INTRODUCTION:
One of the roles of a forensic psychologist is to complete mental health assessments. Criminal behavior may have many origins, and mental health assessment offers one way to identify neurological and psychological factors that may be applied to specific circumstances. There's been a long history of applying different forms of the “insanity defense” in criminal cases as well as considering one's competency to stand trial. Mental health discussions arise for many reasons in criminal cases. In this first assessment, you will explore the use of mental health assessments in a particular situation as well consider how ethics influence such assessment.
PREPARATION:
Step 1: Choose one of the following topics:
- Assessing offenders for competency to stand trial.
- Assessing offenders for potential insanity defense.
- Assessing offenders for mental health issues for other reasons.
Step 2: Please read the articles in the Assessment 1: Research section of your reading list.
Step 3: Use the Psychology Ethics resource to read about ethics that can apply to the assessment of offenders. Consider the implications of Section 2, Competence, and Section 9, Assessment, in relation to using the DSM-5-TR for forensic psychology work.
Step 4: Then look in the Capella University Library for peer-reviewed journal article(s) on the reliability and validity of mental health assessments and measures.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Using the APA Style Paper Template [DOCX], write a paper that includes the following:
- Discuss the purpose of behavioral or mental health assessment in forensic psychology.
- Provide examples of when assessments would be used concerning your topic.
- Describe what forensic psychologists do with the results of tests and measures concerning your topic.
- Discuss the reliability and validity of tests and measures.
- Indicate how you decide if a test or measure is reliable and valid.
- Describe how to determine if the test or measure is appropriate to the individual and the mental health diagnosis concerning your chosen topic.
- Discuss the APA ethical code of conduct considerations that impact assessment in forensic psychology.
- Provide examples related to the topic you chose of those ethics in action.
Be sure you review the Assessment in Forensic Psychology scoring guide to ensure that you have met all the criteria for this assessment.
REQUIREMENTS:
Your paper should meet the following requirements:
- Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
- APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to the Evidence and APA style and formatting standards.
- References: At least five references—your textbook, the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, and three peer-reviewed journal articles. Note: You can use sources from the sources provided in your reading list.
- Length of paper: 3–5 pages.
- Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
SOURCES:
Theoretical Perspectives on Criminal Behavior
Read the following chapter in your Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach textbook. Chapter 1 discusses three of the main theoretical perspectives of criminal behavior—sociological, psychological, and psychiatric. Each of these perspectives has a variety of different theories that you will find useful throughout this course.
- Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2021). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach (12th ed.). Pearson. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
- Chapter 1, “Introduction to Criminal Behavior.”
Overrepresentation of Populations
Use the following section of your reading list to read the articles on overrepresentation of minority populations within the criminal justice system.
- Assessment 1: Overrepresentation of Populations.
Human Aggression and Violence
Read the following chapter in your Criminal Behavior textbook for an introduction to the topic of human aggression and violence.
- Chapter 5, "Human Aggression and Violence."
Psychopathy
In your Criminal Behavior textbook, read Chapter 7 to explore psychopathic traits, tendencies, and origins.
- Chapter 7, "Psychopathy."
- You will find this chapter useful as you think about the work that is done with children—pay particular attention to the discussion of juvenile psychopathy.
Does Mental Illness Impact Involvement in Crime?
In your Criminal Behavior textbook, review Chapter 8 to explore the potential relationships between crime and mental disorders and to learn more about prevalence, defenses, and assessment.
- Chapter 8, “Crime and Mental Disorders.”
In the following section of your reading list, please read Sullivan's article to learn about the importance of reliability and validity when assessing mental health.
- Assessment 1: Reliability and Validity.
Then view the following media to learn more on the topic, specifically looking at related terminology and assessment methods of reliability.
- Reliability and Validity.
Use the following section of your reading list to access the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct and read Section 2, Competence, and Section 9, Assessment.
- Psychology Ethics.
GRADING COMPETENCIES:
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 2: Apply reliability and validity and generalizability to research findings and assessments.
- Describe the purpose of assessment in forensic psychology.
- Describe the reliability and validity of assessments.
- Competency 3: Apply psychological ethical principles to forensic psychology.
- Apply ethical principles to forensic psychology assessments.
- Competency 4: Apply information literacy skills to problems in forensic psychology.
- Apply evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles.
- Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.
- Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.
- Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.