Final Paper The intersections of Law and Psychology are contingent on the methods and instruments used to exercise and understand the fields. Crime causation, risk factors, research methods, and legal and non-legal actors all play a key role in the success or failure of the legal systems. Through the use of Bruce Sales’ and Daniel Krauss’ book, “The Psychology of Law,” and classroom lecture by Professor Weiner, I have furthered my understanding of these critical components that affect outcomes of cases in the legal field.
Crime Causation Although finding one single cause of crime may be attractive to legal actors and legal systems, there is none. There are multiple factors that are responsible for criminal conduct, some of which we may …show more content…
In the United States, women make up 80% of the victims of domestic abuse. The victims usually suffer from violent assault. Studying the effects and causes of domestic violence can help us figure out ways to decrease victimization. We know that childhood abuse is a risk factor of domestic violence and that the presence of domestic violence adversely impacts the children involved. Preventative methods can be taken in order to avoid these situations, beginning with helping families to raise children who do not normalize domestic violence. Secondary prevention includes programs that can alleviate the tensions in the household and tertiary prevention is to put the offender in jail. There are risk factors associated with the nature of relationships that breed domestic violence. These factors are marital distress, alcohol or drug abuse, age (younger people tend to have more domestic violence issues), lower-income families, and depression in the perpetrator. Again, research allows us to obtain all of this …show more content…
The purpose of research is to reduce this gap and help laypeople understand the law. Plea bargaining and testimonies are two important components in the legal field. A trial usually consists of the primary victim, defendant, the defense, prosecutor, the judge, and secondary victims- the victims and defendant’s family. Unfortunately, the victim is usually left out the equation during the trial and plea bargaining process. Attorneys are supposed to do damage control for their clients, which includes avoiding any self-incrimination. Defendants are given a large amount of responsibility and trust by the courts by assuming that the defendant understands all of the rights associated with their plea bargaining. In the case of defendant, page 122 in the book lists the various rights a defendant is expected to know and understand. Some of these rights include: the right to plead not guilty, to a jury trial, to be represented by a counsel, and the nature of each charge to which the defendant is pleading. The book mentions that defendant characteristics “may have value in understanding juror reactions,” but one cannot generalize or expect the exact same outcome in all trials. The example used is that research demonstrates that defendants who are more attractive receive fewer guilty verdicts and shorter sentences than less attractive defendants. But when attractiveness is part of the crime, these
Crime Causation Although finding one single cause of crime may be attractive to legal actors and legal systems, there is none. There are multiple factors that are responsible for criminal conduct, some of which we may …show more content…
In the United States, women make up 80% of the victims of domestic abuse. The victims usually suffer from violent assault. Studying the effects and causes of domestic violence can help us figure out ways to decrease victimization. We know that childhood abuse is a risk factor of domestic violence and that the presence of domestic violence adversely impacts the children involved. Preventative methods can be taken in order to avoid these situations, beginning with helping families to raise children who do not normalize domestic violence. Secondary prevention includes programs that can alleviate the tensions in the household and tertiary prevention is to put the offender in jail. There are risk factors associated with the nature of relationships that breed domestic violence. These factors are marital distress, alcohol or drug abuse, age (younger people tend to have more domestic violence issues), lower-income families, and depression in the perpetrator. Again, research allows us to obtain all of this …show more content…
The purpose of research is to reduce this gap and help laypeople understand the law. Plea bargaining and testimonies are two important components in the legal field. A trial usually consists of the primary victim, defendant, the defense, prosecutor, the judge, and secondary victims- the victims and defendant’s family. Unfortunately, the victim is usually left out the equation during the trial and plea bargaining process. Attorneys are supposed to do damage control for their clients, which includes avoiding any self-incrimination. Defendants are given a large amount of responsibility and trust by the courts by assuming that the defendant understands all of the rights associated with their plea bargaining. In the case of defendant, page 122 in the book lists the various rights a defendant is expected to know and understand. Some of these rights include: the right to plead not guilty, to a jury trial, to be represented by a counsel, and the nature of each charge to which the defendant is pleading. The book mentions that defendant characteristics “may have value in understanding juror reactions,” but one cannot generalize or expect the exact same outcome in all trials. The example used is that research demonstrates that defendants who are more attractive receive fewer guilty verdicts and shorter sentences than less attractive defendants. But when attractiveness is part of the crime, these