EdX

The Psychology of Criminal Justice (edX)

Offered by University of Queensland, UQx,
The Psychology of Criminal Justice (edX)

Learn how behavioural science can improve our criminal justice system. This course systematically explores the effectiveness of the law and justice system from a psychological perspective. By experiencing a fictional case first hand, you will learn about the psychology of law and some of the misconceptions commonly held about criminal justice.

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What you'll learn:

  • How to identify some of the myths about how the criminal justice system works from a psychological perspective
  • The empirical evidence that can inform our understanding of criminal justice
  • How to improve how justice is administered

Syllabus

Episode 1: Investigating the crime scene
A murder has been committed. In this episode, find out about criminal profiling and how this might be used in investigating the crime.

Episode 2: Interviewing the witnesses
How reliable are eyewitnesses, and how can their memory of the crime be distorted? Learn about the encoding, storage and retrieval of eyewitness memories and ways these can be improved.

Episode 3: Identifying the suspect
Photofits and line-ups are commonly used during crime investigations, and in this episode you will learn about how biases related to these can be recognized and reduced.

Episode 4: Questioning the suspect
How reliable are confessions? Can you identify when someone is lying? In this episode the investigators question the suspect and try to work out who is the guilty party.

Episode 5: Getting ready for trial
The investigators think they have identified the murderer. Who decides whether someone is found guilty or not guilty? Does jury selection work? What part might media coverage play in how the case trial progresses?

Episode 6: The trial (PART 1)
The jury has been selected and the trial commences. In this episode the evidence is presented and we hear about expert evidence and its reliability.

Episode 7: The trial (PART 2)
The jury need to make a decision on the case. You will learn about judicial instructions and how juries deliberate.

Episode 8: Epilogue
Did the investigators get the right person? Find out how it all ends in this final episode.

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