Summary
Forensic Psychology AQA summary
- Module
- Forensics psychology
- Institution
- AQA
in-depth and easy to read summary of all the content for forensic psychology AQA course
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
Content preview
FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY NOTESDEFINING 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
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller courtneydurber22. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £3.49. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
64438 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy revision notes and other study material for 14 years now