Forensic Psychology
Disorders Unit
Forensic Psychology
• One of the fastest growing areas of
psychology
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=surNs8
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• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPNvA
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Forensic Psychology
• Definition:
• The application of psychology to legal
matters in a court of law.
Forensic Psychology
• Mental health aspects of psychology
Clinical Psychologists
Assessment and treatment of persons with
mental disorders.
Forensic Psych:
context of the criminal or civil arenas of
law.
Examples: personal injury suits, civil
commitment proceedings, child custody
disputes, or workers’ compensation cases.
Clinical continues
• Examples:
pleading insanity, issues of competency,
assessment of future violence potential
during sentencing, or treatment of sex
offenders.
Where are the jobs?
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Jails
• College and
Universities
Prisons
State hospitals
Federal and local law
enforcement agencies
• Community mental
health centers
• Juvenile detention
facilities
• Private practice
Criminal Profiling
• Employ by law enforcement personnel.
• Many forensic psychology graduate
programs do not favorably evaluate
applications from students whose sole
interest is in criminal profiling.
Training in Forensic
Psychology
• Must be a good Clinical Psychologists
• Practice in a mental health setting
• Psychopathology, assessment, and
psychotherapy.
• Know the scientific difference between
criminal and noncriminal.
Training in F.P.
• The Chicago School of Professional
Psychology at Chicago is the largest
forensic psychology school in Illinois.
• As a forensic psychologist in Illinois you
can expect to earn anywhere from less
than $38,010 per year to more than
$94,868 per year. Forensic Psychologists
in Illinois earn a median yearly salary of
$59,553.
Criminal Profiling
notes
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•
•
1957
George Metesky
Dr. James Brussell
“The Sherlock Holmes of the couch”
FBI
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1974
Behavioral Science Unit (BSU)
Refining Brussell’s techniques
Profiles can narrow the focus
Historical footnote
• Jack the Ripper considered to be the “first
serial killer”…..labeled, investigated, and
analyzed.
• London, August-November 1888. Killed
five women, never caught.
Difference b/w Mass
Murderers and Serial Killers
Mass Murderers
• Apprehended/killed/
Commit suicide/etc.
• Viewed as someone
who “snaps”
• Kills groups of people
at once
Source: BSU
Serial Killers
• Elude detection
• Viewed as “sinister”
• Individualizes the
murders
Difference B/W Psychopaths
and Sociopaths
• Psychopaths:
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–
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Afflicted w/ ASPD/CD
Lack conscious
Flat affect
Superficial charm
Tend to make good 1st
impressions
– Callous relationships
– Blame others for their
actions
– Impulsive
• Sociopaths:
– Manipulate their
surroundings (social
environment).
– Leader who can get
good people to do bad
things.
– Do not have conduct
disorder/but some
ASPD
– Charles Manson and
Hitler
The Macdonald Triad
• Three Common Childhood Behaviors seen
in Many Serial Killers.
• Comes from a 1963 research paper called
“The Threat to Kill”, written by forensic
psychiatrist J.M. Macdonald.
• Study involved 48 violent psychotic
patients and 52 non-psychotic patients
(both had threatened or had hurt/kill
someone).
Findings
• three common behaviors during childhood
can point to murder-prone children:
• 1. bed wetting past the age of five
• 2. animal cruelty
• 3. fire-setting
• FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit has offered
evidence of the Triad's veracity!
•
Eric Smith (Aug. 2, 1993)
• At 13 he bludgeoned with a 26lb. rock,
strangled 4 year old Derrick Robie.
• Eric Smith
Derrick Robie
Typologies of Serial Murders
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Minimum of 3-4 victims
Cooling off period
Pattern
Common factors among the victims
Typical white male 20-30
• Source: (BSU)
Two Types of Predators
Disorganized Predator:
• Use whatever
weapons are
available.
• Opportunistic (don’t
plan their attacks)
• Make no effort to
conceal their crime
• Hunt near their home
base/may know the
victim
Organized Predator:
• Bring their tools with
them
• Hunt away from their
home base/usually
strangers
• Take the time to
conceal the body and
remove evidence.
FBI: Definitions (Robert
Keppel)
• Souvenirs = clothing,
jewelry or other
personal items taken
from a victim that the
killer keeps to enjoy
the memories of the
crime.
• Trophy = commands
a place of honor. It
can become
something of a shrine.
Types of murders
• On the white board: three broad types
studied by Forensic Psychologists
FBI
• 1984
• National Center for the Analysis of Violent
Crime (NCAVC)
• Spawned an entertainment sub-genre
based on “mind-hunters”
• Profiles can narrow the focus