Humanities Homework Help

Forensic psychology professionals who work with criminal courts take their knowledge of psychology and apply it to the legal arena. This may take many forms including but not limited to assessing for insanity, determining competency, consulting on jury selection, and giving expert testimony. However, many terms such as competency to stand trial and insanity are legal terms with legal definitions and ultimately are decided by the court and not the psychologist. The psychologist’s role is one of expert witness who works within the confines of the legal system. In this Application Assignment, you consider the legal definitions of insanity (there is no uniform standard) and how different definitions might have led to different trial outcomes in a high-profile case study. You also will identify another case in which the definition of insanity impacted the outcome of the trial.

To prepare for this assignment:

• Review Chapter 5 in your course text, Introduction to Forensic Psychology, focusing on the definitions of insanity.
• Consider how a particular definition of insanity might lead to a different trial outcome.
• Review the following case study. Click here to access the case study. Pay close attention to the two definitions of insanity.
• Think about how each of these definitions might lead to a different trial outcome in this case.
• Reflect on what conclusions you might draw based on the definition of insanity used.
• Conduct an Internet search or search the Walden Library for an article that features a case in which the legal definition of insanity affected the outcome of the case.
• Think about how the legal definition of insanity impacted the outcome of the case.

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The assignment (2–3 pages):

• Given the information in the case study presented and the two different definitions of insanity, explain how and why each definition might lead to a different outcome in this case.
• Describe the case you selected from your Internet or Walden Library search and explain how the legal definition of insanity contributed to the verdict.
• Explain what conclusions you can draw about legal definitions and their influence on case outcomes.

Support your Application Assignment with specific references to all resources used in its preparation. You are asked to provide a reference list only for those resources not included in the Learning Resources for this course.