Forensic Psychology Flashcards
coldest (29 cards)
Define Crime
Crime is considered as any illegal act which is punishable , after consideration by a judge and jury in a legal trial
Why might there be issues defining crime
Many factors can alter whether a crime has been commited or not in the case
Factors such as: Age, Culture, Circumstance etc.
Define Profiling
A method of suspect identification which seeks to identify a person’s characteristics based on things done or left at the crime scene
Define Modus Operandi
Offenders having a distinctive way of commiting crimes
What are the 3 main methods of measuring Crime
Official Statistics
Victim Surveys
Offender Surveys
What is the top-down approach?
Method used by Law Enforcement Officers
Aims to identify a type of offender by applying theories to the crime scene
Uses the Bigger Picture
How does the top-down approach work
Characteristics identified by research studied are used for categorization of offenders
Offenders are assigned a type of offender
What 2 offences is the top down approach used for
Murder Rape
What are the 2 categories an offender can be assigned to according to the Top Down Approach
Organised
Dis-Organised
What is meant by an Organised Offender
An offender of high IQ
Crime scene tends to be planned out
What are the characteristics of offence by an Organised Offender
Planned out Crime - Lack of evidence left behind
Targeted victim, chosen wisely
What are the characteristics of an Organised Offender
Above average IQ
Married
Skilled Occupation
Socially and Sexually Competent
Identify 2 post offence characteristics by an Organised Offender
Returns to crime scene - Fool police by acting Innocent
Volunteers information
What is meant by a Dis-Organised Offender
Typically commit crimes unaccordingly
No co-ordination to commiting crime
What are the characteristics of offence by a Dis-Organised Offender
Unplanned/Spontaneous
Likely to leave hard evidence at scene
Random selection of victim
What are the characteristics of Dis-Organised Offender
Low IQ
Abused in childhood
Confusion during time of offence
No Occupation
Identify 2 post offence characteristics by a Dis-Organised Offender
Keep Diary
News Articles of incident kept
Describe a crime scene displayed by an Organised Offender
No mess created during offence
No evidence is left behind
Scene stays as if nothing happened
Describe a crime scene displayed by a Dis-Organised Offender
Crime scene is a mess (blood splattered)
Furniture Shattered etc.
What are the 4 stages of the Top Down Approaches
1 - Data Assimilation
2 - Crime Scene Classification
3 - Crime Reconstruction
4 - Profile Generation
Describe Data Assimilation
Investigators gather information from sources
- Crime Scene Photots
- Police Reports
- Pathologist’ Reports
Why may a pathologist’ report be useful when identifying an offender
Pathologist’ Report can identify the method of which the offender killed the victim
Using the report can identify the type of offender
E.g 20 Knife stab wounds = Dis-Organised (loss of control)
Describe Crime Scene Classification
Profilers decide which type of offender the crime scene represents
Describe Crime Reconstruction
Hypothesis Generation
Patterns in crime, victim behaviour etc. are studied
