Forensic Populations

Question 1

What are the different interacting factors that are likely to be causes of a violent act? (4)

Answer 1

Environmental
Social
Biological
Psychological

Question 2

Aetiology of violence requires what? (4)

Answer 2

Distal antecedents
Early indicators
Developmental processes
Maintenance

Question 3

What are distal antecedents? (3)

Answer 3

Biology - neurological problems
Psychology - impulsiveness
Environment - heat, crowding, high crime area

Question 4

What are early indicators? (4)

Answer 4

Conduct disorder
Poor/harsh parenting
Early aggression, perhaps reinforced
Anger

Question 5

What are developmental processes? (3)

Answer 5

Poor school attainment
Cognitive style: e.g. hostile attributions
Substance abuse

Question 6

What is maintenance? (3)

Answer 6

Peers
Opportunities
Poverty and deprivation

Question 7

What are the several potential links between illicit drug use and crime? (3)

Answer 7

Illicit use leads to other types of crime (e.g. to get money for more, disinhibition)
Crime may lead to drug use (e.g. providing money and contacts, coping, particularly in prison)
More complex interactions – facilitation, diversification

Question 8

What are the major problems in assessing the scale of sexual offences? (4)

Answer 8

Societal denial
Secrecy of the offence
Consequences of disclosure for victims
Lack of standard definitions and methods of assessment

Question 8

What are the myths surrounding sexual offenders? (8)

Answer 8

They are all men
They are all adults
They are all strangers
They are all abnormal in personality or mentally ill
Majority report abuse as children
They are a homogeneous group
They are persistent offenders
They are untreatable