Forensic Psychology

Official statistics record far fewer assaults than a national victim survey reports for the same year. Explain this difference and what it shows.

1. 01Identify the gap

   The victim survey reports more assaults than the official statistics record - a large discrepancy.

2. 02Explain the dark figure

   Many assaults are never reported to the police (through fear, embarrassment or distrust) or are not recorded, so official statistics miss them - the 'dark figure' of crime.

3. 03Draw the conclusion

   Victim surveys capture some of these unreported crimes, so they give a fuller estimate; the difference shows official statistics underestimate the true crime rate.

Result: The gap reflects the dark figure of unreported crime, showing official statistics underestimate the true rate.

A series of linked burglaries cluster in one area of a city. Explain how the bottom-up approach would use this pattern.

1. 01Identify the technique

   Geographical profiling (part of the bottom-up approach) analyses the locations of linked crimes to infer where the offender is based.

2. 02Apply the marauder assumption

   Offenders often operate within a familiar 'comfort zone', so a marauder is likely to be based near the centre of the cluster of crimes.

3. 03State the investigative use

   Investigators can therefore concentrate the search in the central 'jeopardy surface' of the cluster, narrowing the area and the pool of suspects.

Result: The crime cluster points to a central base, so geographical profiling narrows the search to that area.

Brain scans show reduced prefrontal activity in a sample of violent offenders. Explain what this might suggest and one reason for caution.

1. 01State the finding

   Violent offenders showed reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex compared with controls.

2. 02Draw the inference

   Because the prefrontal cortex controls impulses and planning, reduced activity there could contribute to impulsive, poorly controlled violence.

3. 03Note the caution

   The evidence is correlational and the brain difference could result from a criminal lifestyle (e.g. head injury, drug use) rather than cause the offending, so causation cannot be assumed.

Result: Reduced prefrontal activity may contribute to impulsive violence, but the correlational evidence cannot establish cause.

A young person raised among family and friends who approve of and are skilled at shoplifting begins shoplifting themselves. Explain this using differential association theory.

1. 01State the theory's claim

   Differential association says offending is learned from the attitudes and techniques favourable to crime that a person is exposed to in their social groups.

2. 02Apply to the exposure

   The young person is surrounded by attitudes favourable to shoplifting and learns the techniques from family and friends.

3. 03Explain the outcome

   Because they are exposed to more pro-crime than anti-crime attitudes, they learn to see shoplifting as acceptable and acquire the skills, so they take it up - crime learned like any other behaviour.

Result: Exposure to pro-crime attitudes and techniques leads the young person to learn shoplifting, as differential association predicts.

A young offender whose crimes are driven by poorly controlled anger, and whose victim is willing to meet them, is being considered for a rehabilitation programme. Recommend an approach and justify it.

1. 01Match the cause to the method

   Because the offending is driven by poorly controlled anger, anger management directly targets the cognitive triggers and teaches control techniques over three stages.

2. 02Add restorative justice

   As the victim is willing, a restorative-justice meeting could help the offender understand the impact of their crime and take responsibility, addressing the harm done.

3. 03Justify over custody alone

   Both tackle the causes of the behaviour and the harm to the victim, which custodial sentencing alone (with its high recidivism and institutionalisation) does not, so they are more likely to reduce reoffending.

Result: Anger management plus restorative justice addresses the cause of the offending and the harm to the victim better than custody alone.