Criminological psychology: Students must show an understanding that criminological psychology is about the definition and causes of crime and anti-social behaviour, issues around identification of offenders, and treatment of offenders.
Case formulation cannot predict offenders from nothing but it is used to understand offending histories, current offending behaviour and current mental health problems when looking at individual cases through an idiographic method (although nomothetic methods may also be used). It also aims to develop an appropriate risk assessment by predicting the likelihood of future offending and to suggest appropriate treatment to prevent further offending. This raises important ethical questions and also creates pressures for the psychologists who are making the diagnoses and suggesting appropriate treatments. See: Flash Card summary: https://quizlet.com/gb/256515236/case-formulation-flash-cards/ Case Study, Darren: http://www.compass-psychological.co.uk/case-studies/case-study-5.html
Factors affecting the reliability of eye-witness memory including post-event information, weapons focus, the ‘other race’ effect and stress and trauma.
The classic study, which relates to eye witness testimony (Loftus and Palmer, 1974)
Valentine and Mesout (2009) if chosen (eye-witness identification and a field study).
Related methodology and experiments in eye-witness testimony.
Understand Jury decision-making through looking at how attractiveness and race of the defendant affects decision-making as well as pre-trial publicity.
Penrod and Cutler (1989) Eyewitness Expert Testimony and Jury Decision making as research
Bradbury and Williams (2013) study.
There is also the optional contemporary study Ruva et al. (2007) to be covered if Valentine and Mesout was not chosen.
Treatments CBT as a therapy for offenders and its effectiveness. You need to understand Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a therapy for offenders. Including the use of CBT for offenders and its effectiveness.