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Psychology and Crime - David Putwain PDF
Psychology and Crime - David Putwain PDF
Crime
David Putwain
and Aidan Sammons
First published 2002 by Routledge
27 Church Road, Hove, East Sussex BN3 2FA
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York NY 10017
1 Introduction 1
WHAT IS CRIMINOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY? 2
Applying psychological principles to crime 3
Different types of criminological psychology 4
Forensic psychology 5
Offender profiling 7
vii
CONTENTS
Burglary 22
Vehicle theft 23
Violent crime 23
The effects of victimisation 23
Belief in a just world 24
Locus of control 25
Fear of crime 25
Chapter summary 26
viii
CONTENTS
6 Offender profiling 81
PRINCIPLES OF OFFENDER PROFILING 82
The FBI approach: crime scene analysis 84
Evaluation of crime scene analysis 86
Offender profiling in the UK: investigative psychology 88
Evaluation of investigative psychology 91
Biases and pitfalls in offender profiling 92
Chapter summary 94
ix
CONTENTS
x
CONTENTS
xi
CONTENTS
Glossary 173
References 179
Index 197
xii
Figures and tables
Figures
1.1 Psychological approaches that can be applied to
crime and the legal system 4
1.2 The forensic psychologist in his/her clinical role 6
1.3 The forensic psychologist in his/her experimental
role 7
1.4 Brussel’s profile of the New York City ‘Mad Bomber’ 8
1.5 Psychological autopsy report 9
6.1 The Narborough Inquiry 81
6.2 A fictional case study 83
6.3 Two major approaches to offender profiling 84
6.4 Canter’s approach to profiling: ‘The Railway Rapist’ 90
7.1 Summary of research into the effects of misleading
questions 110
7.2 An example of a face reconstructed by a witness
using identikit and photofit techniques 114
7.3 The four stages of the cognitive interview 117
8.1 Some examples of two-part contrasts and three-
part lists 125
8.2 Stereotypes of criminals and non-criminals 132
8.3 Characteristics of genuine and false accounts of
sexual abuse using child witnesses 136
xiii
FIGURES AND TABLES
Tables
1.1 Coverage of the different A-level specifications
in this book 10
4.1 Thinking errors in Yochelson and Samenow’s
‘criminal personality’ 54
4.2 Levels and stages of moral development in
Kohlberg’s theory 56
5.1 Inhibitors and facilitators of effective communication
in interviews 69
5.2 Interrogation techniques 71
5.3 Police interview tactics 73
5.4 Types of false confession 75
5.5 Important factors in assessing the reliability of
confessions 76
6.1 Organised and disorganised murderers 85
6.2 Different types of rapist 87
7.1 Ways in which witnesses may assist the police 96
8.1 Comparison of adversarial and inquisitorial trial
procedures 122
8.2 Summary of the Yale Model of persuasion 124
8.3 Stages in jury decision making 129
8.4 Group processes which may affect jury decisions 130
xiv
Acknowledgements
xv
1
Introduction
1
PSYCHOLOGY AND CRIME
2
INTRODUCTION
3
PSYCHOLOGY AND CRIME
Figure 1.1 Psychological approaches that can be applied to crime and the
legal system
4
INTRODUCTION
Forensic psychology
There is some debate over what the term forensic psychology actually
refers to. It has been taken by some to refer to clinical psychologists
who primarily work with offenders. This is not surprising when it is
considered that a substantial number of people who call themselves
forensic psychologists are clinical psychologists working in the prison
and probation services and in special hospitals (Blackburn 1996). In
this capacity they may be involved in the assessment and treatment
of particular types of offender, for example, sex offenders. They may
also play a role in assessing the risks that may be involved when an
offender is released. The Committee on Ethical Guidelines for Forensic
Psychologists (1991) defines forensic psychology as: