Applications of Forensics: Procedures in Criminal Law
Code: 44454 ECTS Credits: 9| Degree | Type | Year | Semester |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4317571 Legal and Forensic Psychology | OB | 0 | A |
Contact
- Name:
- Judit Castellà Mate
- Email:
- judit.castella@uab.cat
Use of Languages
- Principal working language:
- spanish (spa)
Other comments on languages
Some materials and bibliography could be in EnglishTeachers
- Leonor Maria Cantera Espinosa
- Manuel Casado Gómez
- Elena Garrido Gaitán
- Rocio Pina Ríos
External teachers
- Alba Pérez
- Ismael Loinaz
- Jordi Obiols
- Josep Ramón Juárez
Prerequisites
Not required.
Objectives and Contextualisation
In this module we will work on areas of forensic application, providing students with specific concepts in the criminal field: mental state of the defendant, forensic psychopathology, toxic addiction, child sexual abuse, gender victimization (sexual and partner), criminal profiling, prediction of violence, counseling and ratification, sexual and gender-based harassment.
Competences
- Identify the areas in which forensic expert valuation and psychological advisory support are applied and analyse their functioning in criminal, civil, family and employment law.
- Organise and plan activities in order to achieve professional goals.
- That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
Learning Outcomes
- Analyse in a reasoned manner the differential issues in the areas of application of forensic expertise and psychological counselling and its operation within the judicial framework of criminal, civil, family and employment law.
- Organise and plan activities in order to achieve professional goals.
- That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
Content
The following topics will be covered in this Module:
- Defendant's mental state: Forensic psychopathology. Relationship with criminal liability. Accountability and responsibility. Volitional and cognitive abilities. Drug addiction. Main alterations caused by drugs. Forensic relevance. Psychological interpretation of the effects, alteration of intellectual capacity.
- Bullying. School bullying process. Characteristics of the aggressor and victims. Assessment.
- Judicial statement. Analysis of declaration systems. The importance of the statement in the forensic framework. Simulation detection. Analysis of consistency between statements.
- Psycholinguistic techniques. Lie detection. Psychophysiological, verbal and behavioral aspects of lie detection. The analysis of the content of statements.
- Forensic Psychopathology: Personality, Psychopathology and Mental Health, areas of application (toxicology, victimology, dementia, child and adult psychopathology).
- Assessment of sexual abuse: general evaluation process. Legal purpose. Limitations on its forensic criminal use. General framework. Process description. Assessment and indicators of child abuse and behavior. Obtention of indicators techniques. Forensic relevance.
- Violence and juvenile delinquency, parental violence, group delinquency
- Assessment of adult victimization: psychosocial consequences. Concept of criminal victimization. Aftermath of a criminal act. Evaluation procedures. Main consequences in the forensic criminal field. Assessment and diagnosis systems.
- Prediction of violent behavior. Studies on the prediction of violence. Bio-psycho-social conceptualization. Detection processes. The security of the evaluator.
- Forensic advice: advice from lawyers and selection of jurors. General framework. Process description. Problems in the counseling process.
- Gender-based violence: general aspects. Theories on gender violence (couple and sexual). Cycle of violence. Effects on victims. Assessment of aggressors in the context of marriage and sex. Methods of analysis of partner violence. Content analysis. Alternative Criminal Measure.
- Sexual harassment: general aspects. Sequential process of sexual harassment. Types of stalker. Effects on victims. Methods of analyzing sexual harassment.
Methodology
Methodology consists of several teaching methods:
- Master classes.
- Problem solving classes / cases / exercises.
- Practices sessions.
- Problem-based learning.
- Tutorials.
- Essay writing.
- Personal study.
- Practical activities.
- Reading of articles or reports of interest.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Activities
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Master classes, practice sessions and problem solving | 60 | 2.4 | 1, 3 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Tutorials | 15 | 0.6 | 3 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Essay writing and study | 150 | 6 | 2 |
Assessment
A continuous assessment will be carried out, measured through three assessment evidences.
The final mark of the module will range between 0 and 10. A student passes the subject if in the weighted average of the different evidences has a score equal or higher than 5, being 4 the minimum mark for each evidence for weighting purposes.
The continuous evaluation will consist of 3 evidences:
-Delivery of reports (40% of the final grade). In pairs.
-Oral communication (30% of the final grade). Individual.
-Practical tests (30% of the final grade). Group.
ASSESSMENT REMARKS:
- If copying is detected during an exam, it will be automatically failed without the possibility of resit. In case of plagiarism in papers/reports, the option of direct fail will be considered.
- Students who do NOT deliver all the evidence will NOT pass the subject
- Once the subject has been passed (grade ≥ 5), NO additional procedures can be established to improve the final grade.
Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral communication | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3 |
| Practice work | 30 | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3 |
| Written essay | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1, 2, 3 |
Bibliography
As the subject is composed of diverse content, the lecturers will provide specific and selected bibliography for each of the areas and topics covered.
Software
Moodle platform.