Handbook

This course provides an introduction to forensic psychology – the application of psychological knowledge to issues related to the legal system. The course will follow an offender through the criminal justice system, from the offence and pre-trial right through to court, conviction, punishment, sentencing, and finally to treatment and release. Some of the topics covered include: theories of offending, punishment, eyewitness memory, mental health assessments, expert evidence, jury decision making, the effectiveness of treatment programs for offenders, mental illness and offending, and the rehabilitation of offenders. Students will observe court, where they will get first-hand experience of the criminal justice system in action. On completion of the course students will have an appreciation of some of the ways psychologists interact with and can contribute to the criminal justice system. This is a fully online course. All course content and assessment is delivered via Moodle. No prior science or psychology knowledge is required.