Forensic Psychology

What this unit covers

The resources follow the main strands of forensic psychology. The mind map FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY opens with defining and measuring crime, including the idea that a crime is an act that breaks the law and is punished by the state after conviction. Other maps and decks cover offender profiling, theories of offending, custodial sentencing, and alternatives to prison.

Where to start

Begin with the overview mind map Forensic psychology, which lays out offender profiling, offending behaviour, theories of offending, treatments and restorative justice in one place. Then the flashcard decks Defining & measuring crime and Ways of Measuring Crime give you the basics before you move on.

Working through the topics

1. Profiling: the deck Bottom-Up Typology - Canter and Heritage and the flowchart Top Down Approach - Criminal Profiling sit side by side, so you can compare the two approaches.
2. Interviewing: the maps Evaluation: Cognitive and Ethical Interview and Interviewing children look at what helps witnesses give accurate detail and what can lead to false memories.
3. Treatment: Evaluation: Cognitive-behavioural Treatment (Anger Management) and Evaluation: Biological Treatment for Offenders (Diet) weigh up different ways of working with offenders.
4. Justice: Restorative Justice and Courts + Juries cover how the system responds.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then test yourself. The quiz Defining and measuring crime pairs well with the crime-definition map, and Offender profiling assumptions fits the profiling topics. Where a quiz catches you out, go back to the matching map or deck and read that branch again. Some resources are tied to A-level Psychology study, such as OCR A2 Forensic Psychology Key Studies, while others suit university courses.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the Forensics and Criminal Investigation strand of Criminology. Pick a topic that you find hardest, open a quiz, and then make a map or deck of your own to fill any gaps.