Forensic Psychology

This module will provide you with an advanced, integrated understanding of criminal behaviour theories, forensic risk assessment, and psychological interventions within forensic settings. It aims to equip you with specialised knowledge and practical skills that align with contemporary professional standards.

The module aims to aid you in your knowledge and development of the core skills considered fundamental for working within forensic psychology and forensic settings, namely forensic risk assessment and intervention.

This module explores the complex relationship between mental health and the criminal justice system. You’ll critically examine how psychological theories, research, and applied practice shape fair, ethical, and effective responses to offending behaviour. You’ll learn about key legal frameworks, including the Mental Health Act and the Mental Capacity Act, and explore how these apply in real-world contexts such as court proceedings, parole decisions, and multi-agency working.

This module provides a comprehensive foundation for those pursuing careers in forensic psychology, integrating both theoretical and practical components to equip you with the skills and competencies required for professional practice.

The module is structured to focus on the key forensic psychology roles, with an emphasis on ethical standards, psychological case formulation and interventions, research, and professional development. Lectures will provide you with the required teaching to understand the core skills and what is expected of professionals in the field. You will engage in workshops that foster the development of these core skills as well as reflective practice. Through this module, you will develop a deep understanding of the core principles of forensic psychology, gain professional skills, and prepare for a rewarding career in this vital field. 

In this module, you will build a comprehensive foundation in both quantitative and qualitative research methods tailored to criminal and forensic psychology. You will develop advanced skills in research design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation, working with a variety of methodologies, including hypothesis testing, experimental design, survey research, interviews, and focus groups. Through weekly lectures and seminars, you will strengthen your critical analytical abilities, learning to use statistical software (e.g., SPSS) for quantitative analysis and applying qualitative approaches, like thematic analysis. Throughout the module, you will reflect on ethical considerations, reproducibility, and the evaluation of validity and reliability across both quantitative and qualitative methods. By engaging in hands-on exercises and applied projects, you will gain the practical experience needed to design, conduct, and analyse research, preparing you to critically apply a wide range of methods to criminal and forensic psychology topics and real-world contexts.

This module aims to help you develop advanced research and analytical skills by guiding you through the process of designing, conducting, and reporting an independent empirical research project in a forensic psychology context. It places strong emphasis on scientific rigour, ethical integrity, and methodological competence, equipping you with the skills needed for both academic and applied research roles.