One
of the roles of a forensic psychologist is to complete mental health
assessments. Criminal behavior may have many origins, and mental health
assessment offers one way to identify neurological and psychological
factors that may be applied to specific circumstances. There’s been a
long history of applying different forms of the “insanity defense” in
criminal cases as well as considering one’s competency to stand trial.
Mental health discussions arise for many reasons in criminal cases. In
this first assessment, you will explore the use of mental health
assessments in a particular situation as well consider how ethics
influence such assessment.
Step 1: Choose one of the following topics:
Assessing offenders for competency to stand trial.
Assessing offenders for potential insanity defense.
Assessing offenders for mental health issues for other reasons.
Step 2: Please read the articles in the Assessment 1: Research section of your reading list.
Step 3: Use the Psychology Ethics
resource to read about ethics that can apply to the assessment of
offenders. Consider the implications of Section 2, Competence, and
Section 9, Assessment, in relation to using the DSM-5-TR for forensic psychology work.
Step 4: Then look in the Capella University Library for peer-reviewed journal article(s) on the reliability and validity of mental health assessments and measures.
Using the APA Style Paper Template [DOCX], write a paper that includes the following:
Discuss the purpose of behavioral or mental health assessment in forensic psychology.
Provide examples of when assessments would be used concerning your topic.
Describe what forensic psychologists do with the results of tests and measures concerning your topic.
Discuss the reliability and validity of tests and measures.
Indicate how you decide if a test or measure is reliable and valid.
Describe how to determine if the test or measure is appropriate to
the individual and the mental health diagnosis concerning your chosen
topic.
Discuss the APA ethical code of conduct considerations that impact assessment in forensic psychology.
Provide examples related to the topic you chose of those ethics in action.
Be sure you review the Assessment in Forensic Psychology scoring guide to ensure that you have met all the criteria for this assessment.
Your paper should meet the following requirements:
Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to the Evidence and APA style and formatting standards.
References: At least five references—your textbook, the APA Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, and three peer-reviewed journal articles. Note: You can use sources from the sources provided in your reading list.
Length of paper: 3–5 pages.
Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your
proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide
criteria:
Competency 2: Apply reliability and validity and generalizability to research findings and assessments.
Describe the purpose of assessment in forensic psychology.
Describe the reliability and validity of assessments.
Competency 3: Apply psychological ethical principles to forensic psychology.
Apply ethical principles to forensic psychology assessments.
Competency 4: Apply information literacy skills to problems in forensic psychology.
Apply evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles.
Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly,
professional, and consistent with expectations for professionals in the
field of psychology.
Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors.
Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating
appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Resources:
Text Book:
Criminal Behavior, 12th Edition
ISBN: 9780135618813
By: Curt R. Bartol; Anne M. Bartol
Theoretical Perspectives on Criminal Behavior
Read the following chapter in your Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach textbook.
Chapter 1 discusses three of the main theoretical perspectives of
criminal behavior—sociological, psychological, and psychiatric. Each of
these perspectives has a variety of different theories that you will
find useful throughout this course.
Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2021). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach (12th ed.). Pearson. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
Chapter 1, “Introduction to Criminal Behavior.”
Overrepresentation of Populations
Use the following section of your reading
list to read the articles on overrepresentation of minority populations
within the criminal justice system.
Assessment 1: Overrepresentation of Populations.
Human Aggression and Violence
Read the following chapter in your Criminal Behavior textbook for an introduction to the topic of human aggression and violence.
Chapter 5, “Human Aggression and Violence.”
Psychopathy
In your Criminal Behavior textbook, read Chapter 7 to explore psychopathic traits, tendencies, and origins.
Chapter 7, “Psychopathy.”
You will find this chapter useful as you think about the work that
is done with children—pay particular attention to the discussion of
juvenile psychopathy.
Does Mental Illness Impact Involvement in Crime?
In your Criminal Behavior textbook,
review Chapter 8 to explore the potential relationships between crime
and mental disorders and to learn more about prevalence, defenses, and
assessment.
Chapter 8, “Crime and Mental Disorders.”
In the following section of your reading list, please read Sullivan’s
article to learn about the importance of reliability and validity when
assessing mental health.
Assessment 1: Reliability and Validity.
Then view the following media to learn more on the topic,
specifically looking at related terminology and assessment methods of
reliability.
Reliability and Validity.
Use the following section of your reading list to access the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct and read Section 2, Competence, and Section 9, Assessment.
Psychology Ethics.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Access the following section of your reading list to read the two
articles to understand the relationship between mental health evaluation
and the criminal justice system.
Assessment 1: Research.
Assessments
For information on specific assessments, use the following database.
Database Guide: PsycTESTS.
Library Help
Use this resource for additional help.
Finding Scholarly Psychology Articles in the Library.
Bachelor’s in Psychology Library Research Guide.
Scroll to the Ask a Librarian tab at the bottom of the left navigation for library help.
Assessment in Forensic Psychology Scoring Guide- Must Meet Distinguished Criteria.
Criteria Non-performance Basic Proficient Distinguished
Describe the purpose of assessment in forensic psychology. Does not identify or describe the purpose of assessment in forensic psychology. Identifies but does not describe the purpose of assessment in forensic psychology. Describes the purpose of assessment in forensic psychology. Describes the purpose of assessment in forensic psychology using examples of assessment use related to a specific topic.
Describe the reliability and validity of assessments. Does not identify or describe the reliability and validity of assessments. Identifies but does not describe the reliability and validity of assessments. Describes the reliability and validity of assessments. Describes the reliability and validity of assessments including
clear criteria for determining an assessment is reliable and valid.
Apply ethical principles to forensic psychology assessments. Does not describe or apply ethical principles to forensic psychology assessments. Describes but does not apply ethical principles to forensic psychology assessments. Applies ethical principles to forensic psychology assessments. Applies ethical principles to forensic psychology assessments using examples.
Apply evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles. Does not apply evidence from peer-reviewed journal articles. Applies evidence from one peer-reviewed journal article. Applies evidence from peer-reviewed articles. Applies evidence from three or more peer-reviewed journal articles.
Use APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors. Does not use citations or have a reference list. Uses APA style formatting for citations and reference list but has major errors. Uses APA style formatting for citations and reference list with only minor errors. Uses APA style formatting for citations with no errors and a reference list with no more than minor errors.
Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating
appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences. Does not respond to the assessment prompt or does not organize text
appropriately, uses inappropriate tone, or does not include structurally
sound sentences. Addresses the assessment purpose with minimal issues related to evidence, tone, and sentence structure. Addresses assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating
appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences. Presents a focused purpose through strong organizational skills.
Presents evidence through strong paraphrasing and summarizing, as well
as appropriate tone and sentence structure.

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