Forensic's Flashcards

Question

Who is anger management aimed at | What are the key aims of the programme

Answer 1

Violent offenders - cognitive restructuring - greater self awareness and control over cognitive dimensions of anger - regulation of arousal- learning to control physiological state - behavioural strategies - solving skills, strategic withdrawal and assertiveness

Answer 2

1. Cognitive preparation - learn about anger generally and how it can be adaptive and maladaptive. They analyse there own patterns of anger and identify situation that provoke there anger. 2. Skill acquisition- skills to manage their anger such as self regulation, cognitive flexibility and relaxation. Taught better communication skills so they can resolve conflicts assertively without being angry. 3. Application training - clients apply skills in controlled and non threatening situations such as role plays of situations which previously made the. Angry, they receive feedback. Later they can try there skills in real world settings. Positive reinforcement from therapist after completion of role play is a very important part of the learning process.

Answer 3

Report 75% improvements rates (based on 6 meta analysis) using such programmes with offenders also appears, on average, to be successful.

Answer 4

- historical approach - atavistic form - genetics - neural explanation

Answer 5

Lombroso suggested that criminals were genetic throw backs. A primitive sub species that had more in common with our evolutionary ancestors than with the civilised modern man. Lombroso suggested that the atavistic form could be identified through a number of characteristics - narrow, sloping brow - strong, prominent jaw line - extra toes, nipples or fingers. There lack of evolutionary development means that they possess a savage and untamed nature that would inevitably result in crime as they would not be able to adjust to the demands of a civilised society.

Answer 6

Conducted research on 3,839 living criminals and examined the skulls of 383 dead criminals. He made precise measurements of he skull and other psychological characteristics and found 21% had one atavistic form while 43% had at least 5. He concluded that 40% of criminal acts could be accounted for by an atavistic form.

Answer 7

- doesn't account for social and environmental factors - biologically reductionist - only 40% of criminals, must be other factors contributing. - inappropriate because crime is a social construction therefore we should explain it at a socio cultural level. - determinists- not taking responsibility for there actions - no control group, could be equally common amongst non criminals - lack of rigger - social sensitive because it promotes stigma and stereotypes, people could be suspicious of people with their atavistic form.

Answer 8

Later suggested that the inherited atavistic form may interact with a persons physical and social environment to lead to criminality. So he suggested that there were different types of criminals -born criminals (atavistic form) -insane criminals (mental illness ) -criminaloids (mental characteristics predisposed them to criminal behaviour under the right circumstances )

Answer 9

First criminologist First to introduce an evidence based approach to the study of crime by using empirical observation and detailed measurement. His research lacked a scientific rigour - no control group. When goring did this he found no difference between control group of no criminals apart from that convicts were slightly smaller and had lower average intelligence.

Answer 10

Inherited a gene or combination of genes that predispose them to committing crime. Research into 900 offenders by Jari Tilhonen et al identified abnormalities on 2 genes: MAOA gene - breaks down serotonin, dopamine and adrenaline. Low levels have been associated with criminality CDH13 gene - associated with substance abuse and attention deficit order. Said they were 13x more likely to have a history of violent behaviour.

Answer 11

No as it only explains for violent crime, what about white collar crime? Also, one may be violent in a way that's not criminal eg- boxing. Explains violence but not so much criminal behaviour.

Answer 12

Studied 13 MZ and 17 DZ pairs of twins, one of he twins from each pair had spent time in prison. It was found that 10 of the MZ but only 2 of the DZ twins had a co twin who was prison. - same sample? Same genetics so supports biological factors but shows that there must be other factors only 10/13 not 100% concordance rate. Validity - only have they been in prison not are they criminals ? May not of been caught. MZ and DZ was determined by physical looks not DNA

Answer 13

By considering the role of epigenetics in deterring criminality. This is the theory that genes are switched on or off by epigenomes that are influenced by environmental factors such as maltreatment in childhood. Caspi et all used data from a longitudinal study that followed 1,000 people from birth in the 1970s. They assessed anti social behaviour at age 26 and found 12% of those men with low MAOA genes had experienced maltreatment when they were babies and were responsible for 44% of violent convictions. Those with high levels of MAOA who were maltreated and those with low levels who were not maltreated did not display antisocial behaviour.

Answer 14

- doesn't take into context the social aspect of an individual's life's. - reductionists - determinists - social sensitive - explains violent not criminals

Answer 15

Difference in neurotransmitter levels in non criminals. Damage to the prefrontal cortex (regulation of social interaction, emotion and moral behaviour) results in impulsivity, immaturity and loss of control.

Answer 16

Found 11% reduction in the volume of grey matters in the prefrontal cortex of people with antisocial personality disorder compared to controls. (Anti social.... not criminal)

Answer 17

Serotonin - exerts a calming, inhibitory effect on neuronal firing in the brain, it is though to reduce aggression. A low level on the prefrontal cortex removes this inhibitory effect, so individuals are less able to control their impulsive and aggressive responses. Dopamine- hyperactivity may enhance this effect.

Answer 18

35 healthy patients were given dexfenfluramine (depletes serotonin ) and completed a questionnaire in men aggression scores increased but not women. This suggests that it may be more complex than just serotonin, one of the factors could be the role of testosterone

Answer 19

Eysenck theory of the criminal personality Cognitive explanation - level of moral reasoning and cognitive distortion Differential association theory

Answer 20

Eysenck argues that the criminal personality has 3 traits Extraversion - sociable and outgoing, quite impulsive Neuroticism - experience negative emotional state such as nervousness, anxiety and depression Psychoticism - egocentric, lack empathy and are unconcerned by the welfare of others. Eysenck believes it's innate, 67% of the variance in the traits is due to genetic factors. Extraversion - levels of arousal in a persons nervous system, extraverts have an under active nervous system which means they constantly seek excitement and stimulation to increase there cortical system where as introverts have a naturally high level of arousal and therefore avoid stimulation. Neuroticism is determined by the reactivity of the sympathetic nervous system - people who are neurotic react to stress, fight or flight is easily activated in situations of threat. Psychoticism has been linked to higher levels of testosterone. (More males than females)

Answer 21

The seek risk and excitement - crime stimulates them More aggressive and have negative emotions, fight or flight is easily activated so they are more likely to interpret people as threats. Possible more likely to commit violent crime as its he spear of the moment. Affection less psychopaths - lack of empathy and guilt, less concerns on the impact that there actions have on others

Answer 22

Eysenck and Eysenck - compared 2'070 males prisoners with 2,422 male controls and found that the prisoners had higher scores of psychoticism, extraversion and neuroticism. (Beta bias, large sample size ) Zuckerman - found a .52 correlation for identical twins on neuroticism compared to 0.24 for no identical twins. For extraversion the figures were 0.51 and 0.12 suggesting there is genetic components. (40% variance, Eysenck claimed 67% )

Answer 23

Farrington et al - reviewed several studies and reported that offenders scored high on pyschotisim but not extraversion and neuroticism. (Meta analysis - reliable ) Bartol and Holanchock found that Hispanic and African- American offenders in a maximum security prison were less extravert than a non criminal control group. ( culturally bias, self report ? May think there different to what others think, might need to keep a reputation, may be that extroverts do better and fit in better, hence why these minorities turned to crime )

Answer 24

Too simplistic - theories suggest there are more dimensions along which people vary and therefore personality is more complex than Eysenck proposed. The five factor model suggests the personality is made up of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion,agreeableness and neuroticism. (OCEAN). Therefore E And N May not less to criminal behaviour depending on the scores on other traits. Personality is not assessed prior to their behaviour - it could be that person has altered there personality.

Answer 25

Kohlberg produced a development theory of moral reasoning. He suggested that children's moral reasoning became more advanced as part of a general maturation process and as a consequence of having opportunities to discuss and develop their thinking eg- through the role of child play. His research was based on men and boys who were given a series of moral dilemmas that they were were then asked questions about.

Answer 26

Pre conventional stage - children accept the rules of authority figure and judge by consequence eg- bad behaviour is punished and good behaviour is awarded Stage 1- rules are obeyed to avoid punishment Stage 2- rules are obeyed for personal gain. Conventional - no longer follow rules for self interest but for the social system and ensure positive relationships and social order. Stage 3- rules are obeyed for social approval Stage 4- rules are obeyed to maintain social order. Each citizen has a duty. Post conventional - unquestionable compliance to the rules of the system. Stage 5-rules are obeyed if they are impartial and challenged if there infringe on the right of others. Stage 6-rules based on a universal set of principles.

Answer 27

The pre- conventional stage - showing a lower level of moral reasoning than non criminals and less maturity and childlike reasoning. Non criminals are likely to have progressed to the conventional level and beyond. People are likely to commit crime at pre- conventional stage if they think it will go unpunished or if they think doing so will gain them a reward.

Answer 28

Kohlberg et al- used the moral dilemma technique and found that violent youths were significantly lower in their moral development than non violent youths. This was still the case after controlling for social backgrounds. ...people may have given socially desirable answers? Only accounts for violent crime? Population validity... we don't know if adults who commit crime have a lower moral reasoning ? - gudjonsson and signurdsson - used there offending motivation questionnaire and found that 38% of 128 male juvenile offenders did not consider the consequences of what they had done and 36% were confident they would not be caught. ( showing criminals are at the pre conventional stage)

Answer 29

Realised that belonging to a democratic group and being involved in making moral judgements facilitated moral development. This led to the creation of cluster schools where members had the power to define and resolve differences within the group. One of these was also established in a prison.

Answer 30

Biases on the way individuals perceive a situation so their interpretation does not match reality. There have been two types linked with offending behaviour: - minimisation - downplaying the seriousness of an offence, likely to explain the consequences as being less significant than they are. This means the individual experiences fewer negative emotions as the negative interpretations of their behaviour has been reduced. . Hostile attribution bias. This involves misinterpretation of other people's behaviour, offenders are more likely to interpret ambiguous or neutral behaviour as hostile and in turn are likely to blame the victims for the actions.

Answer 31

Barbaree- found amongst 26 prisoned rapists - 54% defined they had committed an offence and a further 40-% minimised the harm they had caused to the victim. Dodge and frame- showed children a video clip of someone poking someone else. Children who had been identified as aggressive and rejected prior to this study interpreted the situation as more hostile than those non aggressive and accepted.

Answer 32

``` Come from the way children have been socialised and the way their parents have interacted with them. Although the theory says Poor rejection - hostile - crime How don't we know that the child wasn't Hostile - then was rejected - crime ```

Answer 33

In terms of rehabilitation of offenders. | CBT encouraged offenders to face up to what they have done and establish a less distorted view of their actions.

Answer 34

- doesn't consider biological factors. - no reference to gender.... will men be more prone to these explanations? - correlational research

Answer 35

Proposed by Sutherland - suggest that individual learn the values, attitudes and behaviours that lead to crime as a result of association and interaction with people who have more favourable attitudes towards crime. Criminality arises from 2 factors- - learned attitudes towards crime - when an individual is socialised into a group they will exposed to values and attitudes towards the law, some will be pro crime some will be anti crime. They may learn that certain types of crimes are committed in the community and certain aren't. How likely it is for an individual to commit crime can be found by measuring the frequency, intensity and duration of their pro crime association and there anti crime association. - learning of specific criminal acts - the individual needs to learn specific techniques for committing crimes, this may be achieved through direct tuition for criminal peers or observation. May explain why prisoners go on to reoffend as they have learnt new techniques from other inmates.

Answer 36

Longitudinal study of the development of offending and anti social behaviour in 411 males, the study began when they were 8, all living in working class, deprived, inner city areas of south London. 41% were convicted of at least one offence between 10-50. The most important childhood risk factors at age 8-10 for later offending were measured of family criminality, daring or risk taking, low school attendance, poverty and poor parenting.

Answer 37

Easier to change social factors than it is to change biology.

Answer 38

Found that were there father is a criminal, there is a 40% chance of there sons committing crime before 18, compared to 13% of sons with non criminal fathers

Answer 39

Way way of narrowing down the search for a perpetrator by excluding all the people who don't fit the criteria. Narrowing down the field of possibilities. Top down - begins with a pre established typology and matches this with what is known about the crime and offender to develop a profile of the likely criminal. (More of a guess) Bottom up- involves systematic analysis of evidence at the crimes scene to generate a picture of the offender in terms of their likely characteristics. (More scientific )

Answer 40

What happened at the crime scene Who would of committed that crime What kind of personality would that person have

Answer 41

Criminals operate in a similar way and this reflects there personality. Core belief of consistency in crime and the MO (modus operandi) will remain consistent.

Answer 42

1970, with the FBI. know as crime scene analysis. 1- police report, crime scene photography, pathology reports are reviewed by the profiler 2- crime scene is classified as organised or disorganised. 3- hypothesis are formed in terms of the victims behaviour and crime sequence 4- hypotheses of the offender are created eg- demographic back ground, physical characteristics and behavioural habits.

Answer 43

``` The seven decision making tool 1- murder type 2- primary intent (murder or not) 3-victim risk 4- offender risk 5- escalation (how much it has escalated from previous offences) 6- time factors (time of day) 7- location factors ```

Answer 44

1- organised - victim targeted, aggressive, controls conversation. Disorganised - victim selected at random, crime unplanned, avoids conversation. 2- o- weapons absent, body hidden from view, body transported from original murder point, crime scene orderly, attempts to clear up. D- weapon present, sexual activity after death, Body left in view, crime scene reflects the impulsive nature of attack. 3-o- highly intelligent, socially competent, sexually competent, skilled occupation, monitors media coverage of crime, likely to be married. D- average or lower than average intelligence, socially immature, sexually incompetent, poor work history, lives alone, lives/ works close to crime scene, no interest in media coverage. 4. -o- high birth order, inconsistent discipline as a child. D- low birth order, harsh discipline as a child.

Answer 45

Ted bundy - American serial killer/ kidnapper, rapist, burglar and necrophile who assaulted and murdered numerous of young women and girls during the 1970s. Organised - socially competent, young female victims regarded him as handsome and charismatic. High intelligence - uni. Aggressive - had an abusive father.

Answer 46

``` Author shawcross - 11 prostitute bodies left in river Murders showed a clear pattern Cheap basic car Young mental age ```

Answer 47

Came from interviews with 36 of the most dangerous and sexually motivated murders including ted bundy. The data was used to identify key characteristics that would help police read a crime scene. Individuals being interviewed are likely to be highly manipulative and are not likely to be the best source of reliable info. In addition there approach might be quite different to a typical offender. May not be a valid way of creating an offender profile as they are not representative, for one, they have all been caught. We don't know if there telling the truth in the interview, might gain joy from lying to the police.

Answer 48

- police waste time and energy and the profile may be wrong and in the meantime the actually offender is committing more crime - not scientific- lacks scientific credibility, lack of theoretical bases - doesn't explain why, doesn't have that scientific rigger.

Answer 49

In the U.K. And associated with the work of David canter. More scientific.

Answer 50

1- works up from evidence collected at the crime scene to develop a hypothesis about the likely characteristics, motivations and social background of offender 2-a form of bottom up profiling that matches details from the crime scene with statistical analysis of typical offender behaviour patterns based on psychological theory 3- a form of bottom up based on the principe spatial consistency- that the offenders operational base and possible future offences are revealed by the hero graphical location of their previous crime.

Answer 51

To establish patterns of behaviour that are likely to occur or co exist across the crime scenes. To develop a statistical data base to reveal important detail about the offender, their personal history, family background etc. This may determine whether there are a series of offenders or just one.

Answer 52

Interpersonal coherence - assumption that behaviour is consistent across situations. Time and place - the positioning and timing of crimes gives clues as the were the perpetrator may live and work. Criminal characteristics - placing criminals into categories Criminal career- how there patterns of crime may progress. Forensic awareness - by cleaning the come- probably have committed a crime before and bee. Through the criminal justice system.

Answer 53

Computer programme Canter analysed the occurrence of 48 crime scenes and the offender characteristics take from 82 uk murder cases. And found 3 underlying themes: Instrumental opportunistic - using murder to accomplish a goal and took an easy opportunity. Instrumental cognitive - more planned Expressive impulsive - uncontrolled, in the heat of the strong emotion and may be provoked by victim. Canter found 5 key variables relevant to all 66 sexual offences committed by 27 offenders these were No reaction to victim Impersonal language Surprise attack Vaginal intercourse Victims clothing disturbed These became known as the 5 factory theory.

Answer 54

Copson said only 3% of police said it helped identify the actual offender nevertheless most said they'd use it again.

Answer 55

Considers were the crimes are committed, the spatial relationship between the crime scenes and how they might relate to an offenders place of residence.

Answer 56

Locatedness- were the victim is initially met, where the attack occurs and where the victim is finally killed and finally were the body it dropped off. Systematic crime location choice- locations me are not in any way random Centrality. Canters circle theory .comparative case analysis. Other crimes should be considered as being committed by the same offender.

Answer 57

Railway killer Murdered and raped women by railway stations Cancers profiling was very accurate with twelve out of seventeen being correct. Profile said he had knowledge of railways and worked and lived by the crime scene this was true as they found that he worked for the railways as a carpenter and lived in Kilburn central to the rapes and murders he had committed.

Answer 58

Computer system Produces a 3D map displaying spatial data related to time, distance and movement to and from crime scenes. Known as jeopardy surface. Different colour indicate closeness to the crime scene.

Answer 59

Collected info on 129 murder cases involving serial killers in the USA. They used smallest space analysis which revealed spatial consistency in the behaviour of the killers. The location of the bodies revealed a centre of gravity and the offenders base was located in this. - maybe over simplified. Motorways and buildings may mean there not being committed in a circle.

Forensic's Flashcards

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