................................................................................................26
Escalation of IPV............................................................................................................................................26
Stalking...............................................................................................................................................................27
Intro...............................................................................................................................................................27
Numbers........................................................................................................................................................27
Stalking behaviors..........................................................................................................................................28
Consequences................................................................................................................................................28
Typology.........................................................................................................................................................28
Risk factors.....................................................................................................................................................29
Psychopathy................................................................................................................................................ 30
1
, Psychopathy from a historical perspective........................................................................................................30
The history.....................................................................................................................................................30
Different views on psychopathy....................................................................................................................30
Assessment of psychopathic traits.....................................................................................................................32
DSM-5 Section II: Antisocial Personality Disorder.........................................................................................32
DSM-5 Section III: Antisocial Personality Disorder........................................................................................32
The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised...............................................................................................................33
Other observational methods.......................................................................................................................34
Self-report measures.....................................................................................................................................35
Prevalence rates............................................................................................................................................35
The etiology of psychopathy: risk factors & theory...........................................................................................36
Risk factors.....................................................................................................................................................36
Theoretical framework: Fearlessness model.................................................................................................37
Psychopathy and antisocial behavior.................................................................................................................37
Psychopathy and (violent) criminal behavior: What?...................................................................................37
Psychopathy and (violent) criminal behavior: Why?.....................................................................................38
Treatment of psychopathy.................................................................................................................................38
Clinical pessimism..........................................................................................................................................38
Clinical optimism............................................................................................................................................39
Sexual offending.......................................................................................................................................... 39
Intro....................................................................................................................................................................39
Sexual normativity vs. sexual deviance.........................................................................................................39
Paraphilia and paraphilic disorder.....................................................................................................................39
Paraphilic preferences...................................................................................................................................40
Example: exhibitionism..................................................................................................................................40
Pedophilia and pedophilic disorder....................................................................................................................42
Intro...............................................................................................................................................................42
Pedophiles and therapy.................................................................................................................................43
Age attraction ranges.....................................................................................................................................43
Prevalence off child sexual abuse victims.....................................................................................................44
(Age) Appropriate –Transgressive – Abusive.................................................................................................44
Typologies......................................................................................................................................................44
Adult sexual abuse.............................................................................................................................................47
Youth gangs and drug wars.......................................................................................................................... 49
Youth gangs........................................................................................................................................................49
Intro...............................................................................................................................................................49
Defining gangs...............................................................................................................................................50
Risk factors.....................................................................................................................................................51
Gang violence................................................................................................................................................52
Other crimes..................................................................................................................................................53
Drug wars...........................................................................................................................................................53
Drug related violence....................................................................................................................................53
Risk assessment........................................................................................................................................... 54
What is risk assessment?...................................................................................................................................54
Types of risk assessment....................................................................................................................................55
Unstructured clinical judgement approach...................................................................................................55
Actuarial approach.........................................................................................................................................55
Structured clinical judgement approach.......................................................................................................56
2
, A few instruments.........................................................................................................................................57
Risk factors.........................................................................................................................................................57
Static, dynamic, acute....................................................................................................................................57
Central eight..................................................................................................................................................58
Sensitivity and specificity...............................................................................................................................58
Case study..........................................................................................................................................................59
STATIC-99R.....................................................................................................................................................59
STABLE-2007..................................................................................................................................................60
Combining scores...........................................................................................................................................60
Considerations....................................................................................................................................................60
Treatment................................................................................................................................................... 61
Forensic Treatment............................................................................................................................................61
Regular vs forensic treatment.......................................................................................................................61
Brief history of offender rehabilitation.........................................................................................................61
Risk-Need-Responsivity Model (RNR).................................................................................................................62
Risk principle..................................................................................................................................................62
Need principle................................................................................................................................................63
Responsivity principle....................................................................................................................................65
Effectiveness and criticism of the RNR model...............................................................................................65
Good Lives Model (GLM)....................................................................................................................................66
Primary goods................................................................................................................................................66
Secondary goods............................................................................................................................................66
GLM Goals of treatment................................................................................................................................67
RNR vs GLM........................................................................................................................................................67
Effectiveness of GLM vs RNR.........................................................................................................................67
3
, Introduction
Forensic psychology ≠ forensic science or law enforcement (no blood spatter analyst)
A (forensic) psychologist studies human behavior & tries to apply psychological principles to
assist legal system.
Forensic = “related to the law” (criminology & ?)
Intro (Ed Camber)
History
- Middle Ages and earlier: good and wrong related to religion, demons, witches,
sinners ...
- However: individual liability = you are responsible for your deeds
- End of Middle Ages: first use of ‘insanity’ (a person that’s not fully aware of his
deeds)
- 19th century: Lombroso: criminal atavism - Criminals → physical anomalies ex.
Thieves have expressive faces etc. it’s valuable, it’s a strange theory but by doing
this people can criticize this, that’s how science grows
- 19th century: development of theories around insanity and criminal behavior
- 1879: First laboratory for experimental psychology (W. Wundt)
- 1908: a book: ‘On the witness stand’ (Münsterberg) a series of essays to describe
research on eyewitness testimony, false confessions and uses of psychology in legal
problems
- 20th century: psychologists were more and more called upon to apply their
(rudimentary) knowledge to the legal system as expert (e.g., testifying as expert
witness) Psychology = a tool in arriving at fair and just legal outcomes
- Jenkins v. United States (1962): court ruled that psychological testimony could be
admitted to determine criminal responsibility (i.e., insanity) → Forensic psychologists
now routinely testify in insanity cases after evaluating defendants (being recognized
as an expert)
- Stanley Milgram Experiments (1961) the influence of a charismatic person or
someone with power
- Stanford Prison Experiment (1971) (the lucifer effect)
4
