Welcome to Forensic Psychology!
Hello! Welcome to one of the most exciting chapters in your AQA A Level Psychology journey. In this section, we are going to explore why people commit crimes and how the justice system tries to catch, understand, and rehabilitate them. Forensic psychology is essentially where psychological theory meets the legal system. Whether you’re a fan of true crime documentaries or just curious about human behavior, there is something here for you!
Don’t worry if some of the theories seem a bit "heavy" at first. We’re going to break them down into bite-sized pieces with plenty of examples to help you along the way.
1. Offender Profiling
Offender profiling is a tool used by the police to narrow down a list of suspects. There are two main ways to do this: the Top-Down Approach and the Bottom-Up Approach.
The Top-Down Approach (The American Way)
Developed by the FBI in the 1970s, this approach starts with a "big picture." Profilers use their experience and intuition to categorize crimes into two types:
- Organised Offenders: These criminals plan their crimes. They are usually intelligent, have a good job, and leave very little evidence at the scene. They "clean up" after themselves.
- Disorganised Offenders: These crimes are messy and unplanned. The offender might leave the weapon behind and usually has a lower IQ or is socially awkward.
Quick Review Box: Think of an Organised offender like a professional thief in a movie—everything is calculated. A Disorganised offender is more like someone who acted on a sudden impulse and panicked.
The Bottom-Up Approach (The British Way)
The UK approach is more "scientific." Instead of starting with categories, they look at the data first. Two key parts are:
- Investigative Psychology: Using statistics and databases to see if a crime matches patterns from previous crimes.
- Geographical Profiling: Looking at where the crimes happen. Canter’s Circle Theory suggests offenders have a "base."
- Marauders: Commit crimes close to home.
- Commuters: Travel away from home to commit crimes.
Key Takeaway: Top-down is based on experience and categories (US); Bottom-up is based on data and statistics (UK).
2. Biological Explanations of Offending
Are some people just "born bad"? These theories look at our bodies and brains for the answer.
The Historical Approach: Atavistic Form
An Italian doctor named Lombroso suggested that criminals were "evolutionary throwbacks." He believed you could tell if someone was a criminal just by looking at them. Features like a large jaw, high cheekbones, or extra nipples were supposedly signs of a "primitive" person.
Note: This theory is now considered unscientific and socially sensitive, but it was important because it started the conversation about the biology of crime!
Genetics and Neural Explanations
Modern science looks at genes and brain structure:
- Genetics: Some studies suggest two genes (MAOA and CDH13) are linked to violent behavior. If you have these, you might be more prone to aggression.
- Neural: People with Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) often have less activity in their prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain that controls emotions and stops us from being impulsive).
Did you know? The prefrontal cortex is like the "brakes" of the brain. In some offenders, the brakes aren't working properly!
Key Takeaway: Biological theories suggest crime is determined by our nature, rather than a choice.
3. Psychological Explanations of Offending
If it’s not just biology, what about our personality or the way we think?
Eysenck’s Theory of the Criminal Personality
Eysenck believed our personality is biological. He identified three dimensions:
- Extraversion (E): Seekers of excitement; they don't learn from mistakes easily.
- Neuroticism (N): Nervous and jumpy; their behavior is hard to predict.
- Psychoticism (P): Cold, aggressive, and lacking empathy.
Memory Aid: Just remember PEN (Psychoticism, Extraversion, Neuroticism). Eysenck argued the "Criminal Personality" is high in all three!
Cognitive Explanations
This is about how offenders think. There are two main parts:
- Levels of Moral Reasoning: Kohlberg argued that criminals have a lower level of moral reasoning. They care about avoiding punishment or gaining rewards, rather than doing what is "right" for society.
- Cognitive Distortions: These are "glitches" in thinking:
- Hostile Attribution Bias: Thinking someone is being aggressive when they aren't (e.g., "Why did he look at me like that? He wants a fight!").
- Minimalisation: Downplaying the crime (e.g., "I only stole from a big shop, they won't even miss it").
Differential Association Theory
This theory by Sutherland says crime is a learned behavior. If you hang out with people who have "pro-crime" attitudes, you will pick up those attitudes and learn the "tricks of the trade." It’s like learning a hobby—if everyone around you does it, you probably will too!
Psychodynamic Explanations
Based on Freud’s ideas, this suggests crime comes from an abnormal Superego (our "moral compass"):
- Weak Superego: Caused by an absent parent; the person feels no guilt.
- Deviant Superego: The parent is a criminal, so the child learns the wrong morals.
- Over-harsh Superego: The person feels so much guilt they commit a crime just so they can be caught and punished to relieve the guilt.
Key Takeaway: Psychological theories focus on personality, faulty thinking, upbringing, and learning.
4. Dealing with Offending Behaviour
Once a crime is committed, how does society handle the offender?
Custodial Sentencing (Prison)
The four main aims are:
- Deterrence: Putting people off committing crimes.
- Incapacitation: Keeping the public safe by locking the offender away.
- Retribution: Making the offender "pay" for what they did.
- Rehabilitation: Teaching the offender new skills so they don't crime again.
The Problem: Recidivism. This is a fancy word for re-offending. Many people leave prison and commit crimes again within a year because prison can be a "school for crime" or cause mental health issues.
Ways to Rehabilitate
- Behaviour Modification: Using Token Economies. Prisoners get tokens for good behavior (like being tidy), which they can swap for rewards (like extra phone time). This is based on Operant Conditioning.
- Anger Management: A cognitive approach where offenders identify what triggers their anger and learn "calming" techniques.
- Restorative Justice: The offender meets the victim. This helps the victim get closure and makes the offender see the real-life impact of their actions.
Common Mistake to Avoid: Don't confuse Restorative Justice with Retribution. Restorative justice is about healing and communication, not just punishment.
Key Takeaway: Dealing with crime isn't just about punishment; it’s about trying to stop the cycle of recidivism through different types of therapy and support.
Final Quick Tip:
When you're writing an essay on this, always ask yourself: "Nature or Nurture?" Biological theories are Nature, while Social Learning and Differential Association are Nurture. This is a great way to get evaluation marks!