| CODE | CRI3003 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | Psychology of the Courtroom | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Criminology | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The role of the psychologist in a forensic setting calls for highly specific knowledge of the decision-making processes employed throughout the stages of the criminal justice procedure. The inter-connectivity between the investigative processes and the sentencing practices mark a highly important pivot for psychological intervention through the use of specialised assessment methodologies. This ensures that the comprehension of the investigative to sentencing approach remains a human process. The study-unit focus on the players (offenders, professionals, police and courts) and investigates the use of specialised assessment tools. The study-unit will cover the encompassing themes as detailed below: 1. Forensic Assessment and Psychological Testing: a. Risk assessment instruments, tests and tools; b. Risk assessment approaches: LSI-R for community based alternatives such as probation. 2. The Psychologist-Police Interactivity: a. Psychologists supporting police work; b. Psychological research understanding the stress associated with Police 3Work. 3. Reasoning and Decision-Making: a. The Psychology of Reasoning and Decision Making; b. Research findings from studies of Reasoning and Decision Making; c. Reducing errors of judgement. 4. The Psychologist and the Courtroom: a. Jury research; b. Juror decision making; c. The role of the psychologist as expert witness in the Courtroom; d. Preparation of the child witness for the court. 5. Specificities in offender populations: a. Mental illness and crime (Mentally disordered Offenders); b. Learning difficulties and crime; c. Assessment of Psychopathy. Study-unit Aims: - To introduce students to risk assessment instruments, tests and tools; - To review the interactivity between the players (offenders, professionals, police and courts) in a forensic setting; - To investigate the concept of reasoning and decision making; - To introduce the students to jury behaviour; - To introduce the role of the psychologist as expert witness; - To identify the issues pertaining to specificities in offender populations; - To introduce the concept of the child witness in court. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - understand what constitutes specialist-interactivity and how it works; - understand how effective risk assessment instruments, tests and tools can be employed; assessing the risk of re-offending for potential probationers and parolees; - be knowledgeable on the concept of reasoning and human memory based on theories linked to cognitive development; - be knowledgeable on the decision-making processes; a cognitive-behavioural approach; - understand the role of the psychologist with a police setting and within a court setting; as an expert witness, the clinical role and recruitment & training of police officers; - understand the realities of offender population specificities and how the psychologist operates in such settings; - understand the process of child preparation for courtroom testimony, balancing between the rights of children and rights of the defendant. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify risk assessment approaches such as the LSI-R for community based alternatives; - evaluate research findings from studies of reasoning and decision making; - evaluate the role of expert witnesses; - discuss the issues pertaining to learning difficulties and crime; - identify the differences pertaining to the specific offender populations; - identify the rights and needs of children facing the courtroom; - apply theory to a particular context in order to carry out observations of presented scenarios. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Warner, K. & Davis, J. (2012). Using jurors to explore public attitudes to sentencing. British Journal of Criminology, 52, 93-112. - Bullock, K. (2011). The construction and interpretation of risk management technologies in contemporary probation service. British Journal of Criminology, 51, 120-135. - Heaton-Armstrong, A., Wolcover, D., and Shepherd, E. (1999). Problematic Testimony. In A. Heaton-Armstrong, E. Shepherd, and D. Wolchover (Eds.), Analysing Witness Testimony: A Guide for Legal Practitioners and Other Professionals, (pp.335-344). London: Blackstone. - Greene, E., Schooler, J., & Loftus, E.F. (1985). Expert Psychological Testimony. In S.M. Kassin & L.S. - Wrightsman (Eds.), The Psychology of Evidence and Trial Procedure, (pp. 201-226). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. - Mellor, A. & Dent, H.R. (1994). Preparation of the Child Witness for Court. Child Abuse Review, 3, 165-176. - Murray, J. Thomson, M.E., Cooke, D.J. & Charles, K.E. (2011). Influencing expert judgement: attributions of crime causality. Legal and criminological Psychology, 16, 126-143. - Blackburn, R. (1993). Clinical programmes with psychopaths. In K. Howells & C.R. Hollin (Eds.). Clinical approaches to the mentally disordered offender (pp. 179-208). Chichester: Wiley. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Kevin Henwood |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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