Week 1 Flashcards
What is police psychology? (2 definitions and how they differ/what’s wrong with them)
The delivery of psychological services to and on behalf of police agencies, their executives and their employees
This is the most commonly accepted one because it was used to make it its own psychological field but is very narrow and only part of what the field does as a whole
Involves the application of psychology to policing, but also research done with or on behalf of police to inform applied practice
This definition is broader but better as it is more encompassing of the practice of police psych
What is the status of the field of police psych? (5)
Long history of publication dating back to the late 1800s
Field has continued to grow and roles have expanded
Professional associations have emerged which is a sign that enough specific interest is there to warrant its own discipline
Increasing amount of research resulting in police psych books and journals (about 25 now)
Recently recognized by the APA as a specialty discipline
What do police psychologists do? (What are their 4 main domains of tasks?) AIOC
Assessment (job analysis, pre-employment evaluations, fitness for duty evaluations, evaluations for high risk assignments, etc.)
Intervention (employee assistance counseling, therapy, critical incident intervention/therapy, counseling for unique stressors like undercover work, etc.)
Operational (psychological intelligence, criminal profiling, psychological autopsies, crisis negotiation, counterterrorism, etc.)
Consulting (developing performance appraisal systems, organizational development, executive consultation, mediation, consulting-related research, etc.)
What is the status of police psychologists in Canada? (3)
A study looking at 30 psychologists found most were satisfied with their jobs
Mostly clinicians and academics with advanced degrees
Wide range of jobs across the 4 domains
What challenges face police psychologists in Canada? (5)
Lack of funding from police agencies
Difficult security clearance procedures
Limited officer cooperation with research
Miscommunication between psychologists and officers (how we see the word ‘evidence’ is different than how police see ‘evidence’)
Lack of knowledge about psychology among officers
What needs to change in police psych in Canada? (6)
More educational programs specific to police psych in schools
More psychology training and programming for officers
Better communication between academics and officers
More hiring of in-house psychologists
Police psychologists should take more forensic psych and assessment training
Trainees need to complete practices and internships with police agencies
What are some of the ethical issues involved in police psych? (5) CBCMR
Confidentiality
Breaking confidentiality
Competence
Multiple roles
Respecting basic rights
What is the ethical issue of confidentiality? (3)
Must respect the confidentiality of information obtained during work
Individuals must have informed consent of the limits of confidentiality
The problem is that you have a responsibility to the client but in police psych, you are often payed by the courts to assess an officer, which blurs the lines of who the client is and what responsibility you have to who
What is the ethical issue of breaking confidentiality? (2)
Must determine who the client is and establish clear roles and responsibilities
Must make exceptions to confidentiality when required (duty to inform/warn someone of harm)
What is the ethical issue of competence? (3)
Must provide services and use techniques in which you are qualified by training and experience
Not practicing what is outside of your field/abilities/training
Must stay current with respect to scientific and professional information in the field
What is the ethical issue of multiple roles? (2)
Occurs when a psychologist has more than one relationship with a client or someone close to the client
Should discuss this with them to ensure openness and clarity and determine the best path forward
What is the ethical issue of respecting basic rights? (2)
Must respect the basic rights of individual who may be impacted by recommendations or services provided
Avoid involvement in police actions that appear to be unlawful or unethical (interrogation tactics)
What is evidence based policing (EBP)?
Based on the idea that police practices should be based on scientific evidence about what works best
What are the goals of EBP? (3)
To develop answers (based on rigorous research), to the question “what works in policing?” in terms of training programs, crime reduction methods, interrogation methods, education pathways, preventing policing issues like racial profiling, etc.
For the purpose of developing sound policing strategies, policies and programs
To move away from a policing model where decisions are made based on un-tested assumptions (anecdote, experience, gut instinct)
What are the most commonly used methods in EBP to develop evidence? (6) SSQOSM
Spatial-temporal crime mapping
Surveys
Qualitative interviews
Observational field research
Systematic literature reviews
Mixed methods
