Assignment:
Module title: Forensic Psychology
Word count limit: 3000 words
General Guidance:
Your assignment should be word processed (handwritten assignments are not accepted), using Times New Roman size 12 font, double spaced, with numbered pages and your student number printed as a footer on every page.
The word limit stated for this assignment excludes the reference list at the end of the assignment but includes all text in the main body of the assignment (including direct quotations, in-text citations, and tables). Tables and figures should not be included within your text but separately as an Appendix.
Please be aware that exceeding the word count limit will affect the academic judgement of the piece of work and may result in the award of a lower mark.
Appendices are not considered a supplement, and thus, will not be assessed as part of the content of the assignment. As such, they will not contribute to the grade awarded; however, it may be appropriate to use an Appendices section for any material which is a useful reference for the reader. Please note that appendices are not included in the word count.
The majority of references should come from primary sources (e.g., journal articles, conference papers, reports, etc.) although you can also utilize area specific textbooks. You must ensure that you use the APA style of referencing.
Please indicate the word count length at the end of your assignment.
No Student Will Be Allowed To Collect Any Primary Data
Learning outcomes assessed in this assessment
1. Critically analyse a range of current real-world forensic psychology issues
2. Develop and critically evaluate a number of potential solutions to current issues
3. Critically apply psychological, criminal justice, policing and criminological knowledge and theories to real-world forensic psychology problems
4. Critically review interventions in forensic psychology
Assessment Guidelines:
Report Topic: Criminal court case analysis
The responsibilities and duties of forensic psychologists place them in various settings ranging from the court system to law enforcement agencies and from correctional institutions to medical treatment facilities. For this assessment, imagine you are a forensic psychologist acting as an advisor to a court in a particular criminal case (for example Curtis Flowers). You can either pick
Flowers' case or choose any other criminal court case. Your chosen case can be either from your country or anywhere in the World providing you can access and describe some relevant details about it. Your task is to apply recent psychological research and theory to illustrate how the reviewed case would benefit from psychological knowledge (e.g., research into eyewitness testimony's confidence and accuracy, theories of criminal behaviors, risk assessment). You can choose to focus on any topic relevant to the course. Based on your literature research, you would also provide at least one recommendation that could improve legal outcomes and reduce the possibility of wrongful convictions. Need Assignment Help?
Suggested structure:
Introduction - one or two paragraphs outlining the main focus of your written work.
Court Case - this section should present some key information about your chosen criminal case.
For example, information about the offender, information about the victim(s), legal issues, court verdict (if available).
Psychological Literature Review - This is your main section, and you should aim to discuss recent psychological research and theory relevant to your topic. This psychological knowledge must be applied to your criminal case. You can consider whether witnesses were credible, or whether the offender was fit to stand trial, or whether court ruling corresponds with what psychologists know about criminal behaviors.
Conclusion - Here you should provide a concluding paragraph summarizing your main points and discuss the potential avenues for future research
Suggested steps:
- Identify and define the topics that you would like to review
- Conduct a literature search
- Research the topic thoroughly (including both classical and recent publications)
- Ensure that you draw on all relevant psychological literature
- Both theoretical and empirical
- Rely on primary sources
- Reader through the research that you have found and take notes
- Organize your notes and thoughts; create an outline
- Write the literature review
- Support your arguments with evidence
- Ensure that you take a critical approach, rather than descriptive
- Edit and revise as needed
Application of Psychology to the Court Case
Detailed description and understanding of key psychological theories and/or constructs
- Critical assessment and synthesis of relevant psychological literature
- Evidence of wider reading around the topic to support discussion with a balance of seminal and contemporary reference sources
- Clear focus on answering the question
- A coherent structure to the report, presenting a concise argument supported by examples from relevant psychological literature