For your Final Project, you will select three case studies from the Final Project Case Studies document located in this week’s Learning Resources. Each case study exemplifies a different type of offender (e.g., juvenile offender, sex offender, violent offender, family violence offender, white-collar criminal).
For each case, you will take on the role of a forensic psychology professional who has been asked to conduct a case analysis of criminal behavior for a trial defense team. You have been asked to focus on the type of crime, relevant criminological theory, the offender’s behavior, and factors that may have led to the behavior. Your case analysis will leverage the defense in court.
Note: Your Week 2 and 4 Assignments and your Week 3 Discussion may inform your Final Project.
*Assignment
For each of the three cases you selected, complete the following:
- Describe key aspects of the case.
- Evaluate whether developmental risk factors and correlates of criminal behavior influence criminal behavior. Explain your rationale. (Apply learning from the Week 2 Assignment.)
- Evaluate if the crime(s) presented should be categorized as expressive or instrumental. Explain your rationale. (Apply learning from the Week 3 Discussion.)
- Evaluate whether the offender is a criminal. Explain your rationale.
- Apply a specific theoretical approach to the criminal behaviors displayed. (Apply learning from the Week 4 Assignment.)
Note: While assessment is an important part of the work that forensic psychology professionals complete, be aware that you will not be conducting forensic assessments of the offenders in the case studies you select for the Final Project.
Present your Final Project in one of the following ways:
Option 1: Written Paper
Write a 10- to 12-page paper (not including references, title page, or abstract). Your paper must include a minimum of 10 scholarly references (not including Learning Resources from the course). User-created websites, such as Wikipedia, will not be accepted as scholarly sources. Your paper must be in Word, double spaced, and APA formatted. Use the APA 7 Course Paper Template to complete your paper.
OR
Option 2: PowerPoint Presentation With Written Summary
Create an 20- to 25-slide PowerPoint presentation, accompanied by a separate 3- to 4-page written summary (not including references, title page, or abstract). Your presentation must include a minimum of 10 scholarly references (not including Learning Resources from the course). User-created websites, such as Wikipedia, will not be accepted as scholarly sources. Your presentation should demonstrate proficiency in the use of PowerPoint. Use the PowerPoint Template found in this week’s Learning Resources to complete your presentation. Your summary must be in Word, double spaced, and APA formatted. Use the APA 7 Course Paper Template to complete your summary.