Assignment task:
Overview:
The final project for this course is the creation of an executive summary report. You will write a summary, conduct a crime assessment, and create a profile of a criminal. You will then develop a conclusion and consider the investigative use of the information you have compiled. Criminal psychology encompasses a wide range of information about someone which can be drawn together, synthesized, and written into a format used by the criminal justice system prior to an arrest. Typically, criminal psychologists are called upon to provide advice and consultation when the crimes are not straightforward. Law enforcement officers are experts at tracking data and looking for crime-related clues to help them solve a case. However, when they need assistance determining who a criminal is, or what a criminal's motivation might be-in a predictive sense-they rely on the capabilities of professionals who are versed both in criminology and psychology.
A criminal profile emerges as data comes together. This is not the same as the information you see on the news; rather, it is a comprehensive look at the biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors that make a person unique to a criminal case. Some of the information is based on empirical data and some is based on educated assumptions made by the criminal psychologist.
In this executive summary report, you will look at a variety of factors and work to answer the question "who is this person?" You will examine criminal statistics, lifestyle, upbringing, medical and mental health information, along with a range of other information, that will help you answer the "who, what, when, where, and why" of your chosen case. It will be your job to draw from your previous education and training to learn how to understand what information is relevant to your case. There is no piece of information that is too small to help you build the mosaic of how past activity can help predict future activity. Your profile will be thorough, addressing all of the areas and questions above for the aim of assisting investigators to understand the criminal and his or her motivations and motives as well as the risk of the criminal activity continuing in the future. Through prompts and independent research outside of the text, you'll peer into the world of investigative profiling.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
- Assess biological, developmental, and environmental factors to determine the impact on criminal behavior
- Apply relevant psychological theories to criminal behavior in order to analyze motivation
- Apply psychological methods to the development of a psychological profile that synthesizes relevant data
- Determine appropriate intervention strategies related to criminal behavior supported by psychological theory and research
Prompt
You will complete an executive summary report that includes criminal and psychological aspects of a particular crime to inform the executive team in order to prevent or intervene in criminal behavior. You may choose one of the following three scenarios to complete your final project:
1. White Collar Crime
2. Serial Murder
3. Domestic Terror