Overview
Forensic Psychology is the area of behavioural science concerned with psychology and the law. In this unit, you will discuss how psychological principles and practices can be applied to topics such as personality and crime, suspect interviewing, pathways to offending, courtroom practices and witness reliability, understanding criminal behaviour, mental competency, and justice. You will also discuss general psychological principles as they relate to the legal systems within Australia and other countries as well as specific case studies.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
96 credit points
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 2 - 2024
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure - International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback - Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Personal reflection.
The current marking criteria and associated rubric for the end-of-term take-home test need to be clearer.
The Unit Coordinator will review the marking criteria for the end-of-term take-home test to ensure it is clear.
Feedback from Student unit teaching evaluations.
Students requested a more detailed rubric for the group assessment.
The Unit Coordinator will review the marking rubric for the group assessment task to ensure it is clear and at an appropriate level of detail.
- Describe the similarities and differences underlying the disciplines of psychology and the legal system.
- Describe and critically evaluate how psychological theory and research have been applied to the legal system.
- Identify challenges that psychologists face when interacting with the legal system.
This unit addresses Foundational Competencies as specified by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and specifically aligns to:
1.1 Comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including the following topics: (i) the history and philosophy underpinning the science of psychology and the social, cultural, historical and professional influences on the practice of psychology; (ii) individual differences in capacity, behaviour and personality; (iv) psychological disorders and evidence-based interventions; (xi) culturally appropriate psychological assessment and measurement.
1.2 Apply knowledge and skills of psychology in a manner that is reflexive, culturally appropriate and sensitive to the diversity of individuals
1.3 Analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate these in written and oral formats.
1.4 Demonstrate an understanding of appropriate values and ethics in psychology.
1.5 Demonstrate interpersonal skills and teamwork.
1.6 Demonstrate self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Group Work - 40% | |||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 45% | |||
| 3 - Online Test - 15% | |||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | |||
| 2 - Problem Solving | |||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | |||
| 4 - Information Literacy | |||
| 5 - Team Work | |||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | |||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | |||
| 8 - Ethical practice | |||
| 9 - Social Innovation | |||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||
Textbooks
Forensic Psychology: Crime, Justice, Law, Interventions
4th edition (2024)
Authors: Davies, Graham M., Beech, Anthony, R., and Colloff, Melissa, F. (Eds).
John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Brisbane Brisbane , Queensland , Australia
ISBN: E-Book ISBN: 978-1-119-89202-1 Print ISBN: 978-1-119-89200-7
Binding: eBook
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
r.wilcoxson@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
The Intersection of Psychology and Law
Chapter
Nolan, M., & Goodman-Delahunty, J. (2015). Introduction. In M. Nolan & J. Goodman-Delahunty, Legal psychology in Australia (pp. 1-28). Thomas Reuters.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Risk Assessment
Chapter
Beech, A. R. & Hatcher, R. M. (2024). Risk assessment. In Davies, G. M., Beech, A. R., & Colloff, M. F. (Eds). Forensic psychology: Crime, justice, law, interventions (4th Ed.) (pp. 539 - 568). John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Offender Profiling
Chapter
Woodhams, J., Tonkin, M., & Burrell, A. (2024). Offender profiling and crime linkage. In G. M. Davies, A. R. Beech, & M. F. Colloff (Eds). Forensic psychology: Crime, justice, law, interventions (4th Ed.) (pp. 313 - 336). John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Psychopathy
Chapter
Gillespie, S. M., & Garofalo, C. (2024). Psychopathy. In G. M. Davies, A. R. Beech, & M. F. Colloff (Eds). Forensic psychology: Crime, justice, law, interventions (4th Ed.) (pp. 78 - 102). John Wiley & Sons.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Mental Disorder and Law
Chapter
Nolan, M., & Goodman-Delahunty, J. (2015). Mental disorder and law. In M. Nolan & J. Goodman-Delahunty, Legal psychology in Australia (pp. 155 - 219). Thomas Reuters.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Vacation week
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Personality Disorders & Offending
Chapter
McMurran, M., & Howard, R. (2019). Personality disorders and offending. In The Wiley international handbook of correctional psychology (pp. 265 - 281). John Wiley & Sons.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Interviewing and Interrogation
Chapter
Nolan, M., & Goodman-Delahunty, J. (2015). Investigative interviewing. In M. Nolan & J. Goodman-Delahunty, Legal psychology in Australia (pp. 89 - 126). Thompson Reuters.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Eyewitness Evidence
Chapter
Colloff, M. F., Lowe, H. D., & Bennett, T. C. (2024). Eyewitness evidence. In G. M. Davies, A. R. Beech, & M. F. Colloff (Eds). Forensic psychology: Crime, justice, law, interventions (4th Ed.) (pp. 199 - 232). John Wiley & Sons.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Interpersonal Violence and Stalking
Chapter
Dixon, L., & Bowen, E. (2024). Interpersonal violence and stalking. In Davies, G. M., Beech, A. R., and Colloff, M. F. (Eds). Forensic psychology: Crime, justice, law, interventions (4th Ed.) (pp. 337 - 366). John Wiley & Sons.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Children in the Criminal Justice System
Chapter
Nolan, M., & Goodman-Delahunty, J. (2015). Children in the criminal justice system. In M. Nolan & J. Goodman-Delahunty, Legal psychology in Australia, (pp. 221 - 261). Thomas Reuters.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Detecting Deception
Chapter
Granhag, P. A. & Hartwig, M. (2024). Detecting deception. In G. M. Davies, A. R. Beech, & M. F. Colloff (Eds). Forensic psychology: Crime, justice, law, interventions (4th Ed.) (pp. 289 - 312). John Wiley & Sons.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Miscarriages of Justice
Chapter
Dioso-Villa, R., Julian, R., Kebbell, M., Weathered, L. & Westera, N. (2016). Investigation to exoneration: A systemic review of wrongful conviction in Australia. Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 28(2), 157-172.
Stratton, G., & Sigamoney, A. (2020). Why we don’t see race: How Australia has overlooked race as an influence on miscarriages of justice. Race and Justice, 1- 16.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Group Work
This task involves self-selection to a six-person study group, completing a memorandum of understanding with your group members to determine how the group will operate and the responsibility of members, performing a risk assessment of a real individual (to be advised) and providing a rationale for your chosen risk level and a personal reflection on your contribution to the group.
Group members will collaboratively assess the individual's likelihood of future violence/risk to the community using an HCR-20-V3 form. The HCR-20-V3 is a popular tool used by forensic practitioners to assess the level of risk posed by individuals in the forensic system (Douglas et al., 2013), for example, before a parole hearing. An explanation of the HCR-20-V3 will be provided in week 2. Group members will also provide a brief individual rationale as to the level of risk that was decided on, including their personal opinions on the risk level (i.e., did you agree/disagree with the group on all the chosen items and why?). The group members will also provide a self-reflection on their adherence to the MOU and how their contribution to the group likely affected the group process.
The group will present the HCR form, MOU, rationale, personal opinions on risk level and personal reflection as a pre-recorded Zoom presentation of approximately 60 minutes which is broken down by: approximately 10 minutes to present the HCR form and approximately 5 - 7 minutes of talk time for each member to provide their rationale and personal opinions on the risk level and their reflection on their adherence to the MOU and how their contribution to the group likely affected the group process.
Week 7 Monday (26 Aug 2024) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 10 Monday (16 Sept 2024)
The assignment will be marked according to the following:
Total 40 Marks comprised of:
Group mark (30 marks)
The group submission will be assessed based on:
The appropriate completion of the HCR-20-V3 form, and the memorandum of understanding completion (5 marks)
The coherence and quality of the group rationale provided (10 marks)
The clarity and quality of oral communication skills (5 marks)
The incorporation of relevant weekly readings into the rationales for specific risk assessment scores (10 marks)
Individual mark (10 marks)
The individual mark will be awarded based on the following:
Articulation of areas of agreement and disagreement with the group risk assessment level (5 marks)
Personal reflection on the individual's adherence to the memorandum of understanding and how their contribution to the group likely affected the group process (5 marks)
No submission method provided.
- Describe the similarities and differences underlying the disciplines of psychology and the legal system.
- Identify challenges that psychologists face when interacting with the legal system.
2 Written Assessment
This assessment involves assessing the quality of information provided by generative artificial intelligence (AI) on a forensic psychology topic (this will be provided in week 1) and preparing an essay that provides evidence that supports or disputes the accuracy of the AI report. Only peer-reviewed academic articles, minimum of ten, can be used to prepare the essay. Full details, a grading rubric, and the topic will be provided through Moodle.
The maximum word count is 1500 words.
Week 10 Friday (20 Sept 2024) 5:00 pm AEST
Submit via Moodle
Return via Moodle
Assessment criteria (100 marks)
The required word count is a maximum of 1500 words (excluding the reference list).
Essay (80 marks)
- Introduction (10 marks)
- Presentation of peer-reviewed information regarding the forensic psychology topic (20 marks)
- Comparison of AI information to peer-reviewed information (20 marks)
- Implications of using AI to prepare reports on forensic psychology topics (10 marks)
- Conclusion (10 marks)
- Quality of references (i.e., peer reviewed) (10 marks)
Reference list (10 marks)
- Correct APA format
- Minimum of ten references used
Style/Presentation (10 marks)
- Grammar, spelling, and sentence structure
- Overall readability, the flow of writing
- Adheres to word limit length: maximum of 1500 words (including in-text references but excluding the reference list)
- Describe the similarities and differences underlying the disciplines of psychology and the legal system.
- Describe and critically evaluate how psychological theory and research have been applied to the legal system.
- Identify challenges that psychologists face when interacting with the legal system.
3 Online Test
The end of term online test will consist of ‘long answer' responses (approximately 300 - 400 words; however, you can use less or more if you like) to three questions related to the textbook readings (Forensic Psychology: Crime, justice, law, interventions, 4th Ed.) for the unit. Students will be required to answer all three questions, and the responses to items can be written on Moodle, or if you prefer to write this in Word, then an attachment can be uploaded. Once you open the test you will have two hours to complete it.
Exam Week Monday (14 Oct 2024) 9:00 am AEST
Students will be marked for each of the three short answer questions that are completed. Each question will be worth 10 marks for a total contribution of 40 marks (40% of the overall mark).
Marks for each question (5 possible marks each) will be awarded as follows:
- An excellent response that is factual, extremely well-written and includes a reference to the relevant chapter (5 marks)
- A very good response that is factual, well-written and includes a reference to the relevant chapter (4 marks)
- An adequate response that is mostly factual and or mostly well-written and includes a reference to the relevant chapter (3 marks)
- A limited response that is somewhat lacking in the accuracy of response and or quality of written work and or lacks a reference to the relevant chapter (2 marks)
- A very poor response that is lacking in accuracy and or quality of written work and or lacks a reference to the relevant chapter (1 marks)
- No response or irrelevant response (0 marks)
No submission method provided.
- Describe and critically evaluate how psychological theory and research have been applied to the legal system.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
