Question
Assignment 1: Conclusions and Predictions
In the last two modules, you were involved in reviewing your classmates’ work and providing constructive feedback on their papers and their Microsoft PowerPoint presentations.
In this assignment, you will draw conclusions from the entire body of work represented by the research papers and make predictions in the forensic psychology field.
For this assignment, consider the seminar papers and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations that you have reviewed and your own research paper.
On the basis of these research papers and presentations, present what you have learned. Your presentation should be in terms of specific conclusions that you might draw about the dimensions of forensic psychology and the ramifications for forensic psychology services. Describe how the conclusions and knowledge obtained from these papers and presentations will affect the state of practice in one area in the field of forensic psychology over the next ten years. To do this, take what you have learned from these research papers and infer generic themes and factors pertinent to a field of practice. For example, one paper might be about apples and another about oranges. We do not mix apples and oranges, but apples and oranges are both fruit, are edible, bear seeds, grow on trees, etc.
In the field of forensic psychology, research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and victims of violence might have a major impact on preventing burnout among criminal justice personnel at the same time. So although the papers reviewed may seem very different, their results and conclusions may have an important impact on one of the following fields of forensic practice: Law enforcement Community corrections Jails and prisons Offender or victim treatment Offender assessment or evaluation Professional ethics in forensic services Etiology of criminal behavior Public policy Prevention Post an analysis in a minimum of 500–600 words.
Sample paper
Drawing Conclusions and Predictions
One of the emerging themes from these papers is the issue of rehabilitation programs and their efficacy in reducing recidivism rates. This is in the category of offender assessment or evaluation. Offender assessment or evaluation systems are designed to identify and make classifications relating to the risk of re-offending. Offender assessment and evaluation systems also examine the risk of causing serious harm, to either self or others. The research paper by Nadia examines the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs in reducing recidivism rates in prison. The major them is that various rehabilitation programs in prisons lower the rate of recidivism among offenders. The research paper by Jazmin examines the application of correctional psychology practice in reducing the risk of recidivism. Correctional psychology involves various activities such as assessing offender risk, developing therapy sessions, catastrophe interventions, and others aimed at reducing recidivism.
My research paper explores the impact of interrogation tactics and suspect characteristics on false confession rates in the criminal justice system. The conclusions I have made is that there are significantly high incidences of false confessions especially among the youths. Aggressive interrogation tactics are the major cause of false confessions especially among the youth. These interrogation tactics combined with mental health issues and certain personalities improve the susceptibility of an individual to false confessions. These conclusions have a significant impact in offender assessment and evaluation. The study conclusions can enable law enforcement officers to identify innocent individuals who have nonetheless receive wrongful convictions.
Another emerging theme concerns the approach applied by law enforcement officials in dealing with offenders. Taking a punitive approach does not help since it increases the risk of recidivism. As Jazmin concludes, the increase in application of punitive approach in the criminal justice system worsens the recidivism rates. The criminal justice system should take a therapeutic approach in helping offenders reform their criminal behaviours. The research paper by Nadia defines rehabilitation as the application of therapeutic procedures, counselling, and vocational training to help shape the offenders’ behaviour. The goals or incarceration and rehabilitation are not to punish the offender but to help them to reintegrate back into the society especially after the end of their sentence. Rehabilitation aims at ensuring that the offender is not a danger to self or to other individuals in the community. These themes are critical in offender assessment or evaluation.
An emerging ramification of these studies is the need to enlist the services of qualified forensic psychologists in conducting offender assessment or evaluations. Majority of law enforcement officers hold the notion that they can accurately tell whether a suspect is lying or telling the truth (Kassin, Drizin, Grisso, Gudjonsson, Leo, & Redlich, 2010;2009;). As I note in my research, most of the times the law enforcement officers often make the wrong assumptions. The papers highlight the increasing need to rely on forensic psychologists who can evaluate offenders with a higher degree of accuracy. While conducting offender assessment or evaluations, there is, need to enlist trained professionals who can be able to conduct the assessments accurately. Correctional psychologists are also valuable in providing psychotherapeutic as well as medical services to offenders. The predictions from these papers is that there will be increased reliance on the services of forensic psychologists in the criminal justice system, and in the coming decade.
Reference
Kassin, S. M., Drizin, S. A., Grisso, T., Gudjonsson, G. H., Leo, R. A., & Redlich, A. D. (2010;2009;). Police-induced confessions: Risk factors and recommendations. Law and Human Behavior, 34(1), 3-38. doi:10.1007/s10979-009-9188-6
