This course focuses on the physiological, cognitive, and learning factors involved in criminal behavior from a psychological perspective. This will include an examination of the relationship between mental illness and criminal behavior, especially violent behavior. Information regarding criminal behavior, violence, and mental illness will then be examined in terms of the assessment of risk. Risk assessment has developed as an important avenue for preventing crimes or preventing repeat offenses from an individual perpetrator. In the field of Forensic Psychology, risk assessment is a very important skill.
Prerequisite(s): FORSC 515 Advanced Crime Scene Investigation or FORSC 540 Analytical Sciences as Bases for Forensic Analyses with grades of "B-" or better; Abnormal Psychology, Social Psychology, and Personality Psychology, or permission of the instructor.
FORSC 515 Advanced Crime Scene Investigation (4 hours)
This course focuses on recognizing, protecting, and preserving all prospective physical evidence at a crime scene. Crime scene reconstruction involving the use of the scientific method and classical logic will be discussed. Students will learn about crime scene photography methods, making impressions from imprints, collecting fingerprints and trace evidence, and analyzing and interpreting blood spatter evidence through lectures and hands-on experiences.
Prerequisite(s): FORSC 505 Fundamentals of Crime Scene Investigation, FORSC 506 Fundamentals of Evidence Processing, FORSC 507 Criminal Law and the Law of Evidence, FORSC 508 Medicolegal Death Investigation, FORSC 509 Cold Case Practicum, and FORSC 597 Internship with grades "B-" or better.
FORSC 540 Analytical Sciences as Bases for Forensic Analyses (4 hours)
This course will explore the place of analytical chemical concepts and instrumentation in the robust and dependable identification and quantification of those biological and chemical compounds that are of interest for forensic investigations. The use of statistical techniques, including Bayesian statistics, are examined in the forensic context. Forensic evidence collection and chain-of-custody requirements are examined. Laboratory exercises include familiarization with chromatographic and mass-spectrometric techniques and instruments.
Prerequisite(s): FORSC 505 Fundamentals of Crime Scene Investigation, FORSC 506 Fundamentals of Evidence Processing, FORSC 507 Criminal Law and the Law of Evidence, FORSC 508 Medicolegal Death Investigation, FORSC 509 Cold Case Practicum, and FORSC 597 Internship, with grades of "B-" or better in each course.
